Jesus, the Apple Tree (Song 2:3)

‘As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.’

The Song of Solomon has been a precious book for the Lord’s people because of its wonderful portrayal of the love of Christ. In astonishing ways, it has led believers in their times of private meditation into the riches of fellowship and it has also when preached been a clear proof of the power of God’s Word to bring about living spiritual interaction with the exalted Saviour. Every passage in it has something precious to say to a hungry soul searching for Jesus as the bread and water of life and many believers have testified to profound experiences of spiritual enjoyment through this book. Hopefully, we can have such a time as we consider this verse.

Communion

In the verse previous to the one we are considering, the man encourages the woman by highlighting her distinctive identity in comparison with other ‘young women’. He says that she is like ‘a lily among brambles’. The lily illustrated two features – purity (from being white in colour) and humility (from having a bowed head). In response to the man’s estimation of her, she in verse three observes the difference between him and the other ‘young men’, a difference that she likens to an apple tree standing out in a forest of trees. The word that describes this twofold interaction is communion.

One lesson that we can take from this in order to help our involvement in communion with Christ is to imitate his method, which is what happens here. We should find ways of describing Jesus whenever we read of a description he gives of us. An obvious one is when he calls us ‘sheep’. In John 10, he tells us how we should think about him as the Shepherd. He is the good shepherd, he is the shepherd who sacrifices himself, and he is the shepherd who is engaged in gathering in his sheep. So we can mention in our communion with Jesus his character as the good shepherd, his sacrifice as the substitute, and his current activity of building his church.

There are other examples as well that help us to understand what communion with the living Saviour is. He is the cornerstone and we are the building, he is the vine and we are branches, he is bridegroom and we are the bride, he is the teacher and we are the disciples, etc. The practical aspects of union with Jesus show that a person is alive spiritually, that he or she has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and now has an ongoing relationship with Jesus.

Jesus, the apple tree

One of the consequences of not living in Palestine is that we sometimes miss the point of a horticultural illustration because the named trees or flowers are different from the ones we call by the same names in our country. An example is in verse one of this chapter with the rose of Sharon, which is not like the roses with which we are familiar. Another example is in verse three with the apple tree. The particular tree that is mentioned here is not our apple tree, which is not often found in that part of the world, and is unlike the tree in the verse because our apple tree does not provide shade for any who sit below it.

Commentators therefore consider other ways of explaining the tree, with the orange tree being suggested by some. Albert Barnes was of the opinion that the term used here may ‘in early Hebrew have been a generic name for apple, quince, citron, orange etc’. Alexander Moody Stuart, the Free Church minister of the nineteenth century and the author of a commentary on the Song, agrees and comments that it ‘rather seems as if by this beautiful figure the Church would set forth Christ as the Fruitful Tree amongst the fruitless, combining in itself all variety of excellence, the beauty of the apple, the refreshing juices of the pomegranate and the orange, the cool shadow and the reviving fragrance of the citron.’

The woman’s experience

The woman tells us of three benefits she received from being with the man and those benefits illustrate three blessings God’s people receive from being with Jesus. The benefits are sitting beside him, shade by him, and sustenance from him. She could not get those benefits from anyone else, a reminder to us of the necessity of looking to Jesus alone for them. All possible substitutes turn out to be broken cisterns as far as their souls are concerned.

Sitting with Jesus

Probably when we think of this posture, we think of Mary of Bethany who literally sat at the feet of Jesus when he was in her home in Bethany. Of course, it would have been possible to sit literally at his feet and not get any benefit. In Mary’s case, it was not only her body that was sitting at his feet, so also were her heart and mind and will. What ideas comes into mind when we think of sitting in this way? I would suggest that it points to an awareness of acceptance by him of her to be near to him, a reminder that he accepts that it is suitable for us to be so close to him. I would also suggest that the posture does not suggest that she was sitting with her back to him. Rather she was sitting looking at him as he spoke, with eagerness to hear what he had to say. So in addition to acceptance by him, there was also anticipation of hearing good things from him.

Shade from Jesus

What kinds of shade to we need from Jesus? One way to distinguish them would be to consider permanent shade and temporary shade. Jesus provides his people with permanent shade from God’s wrath against our sin because of what he did as our substitute on the cross. Indeed, the woman here having fellowship with the King is still a sinner. Calvary actually makes constant communion in heaven possible and it also makes repeated communion on earth possible, repeated in the sense that often it has to be resumed because of a variety of causes.

In addition, Jesus provides temporary shade in all kinds of situations. We can list some of them: there are bodily afflictions and illnesses, Satanic temptations of varying strengths, diverse disappointments in providence, an accusing and uninformed conscience, and the sins of the times. These things and others can distress believers and perplex them, and the only shade for them in such states is Jesus. All they can do in a spiritual response is to take his promises and apply them suitably to their circumstances. But that is a great privilege to have.

Sustenance from Jesus

In reality, the sustenance comes from the same source as the shade in that it is connected to the teachings and promises of Christ, now found in the Word of God which are always sweet and refreshing even as the fruit of this tree was sweet and refreshing to the woman. Each apple can be likened to a feature of the Saviour. One can be his eternal love for them, another can be the stages in the path of him providing salvation for them, another can be looking at how the Bible describes how he interacted with sinners when he was here, another is the precious promises of divine mercy. There are many more apples, but all of them are succulent and sweet.

Picture of faith in action

The woman is likened to a person sitting under a fruit tree and reaching out to take apples from it. Faith is an active grace as well as a receiving grace. It goes to Christ as well as taking from Christ. Faith acts intelligently, choosing appropriate aspects of Jesus to reflect on, such as him being our prophet, priest and king. It also acts innovatively and often attempts to discover new things about Jesus (ever tried to find Jesus in the Book of Esther or in the Book of Obadiah). Such attempts are ways to progress in the Christian life. Faith also acts increasingly because every apple on the tree is hers to enjoy by faith; so faith moves on and picks as many apples as it can. And faith acts incessantly because there are countless apples on this tree.

Finally, there is another important detail of the fruit tree to remember and that is the fragrance that comes from its blossom. When a person spent time in its shade, it was inevitable that others could smell where he had been. Similarly, others will notice when we have spent time with Jesus because we will not only be changed, but transformed into his likeness, and the aroma of Jesus will be noticed (2 Cor. 2:14-15). Maybe we will have this aroma as we go home.