Like an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight.
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
Song of Solomon 2:3
Recently, our Church Devotional, Nearer to God, had an article about Jesus being described as the Apple Tree.
Naturally, I immediately adored that name for my beloved Saviour. The written article was beautiful and is available for all to read under www.ntgdevotional.com. The article dated May 18, 2023 is written by Rev. Pieter van der Hoek. He is a pastor at Heritage Reformed Church in Hull, Iowa USA. Today’s theme and ideas come from his article.
The article explained how Jesus is like an apple tree. Not that common of a description or well known for our Jesus.
Yet when you read Solomon chapter two, you find this lovely description of Jesus.
Some individuals relate the Song of Solomon to earthly love. There are good reasons, however, to interpret the book of Song of Solomon with a focus on Jesus’ love for His church, His people. Our focus should always be on Jesus first, not on self.
And if you think of the apple tree among the trees of the woods, it certainly is beautiful, unique, spectacular and stands out among the rest.
Our Jesus, Saviour of humanity, also stands out among the rest. Who else can save but the blood of Jesus? He is the only way to have faith in God.
As believers in Jesus Christ and the triune God we recognize it is our King Jesus who sacrificed His life for us on the cross.
He saved us from the wrath of God and if that doesn’t set Him apart, nothing will. Our sins forgiven, all thanks to Jesus.
When we think of our King, Jesus, we know He is merciful, full of compassion, loving and kind, the truest of friends.
He is incomparable, and HIs love sets us free!
Jesus offers the weary Christian a place of rest, a place to lay our burdens at the foot of the cross.
Think of your favourite apple tree or shade tree on a hot summer day and then think of Jesus again and again and again.
As Song of Solomon states in verse three, “I sat down in his shade with great delight…”
Isn’t that a beautiful picture of how Jesus is to us our greatest delight, our shade from the heat, our covering, our everything?
Jesus is the believer’s delight on a hot day, on a wintry day, on a beautiful Victoria Day in May.
To conclude, Jesus’ fruit is sweet to the taste.
He provides our daily bread, our refreshment along the way.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry; and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NIV)
For the rest of today, I am going to work in my flowerbeds, near the apple trees. Then later I will bike along the Niagara Parkway with friends, enjoying the shade of the most beautiful of trees.
Above all, I will delight in my Jesus, my LORD, my life, my all.
How about you can you find some time today to gaze upon the apple tree, to reflect upon our Jesus?
Will you delight in His love, His shade, His covering?
I will join you, dear reader, in delighting in this beautiful Jesus!