Ears To Hear # 86

THE MORNING DOVE

SPIRIT OF THE DOVE

         All is quiet here this morning. As I wait upon the Lord, I hear the soft call of a gentle dove. Over and over, the same mournful sound…calling to her mate.
         How can it be sad, yet peaceful at the same time…like a soft lullaby to a sleeping child? Soothing – soothing – soothing. 

THE SOUND OF THE TURTLE DOVE

         “The sound of the turtle dove is heard in the land.”, I heard the Spirit say. 
         I didn’t know what He meant, and it would be several days before I would be able to put this to practical use. I asked a few friends if they had heard the dove cooing in the morning. They said they had. Even Jan in Colorado said, “Yes, the doves are cooing here, too.”
         Wondering what a turtle dove looked like, I came up with these pictures. There is the Morning Dove and there is the Mourning Dove which is also called a Turtle Dove.

 

                  Morning Dove                                    Mourning Dove…
                                                                  Also Called Turtle Dove

When a pair of Turtle doves (mourning doves) are placed together they stay together for life.

SCHOLARS

            Oh, how I thank God for the scholars of His Word, who bring the scriptures together for us, using original languages, and all the scriptures to come together as a whole. I thank God for using dear Linda to point me to the study tool on the internet:  www.blueletterbible.com  

SEARCH FOR THE DOVE

         It was here in www.blueletterbible.com  that I read the study I will include at the end of this message. You can scroll down at any time. God’s Word says it much better than I can. 
         There is too much for me to share, even from these few days of revelation about the Dove. But, I exhort you to print this out…read it for several days…underline places where you see yourself as a dove and where you see the Spirit of God as the Dove. I believe I will be showing more about the Dove in the days to come. Please keep this print out handy for review.

THE DOVE-LIKE SPIRIT

         Do you have friends like my friend Lois who exhibits the dove-like spirit? Or friends like Linda whom I have seen walk the (stairs) listed in this study? Perhaps you see some of yourself in here.
         I first saw myself in verse 14 where it said, “Doves are noted for constant attachment.” I’ve often wondered why I emotionally remain attached to so many people.
         Then I delighted in the knowledge that God has formed a “constant attachment” with His children. He confirms it by His Word when He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).
         It may appear that others are constantly detaching themselves from us, we know by His Spirit and His Word that we have a permanent and constant attachment to Him.

HE SEEKS HIS DOVES

         The dove-like person will seek those they love, those who often seem to be hiding from them. In Psalms 74:19, the turtle dove is used as a term of endearment. Whoever you are seeking out can be referred to as your Turtledove.
         Song of Solomon 2:14 expresses your heart so well, “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the stairs, let me SEE thy countenance, let me HEAR thy voice; for sweet is thy voice [to me] and thy countenance [expression on your face] is comely.” I want to see you. I want to hear you.
         The Spirit of the Dove flows both ways and extends to the Body of Christ. We seek our Lord, and He seeks us. So, Christ in us may seek out those He loves: His turtledoves. We seek with a consistent Love…like His, which is from first to last…forever.

HE “COOS” TO HIS DOVES

         “Comfort ye. Comfort ye My people”, I hear our Lord say. These are hard times. Don’t be harsh with each other…just keep on “cooing”. (Isaiah 40:1).
         Shhh…shush…my turtle dove. God loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you. All is well. God is here.
         “Coo - coo.”
         And He coos to us until we are at Peace again and begin to coo back to Him.
         Thank You Lord, for the dove/Dove.
         When you are tempted to become angry, impatient, or to take thing into your own hands, just “Coo”. All is well. Enter His Rest. You can trust Him. He never sleeps. He is constantly attached to you. Let Him comfort you like the soft sound of the turtledove…cooing in the trees. 
         As you hear God’s Spirit “coo” to you, “coo” to yourself and “coo” to others. Comfort and Peace to all.

                                                        

PRINT OUT COMMENTARY
FROM
www.blueletterbible.com

Song of Solomon:

( Sgs 2:10 ); it is a consistent whole; "love" from first to last ( Isa 52:1, 2 2Cr 6:17, 18 ). "Come," in the close of Rev 22:17 , as at His earlier manifestation ( Mat 11:28 ).

