Rabbi Schneider - A Locked Garden
Jesus is telling His bride is telling her how beautiful she is, how lovely she is. And He describes her fidelity to Him by saying to her this: "A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a rock garden locked, a spring garden or a spring sealed up". What does this mean? That she wasn't letting the world in anymore. She wasn't letting false lovers in anymore. She was reserving herself completely for her relationship with God.
Do you know that's what it means to be holy? The Bible says that you and I are holy in Him. That we're holy and blameless before Him in love. What does it mean to be holy? To be holy, my friend, it means to be set apart. That's what our call is. She existed for him alone. "A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up". So I just want to stop and say, are you and I living our lives like that? Have we separated ourselves? In other words, you can't just watch stuff on television that you find entertaining. That's not a rock garden, that's not being sealed up, like we just read. You have just like an open door there for the world to come in. We can't just listen to what music we want to listen to because we like the sound of it, it makes us feel good.
No, listen again. "A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a rock garden locked, a spring sealed up". So if we're going to live like this, as those that are set apart to the Lord, sealed up for Him, a rock garden around us, so nothing else is coming in, we can't just choose to watch on television or YouTube what we're curious about. Everything has to be filtered by this question: Father, is it pleasing to you? Is that your will, that I'm listening to this, that I'm watching this? Is this acceptable that I'm letting this into my life? Including the relationships that you have?
Too many single people get into relationships with someone from the opposite sex because they're lonely. That's not an excuse to get into a relationship with a nonbeliever or someone that's not living passionately for the Lord. Will you and I accept the call? Will we use the Shulamite bride as a model for our lives? That, Lord, I'm not gonna allow anything into my life that isn't pleasing to You. This is the way you and I ought to be living. I know I want to live like this. Sure, there's discipline, but what a blessing that comes in knowing that your life is sealed up for Jesus, that you're an alien in this world, that this world is not your home.
Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love you. But because you're not in the world, because I chose you out of the world," Jesus said, "therefore the world hates you". You're not of the world. You're not of the world. So if you're not of the world, why are you trying to fit into the world? Why are you letting the world in? And the more dark the culture becomes, the more separate our life should shine, people should know we're different. And when you live as a rock garden, as a spring sealed up, you are then going to have the power to bring the kingdom of God to other people.
I remember even over the last week, two people told me, "Whenever I'm around you, I feel close to God". I just put my hand on one person's chest. I didn't even ask him first, I just put my hand on his chest, began to pray for him. Tears began to come from his eyes. Somebody else said, "Whenever I'm around you, I feel close to God". That's the blessing that comes from being a rock garden and a spring sealed up. You're useful to the master. There's an anointing on you, that will be used of the Lord to bring His beauty and His color to others.
Beloved, we're called to be Shulamite brides. We're the bride of Christ. I want to ask you today, will you pay the price, by disciplining yourself, being willing to be deferred, even if it means being rejected? If you will, God is going to continue to draw close to you and cause you to know more and more how much He loves you. If you don't, beloved, it's not going to be good. Because the Bible says friendship with the world means you'll be hostile towards God.