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Scripture Reading: S. S. 6:10a
I. Through her living in the ascension of Christ and further living within the veil, experiencing the cross of Christ more strongly, the lover of Christ becomes the heavenly bodies:
А. The overcoming believers can be luminaries as the moon reflecting the light of the sun in the church age (Phil. 2:15).
B. The overcoming believers will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom age (Matt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3).
C. The people of God who produce the overcomers (the man-child) are clothed with the sun and have the moon underneath their feet (Rev. 12:1, 5).
II. The lover of Christ becoming the moon and the sun indicates that she has become not only wholly spiritual but also absolutely heavenly and signifies that she has become an overcomer:
А. Overcoming the attraction of the world by being captivated by Christ in the first stage of this book.
B. Overcoming the self, which secluded her from the presence of Christ, by becoming one with the cross of Christ in the second stage of this book.
C. Overcoming the old creation by living in the ascension of Christ in resurrection after her self has been dealt with by the cross in the third stage of this book.
D. Overcoming the flesh, the natural man, the old man, by living within the veil.
Song of Songs is a book depicting the romance between God and man. The way in which Solomon wrote this book is marvelous. It is brief and in a very good sequence. The experience of Christ’s lover is progressive. After the lover of Christ pursued Him for satisfaction and attained it in the first section, the Lord called her to be delivered from her self by experiencing His cross; then He called her further to live in His ascension as the new creation of God in resurrection; and ultimately, the Lord called her to live within the veil in the Holy of Holies, in God Himself, to enjoy the consummated God embodied in Christ. The apostle Paul surely was a pattern of one who lived within the veil. When the Lord’s seeker arrives at such a stage, she is likened first to a garden enclosed with a spring shut up and a fountain sealed for Christ’s private enjoyment (4:12-15).
From a garden the lover progresses to become two earthly cities, Tirzah and Jerusalem (6:4a). These were two capitals. After the nation of Israel was divided, Jerusalem remained the capital of the kingdom of Judah, and Tirzah became the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 14:17; 15:21; 16:6). Tirzah was the dwelling place of the king, but it was related to a negative situation. But as we have seen, Song of Songs mentions Tirzah in a positive sense by saying that the seeker is as beautiful as Tirzah.
According to God’s design in the Old Testament, the city of Jerusalem was built first, and then, under Solomon, the temple and the palace were built (1 Kings 6:1—7:1). The palace was the king’s dwelling, and the temple was God’s dwelling. In the Old Testament the palace and the temple were separate. Solomon as the king dwelt in the palace, and God dwelt in the temple. But we have to realize that Solomon’s writing is eternal. In the eternal view the palace should not be separated from the temple, because both are God’s dwelling. According to the reality and the fulfillment of the types in the New Testament, the palace and temple become one because God is the unique Dweller. God dwells in the temple, and as the ruling One, the great King, God resides in the palace. Tirzah is used here for God’s palace. In the book The Song of Songs Brother Nee points out that Tirzah, where the king’s palace was, signifies the heavenly sanctuary, the dwelling of God, and that Jerusalem signifies the heavenly Jerusalem, God’s holy city as the safeguard of His palace.
The beloved likens his lover to a garden, a palace, and a city. All these are on the earth. Then suddenly Solomon jumps in his writing from the earth to the heavens. In Song of Songs 6:10 he likens his lover to the moon and to the sun, two heavenly bodies. In this chapter we want to see how the lover of Christ becomes an overcomer, typified by the heavenly bodies.
Through her living in the ascension of Christ and further living within the veil, experiencing the cross of Christ more strongly, the lover of Christ is transformed into the heavenly bodies. In chapter 1 the lover was a horse, but after being transformed and maturing in the life of Christ, she is gradually and progressively transformed into a lily, a garden, a palace, and a city. Eventually, she becomes not only an earthly treasure but also the heavenly bodies.
The overcoming believers can be luminaries as the moon reflecting the light of the sun in the church age (Phil. 2:15). The overcoming believers will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom age (Matt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3). The people of God who produce the overcomers (the man-child) are clothed with the sun and have the moon underneath their feet (Rev. 12:1, 5). The woman in Revelation 12 signifies the aggregate of God’s people on earth. This woman is the mother of the man-child, the overcomers. She is shining with the sun, the moon, and the stars. This view conveys the thought that God’s chosen people should be heavenly and should shine brightly.
The lover of Christ becoming the moon and the sun indicates that she has become not only wholly spiritual but also absolutely heavenly and signifies that she has become an overcomer. In Song of Songs the lover of Christ eventually becomes a pillar of smoke (3:6); that is a figure showing that she is altogether spiritual. Then she becomes the moon and the sun, indicating that she is not only spiritual but also heavenly. As such a person, she has become an overcomer.
In Song of Songs the lover of Christ overcomes in stages. In the first stage of this book she overcomes the attraction of the world by being captivated by Christ. An overcomer should be attracted by Christ and even captivated by Him to give up the world to follow Him.
Then the lover of Christ overcomes the self, which secluded her from the presence of Christ, by becoming one with the cross of Christ in the second stage of this book. This stage is the stage of experiencing the cross to deal with our self.
In the third stage of this book the seeker of Christ goes further to overcome the old creation by living in the ascension of Christ in resurrection after her self has been dealt with by the cross. The physical things of the world are a part of the old creation. A Christian who lives in the old creation cares for physical things, such as a big house, a nice car, and good clothes. If we desire the physical things of the world, we are living in the old creation. The old man cares for physical things, but we should be those who live in ascension as God’s new creation in resurrection. When the lover of Christ lives in ascension, she has been dealt with in her self and has been dealt with by the Lord’s calling to live not only in ascension but also within the veil. To live within the veil means that she has dealt with everything that is not God. Within the veil there is nothing but the Triune God Himself.
In the final stage the overcomer overcomes the flesh, the natural man, the old man, by living within the veil. Eventually, when we enter into the Holy of Holies, God’s sanctuary, God’s dwelling place, there is nothing there but the Triune God. It is here that all the seekers of Christ enjoy the hidden Christ as the hidden manna (the hidden life supply), the budding rod (the resurrection life), and the tablets of the covenant (the inner law of life), hidden in the Ark within the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:4), to the fullest extent. These hidden things are Christ’s attributes, which are the attributes of God. In the process of transformation we are transformed with the Triune God’s attributes. God’s attributes are whatever God is. Transformation is to work God’s attributes into our human virtues. The hidden manna in the golden pot is the Christ hidden in God’s divine nature; the budding rod is no longer manifested but hidden within the Ark; and the tablets of the law are the hidden inner law, which is of life. These items refer to the highest, deepest, and most intrinsic experiences of Christ revealed in the holy Word. We must admit that we are short in our experience of these things.
