Song of Solomon 1:13

Myrrh is a kind of resin gathered from a plant that grows in the East. It was used as a perfume and also as a medicine. It is the life sap that oozes out through the wounds made in the bark of the plant. It is, therefore, a reminder of Christ, who in love for us, was wounded for our transgressions and shed His blood.

The suffering love of the Lord Jesus, which the myrrh speaks of, will be fragrant to all around Him in His kingdom. In the day of His glory none will be allowed to forget that He was once the Man of Sorrows in this world. Myrrh was mixed with the wine offered to the Lord on the cross (Mark 15:23). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used myrrh and aloes to prepare the holy body of Jesus for His burial.

The myrrh speaks of Christ, but not Christ as an object before our gaze — Christ dwelling in the heart by faith. Myrrh does not attract by its beauty, like the flower. It is a resin precious because of its sweet odour. The myrrh, too, is wrapped in a bundle; it is unseen but its fragrance is enjoyed. Such was the beloved to the bride, and such is Christ to the believer when dwelling in his heart by faith.

This verse no doubt has its direct application to the remnant of Israel during the dark night of the great tribulation. That is the time when "darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples" (see Isaiah 60:2). But it has also a beautiful application to believers now.

His beloved one gives Him the most intimate place in her affection, while the world goes on in the darkness of night… But the world cast Him out, and He has returned to His place on high. So the world is left in darkness… Christ's absence marks the time we are living in, and the sad part is that He is not wanted.

A bundle, or little bag, of myrrh, carried in the bosom, scents the garments. It spreads its fragrance all around — at home or abroad, at work or resting, in the sanctuary or the social circle… And even after the person has left, the sweet odour remains, as a testimony to the value of what lay nearest her heart… Over the memorials of His dying love He has written in wonderful grace, "Do this in remembrance of me." He has not asked us to do some great thing for Him, or to lay some costly sacrifice on His altar. No; simply to be occupied with Himself as earth's rejected Christ during His absence, and to give Him a place in our hearts.

We cannot copy Christ; we cannot imitate Him in our own strength. As long as we look at Christ only as a model we strive to imitate, we will never succeed. But as we think on His sufferings for us, our hearts are drawn to Him and we embrace Him in our affections. He loved us and gave Himself for us. As we give Him the full place in our hearts, it will give a sweet fragrance of Christ in all our ways.

If the chariot-horse suggests the thought of willing service, and the "spikenard" is the symbol of divine worship, may not the "bundle of myrrh" be the emblem of a daily and hourly testimony for Christ? And what could be more natural, as a result of deep and solid communion with the Lord? All our services will become uninteresting and powerless if personal communion is neglected.