“The watchmen who went about the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took my veil away from me” (Song of Sol 5:7).
In the church, people, who are meant to be looking out for our welfare, can hurt us. They can bring bitter circumstances on us, even to the point of throwing us out of a congregation.
When the watchmen took off the Shulamite’s veil, the word, rĕdhîdh, is talking about a thin outer garment of fine lawn that the women would throw over their entire dress. The watchmen gave her a humiliating dressing down!
The Shulamite had been attacked and was hurting and how did she react? She showed no bitterness but calmly and simply asked the daughters of Jerusalem to pass on a message to her Beloved if they found him before she did.
She had allowed no unforgiveness to fester within her spirit as she had guarded her heart: “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Heb. 12:15).
We all get bad things happening to us but how we react is critical. It is so easy to allow our misunderstanding and hurt to morph into unforgiveness and bitterness. Pain that is undealt with, that hasn’t been lain at the cross of Jesus, allows a bitterness to spring up.
Peter rebuked Jesus saying that Jesus would not die. Jesus immediately recognised the spirit that was behind those words and replied, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s” (Matt. 16:23). Peter was using words that were a stick for bait (of a trap), a snare, a stumbling block and an offense (Strongs 4625).
“The spirit of a person can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit, who can endure it?” (Prov 18:14).
Don’t let your pain and sickness fester. Don’t fall for the bait. Don’t let it become a stumbling block for your life. Jesus came to heal broken, offended and disappointed hearts. Run to the coat of Jesus and keep your spirit sweet.
NASB quoted throughout.