“Show Me a denarius (a coin)! Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered, Caesar’s. He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Lk 20:24-25 Amp
“[He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].” 2Cor 1:22
“And just as we have borne the image [of the man] of dust, so shall we and so let us bear the image [of the Man] of heaven.” 1Cor 15:49
“Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as hard and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead). Its flashes are the flashes of fire, a most vehement flame [the very flame of the Lord]!” SoS 8:6
Many commentaries and books about Song of Songs admit that a great difficulty in interpretation stems from not knowing exactly who is talking. This difficulty becomes compounded when trying to apprehend the meaning behind Scriptures like Song of Songs 8:6 above.
The paramount question becomes: “Who is setting, and Whom is to be set?” I would like to take issue with the common rendering of most translations that imply the Schulammite or the Bride is speaking to her beloved Shepherd, and asking Him to set her like a seal upon His heart …and upon His arm.
Sentimentally, that would be something we would see in the world today. The one you love tattoos your name on his arm. It appears to be an indelible sign of his devotion… his never-ending love. Our hearts are touched by that. We like it.
But I believe there is much greater profit and purpose if we render the focus and flow differently, having the Beloved/Shepherd asking the Bride (Schulammite) to set Him like a seal upon her heart, like a seal upon her arm. Allow me to share why.
When the Bride applies the Beloved Lord like a seal to her heart and to her arm, it is a witness to the world – she is the Lord’s! The currency of her heart and life are forever engraved with His image! And this is proper and appropriate, as we are to now forever bear the image of the Man of heaven.
It is also appropriate because we have the seal of the Holy Spirit upon our heart as a security deposit until the promise is fulfilled in eternity – that we will join Him.
But I believe there is an even greater reason and emphasis for embracing such a rendering… of having the Bride with the Lord’s seal upon her. Previously in Song of Songs (Chapter 4:12), the Beloved describes His promised Bride as a garden enclosed and barred, a spring shut up and a fountain sealed. This doesn’t just have to do with her devotion as being singularly the Lord’s, although that is part of it. It therefore does allude to keeping herself as consecrated to their future marriage. But it also speaks to the need that she, the Bride has currently to remain filled and abiding in His Spirit.
In Bob Sorge’s devotion, “Secrets of the Secret Place,” he unlocks the importance of shutting the door when you enter the secret place of God’s Presence (Mt 6:6). He explains that to get into the Lord’s Presence, you must shut the door. Now, this is not the door to your study, nor is it blocking out this realm by shutting your eyes. Instead, I believe that it is closing the door to the tabernacle of your heart, the very Holy of Holies, where you are meeting with the Lord. Shutting the door allows you to fill up in the spirit of your heart with the substance of His Presence, with the very rarified air of the Kingdom of God.
The Lord has given me a metaphor to understand this… and it deals with ships entering the locks of the Panama Canal. When a ship enters the lock, doors are closed which allow the water level to rise. The ship is then free to exit the lock and operate on a higher plain. I believe when we meet with the Lord and shut the door of our spirit, we too are filled and able to operate on a spiritual level otherwise impossible. It then becomes an issue of frequency and faithfulness in our meeting with the Lord, and shutting the door against dissipation of the spirit, that causes us to walk in life led by the Holy Spirit and to manifest the seal of the King’s signet ring, His seal emblazoned on our hearts and testifying of His strength operating in us.
If this expansion bears witness in your heart, take it into the Lord’s Presence with expectation. Shut the door when you come into the secret place, believing His desire is to meet with you and fill you! Come empty! Come hungry for Him! Come believing with all your heart that He wants you to be sealed with His signet ring as a testament that you are His!
Insolomonsporch's Blog 