He Is: Gardener (And We Are The Garden)

Part Five: Encouraging Conclusion

“You are a garden locked up, My sister, My bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard, nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices… My Beloved has gone down to His garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine; He browses among the lilies… I went down to the grove of nut trees to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom. Before I realized it, My desire set Me among the royal chariots of My people.” (Song of Solomon 4:12-14, 6:2-3, 6:11-12)

The Church as the Garden

I saved this one for last, as it grabs up our story of Garden and Gardener beautifully. I see (and I hope you do, too) here is a Gardener’s delight in His garden; which in turn states the ultimate purpose of that Garden: to bring joy to the One Who brought it into existence.

Each of us is a plot of land in His larger Garden of the Church, in which He plants seeds of the blessings He wishes to share with joy. That is… J.O.Y. If you recall from past messages, this stands for Jesus, Others, You. Remember this: fruits are grown to be harvested, shared, and enjoyed… not to stay on the plant. Any fruit left too long becomes unfruitful and rotten, and is thrown away. That is why it is harvested and enjoyed without hesitation when time, with the assurance that fruits will once again grow.

Let’s go back to J.O.Y. and the Garden’s purpose: to bring delight.

Jesus and God, our faithful Sower and Gardener, wil enjoy the fruit of their labor and marvel in the beauty of what THEY created.

Others will take delight in the harvest and our plot of land when we share the fruits grown there by the Gardener and let them see the beauty of His work there (and this too, brings delight to Him).

Finally… You. How does the Garden benefit from the fruits of the harvest? Aside from this incredible journey from unplowed desert lands and to fertile lands of growth, a healthier and more fulfilling purpose, and the attentive care of a skilled Gardener? Well, the Gardener expands you to grow more in you; using the seeds produced by what is already there, He prepares for a bigger, better harvest to come next time. That is a pretty great thing and more than enough.

Final thing, I analyzed the symbolism of all the different plants listed in this Song of Solomon passages and shared them down below. Look at them alongside the Scriptures paired with them to see some of the different blessings and fruits God WILL produce in you in different seasons of your life.

Pomegranates: Life and fertility (Jeremiah 29:11)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Henna: Joy and celebration, forgiveness and absolute atonement (Romans 14:17-18)

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.”

Nard: Devotion, genuine and faithful preparation (Phillipians 4:13)

“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

Saffron: Royalty and purity (1 Peter 2:4-5)

“As you come to Him, the Living Stone– rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him– you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Calamus: Moral uprightness, justice (Proverbs 3:5-6)

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Cinnamon: Sanctification, purification, favor (1 John 1:9)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Myrrh: Death, mourning (John 11:25-26)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Aloe: Mourning, healing, reformation (1 Corinthians 10:13; Jeremiah 30:17)

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so you can endure it.”

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,” declares the LORD, “because you are called outcasts, Zion for whom no one cares.”

Incense trees: Prayer (Psalm 34:4)

“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”

Spices: Inner truth (John 16:12-15)

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.”

Lilies: Rebirth and hope (John 3:3-7)

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born again when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”

Nut trees: Provision of the Trinity (Phillipians 4:19)

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”