Song 1:13 “My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
Song 1:14 “My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
In the vineyards of Engedi.”
The perfume of verse 12 is the perfume of our affection, adoration, and heart worship in His presence. It is the perfume of our love offered to Him. There is another fragrance spoken of in verses 13 and 14, which is the fragrance of Christ likeness. 2 Corinthians verse 15 says that we are a fragrance of Christ. He has taken The Shulamite away on a journey to the Heights, and the Heights is the experience of two things. First, it’s being so rooted and grounded in love, that He becomes our First–Love. Secondly, the Heights represent the life of Christ being fully released through us in every day living. Therefore, there are two fragrances that we manifest; the fragrance of our love for Him, and the fragrance of His life through us. Versus 13 and 14 reveal the two works of Christ in us that releases His fragrance through us. Verse 13 says that He is to me a “pouch of myrrh,” and verse 14 says that He is to me a “cluster of henna blossoms.” The myrrh is the Cross, and the work of the Cross in our lives, and the henna blossoms speak of the Resurrection and the power of the Resurrection being released in our lives. Most Christians want to go straight to the Resurrection in their pursuit of Christ likeness, but you cannot get to Easter without going through Good Friday. This is one of the most important principles in the Christian life. As the Holy Spirit practically applies the Cross to our flesh, death occurs, and as our independent self (our false self) is held in the place of death, new life (His life) comes forth. The Christian life is not supposed to be an up-and-down life, which many Christians live, instead it’s to be a Down and Up life. Jesus said that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains alone, but if it dies it shall bear much fruit. Every day, as we apply the victory of the cross to our fallen flesh, we are then able to look to His Resurrection Life to be released through us for every situation, temptation, and ministry opportunity. Resurrection by its very name means a rising from the dead, so without a daily dying there is no daily Resurrection. We will look deeper into the wonders of the pouch of myrrh, and the cluster of henna blossoms.