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.”
In the Old Testament, myrrh was used not only as a perfume but also in the anointing oil. Myrrh was also used as an oil to prepare bodies for burial, and in Mark 15:23, at the place of crucifixion, they offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh just before He was nailed to the Cross. To work with myrrh it has to be uprooted and then pulverized into a powder.
The word “Engedi” means “life from above,” and henna blossoms speak of “new life, resurrection life.”
Maidens of the day, to create the perfect perfume, would wear a pouch of myrrh between the breasts at night, and then remove the pouch in the morning with its lingering scent remaining. She would then carry on her, usually in her garments, henna blossoms. The combination of the two scents on her created a beautiful fragrance.
It is true that Jesus applies the myrrh to us on a daily basis, as we deny ourselves, taking up our cross and following Him. Our no to the flesh, and our yes to The Holy Spirit, step by step, releases the presence and power of His resurrection life through us in our everyday lives. This is Walking in The Spirit. But there are also times in our advance toward the HEIGHTS of Christlikeness that Jesus becomes to us like a pouch of myrrh that lies ALL NIGHT between our breasts. The night season speaks of those times when The Lord quietly, hidden from public view, applies the Cross to our hearts in deep ways. These are the “deep calling unto deep” times, when the depths of Him calls for the depths of us to deeper brokenness and surrender, and trust. These times can come simply by the Holy Spirit leading us into the night season to do His work in our souls, but they can also come as a result external situations that lay our hearts bare before Him. The myrrh lay hidden over her heart, and no one else knew it was there. God has on many occasions done a “Myrrh work” in my heart, as I quietly bore the work of the Cross that only He and I knew about. These times can be very painful as we learn to “Let Go” of things at a more excessive level. The result of these “night seasons” is that there is a lingering scent of humility, brokenness, and freedom left behind, and an emerging anointing of the New Creation coming forth in resurrection power.