WEEK 6 — DAY 6
Morning Nourishment
S.S. 7:11 "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields; let us lodge in the villages."
Rev. 12:5 "And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne."
In Song of Songs 6:13 the lover's name Shulammite, which is the feminine form of Solomon, is first used, indicating that at this point she has become Solomon's duplication, counterpart, the same as Solomon in life, nature,and image, as Eve to Adam (Gen. 2:20-23), signifying that the lover of Christ becomes the same as Him in life, nature, and image to match Him (2 Cor.3:18; Rom. 8:29) for their marriage.
This couple's becoming one indicates the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem the redeeming God (signified by Solomon) and all His redeemed (signified by the Shulammite) become one. The New Jerusalem is a mingling of divinity and humanity to express the processed, consummated Triune God in human virtues. (Life-study of Song of Songs, pp. 53, 55)
Today's Reading
Song of Songs 7:7 says, “This your stature is like a palm tree, / and your breasts are like the clusters.” In the past, there was no growth, there was no perfection, and there was no maturity; hence, there was no stature. Now she has become mature, and there is the stature. A palm tree is tall and straight, and it represents the Lord in the Bible. Saying that she is likened to a palm tree is saying that she has the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). The roots of the palm tree are in touch with the spring of living water, and although the leaves and branches are scorched by the sun, it still grows without any hindrance. Even though believers may suffer great trials in the wilderness, they are not affected, because of their union with Christ, and they can still grow. (CWWN, vol. 23, “ Song of Songs,” pp. 107-108)
[Song of Songs 7:11] reveals that she wants to carry out with her Beloved the work that is for the entire world by sojourning from one place to another. This indicates that she is not sectarian. In the Lord's work it is not easy to keep our work open, to not keep our work “in our pocket.” We must learn to keep the work open, so that others can come to sojourn there, and we can goto sojourn elsewhere. This is to keep one work in one Body.
“Let us rise up early for the vineyards; / Let us see if the vine has budded,/ If the blossom is open, / If the pomegranates are in bloom; / There I will give you my love” (v. 12). She and her Beloved work diligently not for herself but in the churches, for others to bud, blossom, and bloom, in which she renders her love to her Beloved. If we work in this way, others will receive much help.
In Song of Songs we see that to work with the Lord we need the maturity in life, we need to be one with the Lord, and our work must be for His Body. Our Lord is Solomon, and we must be the Shulammite; that is, we must be one with the Lord. Actually, to work with Christ we must be Christ. Paul was a real Shulammite because he lived Christ (Phil. 1:21).
The Shulammite works as Solomon's counterpart, taking care of all the vineyards (S.S. 8:11). This indicates that our work should be for the Body, not just one city. We must have a work that is for the entire world. This is what Paul did by establishing local churches and then working to bring them into the full realization of the Body of Christ.
Song of Songs 8 reveals the lover's hope to be raptured. The Shulammite was matured in life to the extent that she became Solomon in every aspect and from every view, except for the fact that she still had the flesh.
In verses 2 through 4 we see that she is hoping to be saved from her groaning for the flesh (Rom. 8:19-25). This indicates that she hopes to be raptured through God's redemption of her body (Rom. 8:23b; Eph. 4:30b).(Life-study of Song of Songs, pp. 59, 61, 63)
Further Reading: Life-study of Song of Songs, msgs. 7-9
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