Awake, O North Wind

Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits.

Song Of Solomon 4:16

We long to be attractive to those whom we love. We want to demonstrate qualities that they find pleasant and enjoyable, whether those qualities are physical, mental, spiritual or social. Because we desire to be attractive, we will go to great lengths to foster these elements of ourselves. In the Song of Solomon, the Bride wants to be desirable for her Bridegroom. He has praised her eloquently in the passage that precedes our text. He has described her beauty in great detail. The Bride utters the words of our text at the end of that passage. She calls upon the north and south winds to blow upon her garden that the spices may flow out. She wants her Beloved to enjoy her. This is an intense text that alludes to a high degree of intimacy and communion that exists between Christ and His people. It further points up the intensity of the desire which Christ’s people have that He should enjoy us in close communion. There is perhaps here a poetic allusion to the Holy Spirit’s work since the wind and the Spirit are compared in Scripture. It is the Holy Spirit Who works to renew us in the whole person after the image of Christ. Therefore, it is appropriate for us to call upon God to send His Spirit to make us more like Christ.

Our Good and Gracious God,
we rejoice in the love you have extended to us.
We praise You for the work of the Holy Spirit,
to make us more like Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning