“A spring shut up, A fountain sealed” (Song of Solomon 4:12)

This is a metaphor, referring to the secret inner-workings of a saint’s heart. “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

In Solomon’s time, the owners of springs sometimes concealed them with elaborate structures, to prevent their use. Unlike the owner of a private spring, you need God’s grace to know what’s in your heart. “The LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

A spring shut up implies secrecy. God often shows the saint what’s in his heart by trials, but there’s a less painful way. If you ask God to illuminate your understanding while reading His Word, He can sometimes show you the secret motives of your heart without a trial. “The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

A spring shut up implies separation. “I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:16-17).

A spring shut up implies sacredness. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

A spring shut up implies security. “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

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