"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not."
There is all the reality of a love affair found throughout this book. And here in this verse, we come to the part where something of loss has happened. There is a separation described within this verse. And as Spurgeon asked, so I must ask, 'How is it that you lost that which was most precious unto you?'
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth - word study, sought; Her loved one is absent from her presence; Note the personal pronouns used here - 'my bed', 'my soul' and 'I sought'. It is a very personal act being done and described here. the basis of 'night' and 'bed' is not hard for us to understand, it is very true, that at night you go to bed. But the problem is that when she goes to bed, the one 'whom my soul loveth', is not there. She says, 'I sought him there'. It is needful for me to ask of you and you ask of your loved one, 'What are you seeking for?' The only right answer is Christ. PEople are seeking truth, people are seeking acceptance, people are seeking fun/entertainment, people are are seeking money and power. But all those things come and go and are counted as wood, hay and stubble. Christ is everlasting and shall give to the soul that seeks for Him everlasting life with Him in eternity.
But yet, I know as many that are all around that are seeking for nothing. They are simply existing, going through the motions of life. They are in darkness by Satan, lied to that this is all that there is in life. They know not to seek for any thing higher in God. They are either in seeking vanity from day to day, or not seeking anything higher than animal cravings. Both of which leads to destruciton and eternal hell. Only Christ is the high prize to be sought for in this life. It is this life that gives us the opportunity to seek for this. Angels and demons can seek for Him, their eternity is fixed. The dead cannot seek, their time of opporutnity has passed. The unborn have not arrived yet, and their moment is to come. It is for you and I that are given the here and now to seek for Him.
Why 'by night. . . I sought him'? The night season, reflective of those times that are least likely to be busy with worldly, carnal matters. Busy, busy, busy we are all day; and for some even at night. Yet, I think most would agree, that the night season offers a more restful, quiet, and less hectic time frame. And for this soul, as well as we, all day long we have been at our busy schedule, chores and activities. And only at night, when we draw our breath do we reach out to to seek the Lord. Yea, many never think of Him until they do lay their head down to rest at night, and then lift up a prayer.
But too many do not seek Him daily, hourly or moment by moment. When they finally reach out to find Him, he is not there. Their seeking Him, but they have grieved, quenched, limited and resisted Him. So filled with self, so filled with earthly things, they have not realized they have driven Him from first to last place in their daily living. And how sad to note, that many Christians have done this for weeks, months and Woe! for years. Going through the motions but never truly realizing that He was gone from primary place in their heart, agendas and thoughts. Never knowing until that moment of tragedgy, difficulty and sin that they need Him; then, and only then, do they seek for Him.
How did they ever get to this place! Yes, church, how is it that you left your first love? Truly it is a night season in such times when the light is withdrawn. Just as the setting of the sun ushers in the night. So the light of Christ, being removed and limited, withdraws til the darkness comes into the soul and heart of the believer. John of the Cross wrote the book, 'Dark NIght of the Soul' that gives us a reading to match these thoughts.
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