Recently, I was reading in the book of Song of Solomon. I don’t read it very often because – well, you know, my awkwardness and I find it very awkward. 🙂 But verse three of chapter two caught my attention. “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” I find this verse very picturesque. Imagine walking through the woods and finding an apple tree, where you can sit down and eat: where you can rest and find refreshment. That would be a very unique experience! My thoughts went to God and who He is, how special and unique He is, and the relationship we can have with Him.
How is Jehovah God special? To start with, He was never created. Rather, He is the One who created the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them. He controls the oceans and the winds. He feeds all the animals and provides food for us. He sends snow, rain, and sunshine. And in spite of all His greatness and power He lowers Himself to hear our cries. In Psalm 86 we read, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.” Contrast that to other ‘gods.’ “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: they have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: they have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat” (Psalm 115:4-7). An image made out of wood, stone, metal, or any other material is not able to answer the needs of those who made it. And just because your ‘god’ isn’t some image doesn’t make it any better. You may be trusting money, a life of ‘doing good,’ your baptism or church attendance, or any number of other things to answer your problems in life and to help you in trouble. But, friend, all of these will fail. The only One who can help you in your need and give the answers to life’s problems is the God who created you and gave you life. He is the ‘apple tree’ that gives sustenance to all that come to Him, while all the other trees of religion and materialism can only deliver emptiness and confusion.
The next part of the verse in Song of Solomon talks about delighting to rest in the shadow of this special tree. The first verse of Psalm 91 immediately came to mind. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” We long for rest, for protection, for peace and completeness. All around us there is a clamor of voices, each claiming to be the answer. “Indulge yourself.” “Better yourself.” “Embrace yourself.” “Forget yourself.” All these “answers” conflict with each other and leave us wondering which one we should choose. And then they leave us empty as we try them and come to the sad realization that none of them answers our deep need. But God offers us something better. It is not a command to try harder. Instead, He calls us to rest. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God calls us to come to Him and accept the gift of rest and peace He has for us. He calls us to cease from our endless endeavors to make everyone happy so we can be accepted. He calls us to stop our frenzy of trying to be good enough. He calls us to come and accept the rest He offers. It is simple. Our choices to do our own thing rather than obeying the law God has given have broken our relationship with God, creating the unrest and the longing for peace deep within our souls. The price of our sin (breaking God’s laws) is death and separation from God. But God, because of His great love for us, gave His Son, Jesus, to come to earth and live a life completely free of sin, so that He could die and pay the penalty for my sin and yours. In fact, He paid for the sins of everyone; past, present, and future. Through Jesus’ payment for our sins, the way is open for us to have peace with God. All we have to do is reject all our endeavors to make ourselves good enough, and accept Jesus’ death and resurrection as the full payment of our sins, the only way to be restored to God. And when we truly believe this, we will have the peace and rest God offers. We can delight and rest in peace with God as we trust in Him.
The last part of that verse in Song of Solomon speaks about how sweet and wonderful the fruit of the apple tree is. It brought to mind verses from Psalm 34. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the [person] that trusteth in Him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” This invitation is not limited to a small number. Rather, it is an open invitation to all who hear to come and experience how good God is. God Himself says that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to believe in Him. He lovingly calls to everyone, “Come.” He is the Giver of every good gift, and through mercy and love, He draws us to Himself. He offers everlasting peace and joy. He offers abundant life. He gives love that changes us and causes us to love those around us. This offer is for all. Taste and see that He is good!
Dear friends, I write this today because I have tasted and seen how good God is. I have found Him to be my dearest friend. I can truly say that there is none like Him. I have found Him to be the apple tree in the middle of a forest of false hope, confusion, and dead ends. I have found rest in His shadow, and delight in the complete peace He brings. I enjoy the good and perfect gifts He gives. And more than that, I long for you also to know such joys. My prayer is that each of you would taste and see how good God is. May He fill you with all joy and peace in believing.
Hope in truth 