“The fig tree has ripened her green figs, and the sweet smelling vines have given forth fragrance. Arise up to yourself My love, My beautiful, and go to yourself.” (Song of Songs 2:13)
God reiterates His invitation to partake in the blessings and goodness of love's ways and attributes (the ripened figs and the sweet fragrance of vines) as the leading expressions in the realm of His final redemption. Again, He asks us to rise up ourselves in His love, by returning to our essence and true identity.
“My dove [is] in clefts of the rock, in the covert [hiding place] of the step [ascent]. Show Me your countenance, make Me hear your voice. For your voice is sweet, and your countenance beautiful.” (2:14)
God calls once more His redeemed Israel a dove, whose voice heralds the ways and means of the Messianic era. This new consciousness dwells hidden in the rock that represents God's presence in the world and is also the Temple of Jerusalem, for this place symbolizes the connection and bonding of God's love and Israel's love. This is the covert of the step as the place of ascent, where our highest level of consciousness rises up to God.
In this lofty level God's love is fully revealed to His beloved Israel. There God also wants to see her countenance that reveals the goodness of her traits and qualities He commands her to be, to have and manifest to humankind in the material world.
As we have mentioned often, goodness is the bond Israel shares with God, and is also her voice. Thus God desires to hear Israel's voice and see her good deeds as her countenance, for these are for Him sweet and beautiful.
“The foxes have seized us, the little foxes that destroy the vineyards, and [including] our sprouting vineyards.” (2:15)
In order to consummate His union with Israel, as the eternal covenant He established, she has to fulfill her purpose and mission in the world, to make goodness prevail in all facets and expressions of life.
This task implies the removal of negative and destructive traits and trends as the outcome of ego's fantasies and illusions. These are the foxes and little foxes that destroy the vineyards. The latter are an allegory for the nations as the basic human emotions, passions and instincts.
The negative tendencies and lower desires and instincts become destructive when they are not guided and directed to a positive, constructive and productive purpose.
God asks Israel to remove these negative traits and tendencies from her own consciousness, for Israel's qualities as God's vineyards are in bloom. These are love's ways and attributes God wants in order to make goodness prevail in human consciousness.
Everything we learn must be grasped within the boundaries of love's ethical frame, for our purpose and mission in the material world is to make goodness prevail. Thus we understand that avoiding negative thoughts and actions (known as sins and transgressions) is an act of love to ourselves, to others and to our surroundings.
We truly love ourselves and others when we avoid transgressing against each other. When we sin, we sin against goodness and the love from which it comes. Thus we become aware that when we choose to live by negative traits triggered by ego's fantasies and illusions we reject the goodness of love as the essence and foundation of our identity.
The connection between God and His creation is evident and tangible by the existence of life in the material world. When we say that God's love creates and sustains life, thus we know His presence in and around us. We experience this connection in a special way in human life through the soul as an extension of God's spirit.
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