SONG OF OLD STORY

SONG OF OLD STORY

“Look not upon me, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me: they made me the keepers of the vineyards: but mine own vineyard have I not kept” cries out the bride in bitterness of agony in verse 6 of Chapter 1 of the Song of Songs, realizing her utter unworthiness and human frailties, as the Bridegroom looks upon her by His flaming eyes.

Though her Beloved is quite conscious of the reasons for her blackness, yet He delights to hear her confession about bygones as a melodious song of some old tale. Oh, the Bridegroom delights Himself in that song because the Song of Songs is but a sweet melody unto Him Who has been lost in the ocean of love. Curiously enough, He does not either condemn or abhor her on hearing her confession. Let us now hear her song. She says she is black because of her round-the-clock labour under the scorching sun as the keeper of the vineyards. She, who was originally fair without spot or blemish, has now become black as the scorching sun has left its mark in the course of her relentless and selfless labour in keeping the vineyards of her mother’s children. The Shulamite’s mother’s children were angry with her and they made her the keeper of their vineyards but she could not keep her own vineyard. Vineyard means the ministry to God. You may be working for the other ministers of God in their vineyards through their organizations. Apart from the organization or the church through which you are serving God, you have a personal ministry to God. As a pastor, you may be serving a denominational church. But God has called you to take up an evangelistic ministry. Through the church, you may be pasturing a small group of believers in a local area. In this manner, you are working in the vineyard of that minister who had established the church. But you have neglected your own evangelistic ministry for which God had ordained you as His minister through the baptism of the Holy Ghost. To cite another example, you may be serving an evangelical organization, although God had ordained you to be His prophet. If you don’t abide in your prophetic calling, you have neglected your own vineyard.

Your mother’s children, i.e. the brothers and sisters in the Lord were angry with you. All the members of the Body of Christ don’t perform the same function but different functions (I Cor.12: 14-20). There is bound to be some misunderstanding or difference of opinion between the children of the same mother. The ministers in whose organization or church you are serving may have a different vision or a calling. Even then you may be faithfully serving that organization or church in the fear of God. At times, the elders or the co-workers may misunderstand you and they may be angry with you. There is nothing wrong with your serving God in the vineyards of an evangelical organization or a church so long as you are keeping your own vineyard. Don’t mind if those at the helm of affairs have not appreciated your hard labour under the sun. Their words of sarcasm would have left its indelible scar on your heart and scorched your spiritual life. The earthly sun under which you labored for them has scorched your spiritual life because you have neglected your own vineyard. Jonah fled from the presence of God, and neglected his ministry to the people of Nineveh. Though he obeyed God ultimately by warning the people of Nineveh, he had to pay a heavy price. God removed the temporary shelter of the gourd given to him and allowed the sun to scorch his head. And Jonah was fainted and wished to die (Jonah 4:7-8). Dear bride of Christ, do not neglect your own vineyard.

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