BACKGOUND TO THE BOOK, "I Love You With All My Heart, Always, Jesus":

It is Esher Shoshannah's deep desire that all those who read the devotional commentary on the Song of Solomon will enter into an intimate love relationship with their Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Esher Shoshannah has taught Bible for more than forty years. Esher never intended to write a book. He relates that the Holy Spirit actually "tricked" him into it. Even in the beginning there was no idea about a book. It would be a few years later that the Holy Spirit would reveal His full intentions.

In 1957, at eighteen years of age, Esher Shoshannah was born again. Then, in 1962, the twenty-four year old Esher became deeply moved through a message on the Song of Solomon given by a visiting missionary. His young heart desired to know more about this strange book of the Bible and so he became absorbed in studying wonderful commentaries written on the Song by men such as Watchman Nee, Hudson Taylor, C. H. Spurgeon and many others. For the next thirty years little was done with the Song of Solomon by Esher.

Before the Holy Spirit could use him in writing this book, Esher had to experience the glory and filling of absolute surrender. This took place in 1987 and his life was forever transformed. At that time he was the main speaker at a statewide high school retreat. The Holy Spirit began to bother his heart. He reminded Esher of a question Watchman Nee had asked so many years previously, "Are you serving the House of the Lord or the Lord of the house?" Esher knew the answer and was deeply convicted. He realized that he was in love with the service of ministry but not really intimate with the Lord of the service. The Holy Spirit had put a longing on Esher's heart for this intimacy but he did not know how to receive it. He asked the Lord and the Holy Spirit simply said in Esher's spirit, "Just surrender! Surrender all your rights to me and all you possess and this intimacy will be yours." He did it right there and then. At that very moment Esher was filled to overflowing with spiritual love for Jesus, his Lord and Bridegroom. His life would never be the same again. As one great Christian writer of the past said about his own surrender , "I quit living for Jesus and began to let Him live through me ." Little did he realize that the Holy Spirit in the next four years would be preparing him for a book on surrendered love.

Then it happened! In May of 1991, He was asked by a lady with whom he worked to hold a Bible study in his home during the summer months. Esher lovingly said " No! " on three occasions. He was already involved in many other ministries and had little time to add on one more. However, uncharacteristically she persisted and he finally agreed. In his mind Esher selfishly thought, "I'll teach the Song of Solomon since I have a number of notes on the book from the past. I won't have to study too much for it!" What a terrible attitude. Without realizing it, he had been "tricked" by the Lord to begin the journey!

His wife and three other ladies met for this study. Prior to the first session, Esher sat down to write out a brief outline from the old notes for the first chapter. It was at that very moment the Holy Spirit began to flood his soul with new and precious thoughts on each verse. His heart was filled with joy unspeakable! The difference between what others had written and what was being shared with his heart was only in the intimacy. The Lord said to Esher's heart, "This Song was not just written to my corporate Bride but to each believer as you are experiencing right now!"

As Esher shared, the ladies enjoyed what was being taught about the Song because they had never studied it before. However, unbeknownst to the ladies, Esher was struggling to bring up the new, precious thoughts the Lord had given to him on the first seven verses. A spiritual frustration swept over him. The ladies had no idea of the inner struggle.

Esher studied the next verses for the second session. As before, the Holy Spirit filled his soul with wonderful new thoughts as he meditated upon them. With each verse tears of joy would well up as he felt the arms of his Bridegroom encompassing his soul! Once again he was excited at the prospect of sharing these new thoughts.

With great anticipation he began to teach. The same horrible frustration of not being able to share these new devotional thoughts happened once again. Finally, Esher asked the Lord, "Why are You doing this to me? What You are revealing to me is so precious, yet You make it so I can't bring it up out of my heart to share it during the Bible study." The Holy Spirit spoke clearly to Esher's heart, "I don't want you to teach the book! I want you to sit with Me early in the morning and write out the thoughts I will give to you. I want you to give the pages to the ladies as you finish each one of them. They also will curl up privately in My arms and enjoy the same intimacy of My heart just as I am doing with you!" Esher shared this with the ladies and they heartily agreed. So in the third and last session together, he gave them an overview of the whole book chapter by chapter.

From that point, each morning at about 4:30am the Lord would speak to Esher's heart. As the Lord had instructed him, he gave the completed pages to the ladies. They had the same experience as he was having! All this took place for little over a year. Then the notes were set aside.

Four years later an elderly man had asked if Esher had any notes on the Song of Solomon. He said, "Yes" and gave him a set. It was at that moment the Holy Spirit spoke and said, "I want these notes to be in book form and given away. The book is never to be sold. You received it freely and so it must be given away freely."

Since that moment thousands around the world have been blessed by it from India, Australia, Singapore to Oman.

May you be greatly blessed by it,

From the editor