SONG OF SOLOMON

      14. dove--here expressing endearment ( Psa 74:19 ). Doves are noted for constant attachment; emblems, also, in their soft, plaintive note, of softened penitents ( Isa 59:11 Eze 7:16 ); other points of likeness are their beauty; "their wings covered with silver and gold" ( Psa 68:13 ), typifying the change in the converted; the dove-like spirit, breathed into the saint by the Holy Ghost, whose emblem is the dove; the messages of peace from God to sinful men, as Noah's dove, with the olive branch ( Gen 8:11 ), intimated that the flood of wrath was past; timidity, fleeing with fear from sin and self to the cleft Rock of Ages ( Isa 26:4 , Margin; Hsa 11:11 ); gregarious, flocking together to the kingdom of Jesus Christ ( Isa 60:8 ); harmless simplicity ( Mat 10:16 ).
      clefts--the refuge of doves from storm and heat ( Jer 48:28 ; see Jer 49:16 ). GESENIUS translates the Hebrew from a different root, "the refuges." But see, for "clefts," Exd 33:18-23 . It is only when we are in Christ Jesus that our "voice is sweet (in prayer, Sgs 4:3, 11 Mat 10:20 Gal 4:6 , because it is His voice in us; also in speaking of Him, Mal 3:16 ); and our countenance comely" ( Exd 34:29 Psa 27:5 71:3 Isa 33:16 2Cr 3:18 ).
      stairs-- ( Eze 38:20 , Margin), a steep rock, broken into stairs or terraces. It is in "secret places" and rugged scenes that Jesus Christ woos the soul from the world to Himself ( Mic 2:10 7:14 ). So Jacob amid the stones of Beth-el ( Gen 28:11-19 ); Moses at Horeb ( Exd 3:1-22 ); so Elijah ( 1Ki 19:9-13 ); Jesus Christ with the three disciples on a "high mountain apart," at the transfiguration ( Mat 17:1 ); John in Patmos ( Rev 1:9 ). "Of the eight beatitudes, five have an afflicted condition for their subject. As long as the waters are on the earth, we dwell in the ark; but when the land is dry, the dove itself will be tempted to wander" [JEREMY TAYLOR]. Jesus Christ does not invite her to leave the rock, but in it (Himself), yet in holy freedom to lay aside the timorous spirit, look up boldly as accepted in Him, pray, praise, and confess Him (in contrast to her shrinking from being looked at, Sgs 1:6 ), ( Eph 6:19 Hbr 13:15 1Jo 4:18 ); still, though trembling, the voice and countenance of the soul in Jesus Christ are pleasant to Him. The Church found no cleft in the Sinaitic legal rock, though good in itself, wherein to hide; but in Jesus Christ stricken by God for us, as the rock smitten by Moses ( Num 20:11 ), there is a hiding-place ( Isa 32:2 ). She praised His "voice" ( Sgs 2:8, 10 ); it is thus that her voice also, though tremulous, is "sweet" to Him here.
      15. Transition to the vineyard, often formed in "stairs" ( Sgs 2:14 ), or terraces, in which, amidst the vine leaves, foxes hid.
      foxes--generic term, including jackals. They eat only grapes, not the vine flowers; but they need to be driven out in time before the grape is ripe. She had failed in watchfulness before ( Sgs 1:6 ); now when converted, she is the more jealous of subtle sins ( Psa 139:23 ). In spiritual winter certain evils are frozen up, as well as good; in the spring of revivals these start up unperceived, crafty, false teachers, spiritual pride, uncharitableness, &c. ( Psa 19:12 Mat 13:26 Luk 8:14 2Ti 2:17 Hbr 12:15 ). "Little" sins are parents of the greatest ( Ecc 10:1 1Cr 5:6 ). Historically, John the Baptist spared not the fox-like Herod ( Luk 13:32 ), who gave vine-like promise of fruit at first ( Mar 6:20 ), at the cost of his life; nor the viper-Sadducees, &c.; nor the varied subtle forms of sin ( Luk 3:7-14 ).
      16. mine . . . his--rather, "is for me . . . for Him" ( Hsa 3:3 ), where, as here, there is the assurance of indissoluble union, in spite of temporary absence. Sgs 2:17 , entreating Him to return, shows that He has gone, perhaps through her want of guarding against the "little sins" ( Sgs 2:15 ). The order of the clauses is reversed in Sgs 6:3 , when she is riper in faith: there she rests more on her being His; here, on His being hers; and no doubt her sense of love to Him is a pledge that she is His ( Jhn 14:21, 23 1Cr 8:3 ); this is her consolation in His withdrawal now.