The Beloved's Mirror
"I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine. My Beloved is mine, and I am His." Song of Solomon 6:3; 2:16.
Do you ever mix up Bible passages? I do. When I entered my study one morning, I had this general text in mind, and it made me wonder which way I remembered it was right. So, I looked. It was only then I discovered it was recorded twice! In our first text, the subject is the Bride, and the object is Christ.
"I am my Beloved's (Christ as object), and my Beloved is mine (Bride as subject)."
In 2:16, we read the verse again, but with a slight twist,
"My Beloved (Christ as subject) is mine, and I (Bride as object) am His."
So, both were right. And then it hit me; there is a reason this line is in here twice. It's no accident. These two passages are mirror images of each other, looking at this love from both sides.
Two questions came to my mind.
What does Jesus Mean to You? and,
What do You, dear believer, Mean to Jesus?
Let’s ask ourselves these two questions?
What does Jesus Mean to You?
If you have really thought this question through, you will be prepared to say a few things:
First, many of you would be willing to say, I would love my Beloved more, but I do love Him still. In other words, with all my sinful spots still clinging to me against my will, He is the foundation of all my hope. I have no hope but what is found in my Beloved's ruddy Person and Work.
Him, I love.
You would say, I hope for pardon because He died for sinners. And I am one—even a chieftain1 in my own eyes. And I hope for justification because I know He rose from the dead, appeared unto the disciples, and was taken up into heaven. And I hope for eternal life because He sits even now at the Father's right hand, ever living to make intercession for me.
In Him, I live.
You will be prepared to say, I see the depravity of my heart, the stains of all my works, and the unholiness of my life. And all these things wall me off from God, separating me from my Beloved. Yet the beloved Bride still says, "The Lord Jesus Christ, He is my hope, He is only the object of my faith. As I believe in God, I believe also in His Son whom He has sent."
For Him, I long.
You are prepared to say, I believe He is worthy of His Word. What He promises, He will perform upon all those that seek Him. For my soul's salvation, I place my confidence in Christ. Take away Jesus, and I faint. Take away Jesus, and I falter. But, as long as My Beloved remains in His rightful place, I can believe that God has forgiven, completely justified, and steadfastly preserved my soul.
In Him, I confide.
You are prepared to say, I rest myself upon His blood-shedding and perfect work-doing. I depend on his mediation, intersession, substitution, and atonement for eternal life. He alone is the unfailing fountain of my every need, both for my mortal body and my immortal soul, for the fleeting time of this world and the endless age of the world to come, for all earthly necessities and all heavenly blessings.
On Him, I lean.
You will say, I am fully persuaded that all the riches of God are treasured in Jesus, that every promised blessing, and that all the provisions of the everlasting covenant are entrusted to him. He has the power to command heaven and earth, so everything I need in life and death is in Him. Because I am His, then every need of mine will be met according to His will and pleasure.
In Him, I joy.
Now…
What do You, dear believer, Mean to Jesus?
There is also much to be said here.
You are His by divine selection, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that you should be holy and without blame before Him in love. In this sense, He chose to love you before you were even born. He chose you in eternity past.
You are His choice.
You are his by sovereign gift. The Father gave you to Him. Jesus said, "Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me." What a mystery this is! The Father gave you to the Son in an eternal transaction of love.
You are His gift.
You are his by His purchase. He has bought you with a price, and what a price it was! Not silver or gold, but by His own precious blood. You are His property, bought and paid for on the cross.
You are His grant.
You are His by victory. He fought for you against your sin and your guilt, your temptations and your despair, your Satan and your death. He has won you in a fair fight and carries you as His prize of grace.
You are His spoil.
You are His by mutual consent. He has come to you, and you have gone after Him. You have opened to Him, and He has come into you. You have taken Him to be your Savior, and He has taken you to be His people.
You are His betrothed.
You are His by marriage. You are part of His Bride, the church, forever joined to Him in an unbreakable covenant by saving faith. As a husband loves his wife and gives himself for her, Christ has loved and given Himself for you.
You are His bride.
You are His by indwelling. He has given you His Spirit as the pledge (the earnest) and seal of your union with Him. He has promised that His life is your life; His joy is your joy, His peace is your peace, His hope is your hope, and His glory is your glory.
You are His home.
You are His heart.
Beloved, this is what it means to say,
"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."
This is the love that the Bride has for Christ, and that Christ has for us.
A chief, especially of a band, tribe, or clan.
Un-believable, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that He Loved me, this worm drawn out off the dunghill, this prodigal son of my parents pulled / dragged to Himself, to by HIS Blood