A Bundle of Myrrh

SONGS 1:13  A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me…

Myrrh is the gum of a tree that grows in Africa and West Asia, extracted by wounding the tree. It has been used as a perfume and in religious rites since ancient times. Myrrh is mentioned as a rare perfume in several places in the Old Testament. It is interesting to note that Joseph--who is considered as a type of Jesus--was sold to the Egyptians along with camel loads of spices, balm, and myrrh (Genesis 37:25).  Either as a domestic slave at Potiphar’s home or during his long incarceration or at his exaltation to the position of the governor of the province, Joseph never failed to spread his fragrance of righteousness.

Exodus 30:23-25 specifies that Moses was to use 500 shekels of liquid myrrh as a core ingredient of the sacred anointing oil. In the First and Second Temples at Jerusalem  offering was made of a special incense altar and Myrrh was an important component of the temple service. Myrrh is also listed as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil used to anoint the tabernacle, high priests and kings.
According to the book of Esther, in the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required every young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months (Esther 2:12). The Magi from East mentioned in Matthew 2 entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Mark 15:22-24  They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull. There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. And they crucified Him.

John 19:38-40 Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.

This reminds a related incident that happened when the Lord was alive. “Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance”. (John 12:3).  Jesus not only accepted this but declared, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial’ (John 12:7). 

Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, it's healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is He compared to "a bundle of myrrh"?

First, for plenty. He is not a drop of it, he is a casket full. He is not a sprig or flower of it, but a whole bundle. There is enough in Christ for all my necessities; let me not be slow to avail myself of Him. When St. Paul pleaded that His own physical affliction be healed, the Lord assured Him “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness (2Corinth 12:8).” 

Our well-beloved is compared to a "bundle" again, for variety: for there is in Christ, not only the one thing needful but in "Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;" everything needful is in Him. Take Jesus in His different characters, and you will see a marvelous variety--Prophet, Priest, King, Husband, Friend, Shepherd, and Physician. Consider Him in His life, death, resurrection, ascension, Second Advent; view Him in His virtue, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love, faithfulness, truth, righteousness--everywhere he is a bundle of preciousness.

He is a "bundle of myrrh" for preservation--not loose myrrh to be dropped on the floor or trodden on, but myrrh tied up, myrrh to be stored in a casket. We must value Him as our best treasure; we must prize His words and His ordinances; and we must keep our thoughts of Him and knowledge of Him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything from us.
Moreover, Jesus is a "bundle of myrrh" for it’s a specialty, for preciousness; the emblem suggests the idea of distinguishing, discriminating grace. From before the foundation of the world, he was set apart for His people; and He gives forth His perfume only to those who understand how to enter into communion with Him, to have close dealings with Him.

Those who are invited to the wedding of the Lamb are blessed (Revelations 19:9). Myrrh would find its honored place during the celebrations: See Psalms 45.6-8. This is called a Messianic Psalm because it prophetically describes the Lord’s future relationship to the church, His body of believers. Verses 6-8 find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ.  “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.  You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else. Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes. In ivory palaces, the music of strings entertains you”.

Mat 12:44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field”. Colossians 2:3 says “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”.

Songs 1:2- 4 “Love is sweeter than wine. How pleasing is your fragrance; your name is like the spreading fragrance of scented oils. No wonder all the young women love you! Take me with you; come, let’s run! The king has brought me into his bedroom. Young Women of Jerusalem How happy we are for you, O king. We praise your love even more than wine. How right they are to adore you”. Those whom the Lord has admitted into His secrets, and for whom he sets himself apart are the supremely blessed ones (Mathew 13:11). Lost in love, emboldened by her lover’s proximity, the woman broadcasts her plans: “Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense” (Songs 4:6). Happy are those who are able to crow in jubilation:

"A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me."