THE VOICE OF THE BELOVED.
‘My beloved spoke, and said to me, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone, The flowers appear on the earth, The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove, Is heard in our land. The fig-tree ripens her green figs, And the vines are in blossom, They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
The plea of her beloved comes to her. It is unavoidable. He tells her that it is now spring, and the time for love. The winter is gone, the rainy season is over, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the trees are blossoming and showing signs of fruit. Their fragrance fills the air. It is time then too for their love to blossom as they walk together in the countryside in the sunshine enjoying the delights of nature.
Here was a picture of what God was calling Israel to. He wanted to share His love with them (see Isaiah 2:5; Jeremiah 31:9). And He was ready to come to them where they were at the time of spring renewal. The prophets even told them what to do. ‘Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn and He will heal us. He has smitten and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us, and on the third day He will raise us up, and we will live before Him' (Hosea 6:1-2). But they still refused. We can compare with this the idyllic picture of life in Isaiah 11:5-9. That was what He wanted for them. It could be theirs if only they would respond.
And how often the voice of our Beloved calls to us to leave behind what is past and come aside with Him and look forward to the future, and all the delights that He has in store for us. He calls for the non-Christian to experience the time of rebirth (John 1:12-13; John 3:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17) and to us all to enjoy a time of renewal. He wants us to enjoy our lives in His presence and walk with Him in the springtime in our lives, in the time when all is renewed. God has done all the necessary groundwork, and it is now time for us to enter into it. ‘Do not be conformed to this world,' He calls, ‘but be renewed in the spirit of your mind, that you might prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God' (Romans 12:2). We are being called on to enjoy continual spring times with Him, even when the going is hardest.