Scripture Reading: S.S. 3:6-11; 4:1-16; 5:1
In the second stage (S.S. 2:8-17; 3:1-5) the lover of Christ learned three basic lessons: the power of resurrection, the riches of resurrection, and the life of the cross. The power of Christ’s resurrection is signified by Christ as a gazelle and a hart leaping upon the mountains and skipping upon the hills (2:8-9). The riches of Christ’s resurrection are signified by the plants, the voice of the turtledove, and the various fragrances in the spring (vv. 12-13a). The life of the cross is signified by the clefts of the rock and the covert of the precipice (v. 14). The life of the cross is lived by the power of resurrection and is encouraged by the riches of resurrection.
In the next stage — the call to live in ascension as the new creation in resurrection (3:6—5:1) — we need to learn the lesson of discerning the spirit from the soul (Heb. 4:12). Few of today’s Christians are able to discern the spirit from the soul. Many actually believe that in the Bible the words spirit and soul are synonyms, even though 1 Thessalonians 5:23 speaks of “spirit and soul and body.” If we do not realize that the spirit is different from the soul, we cannot reach the stage of being called to live in ascension as the new creation in resurrection.
Ascension is in the heavens. Although we are on earth, as believers in Christ our regenerated spirit is joined to God the Spirit in the heavens. These two spirits are one. This is like electricity: It is in the power plant and also in our room, yet there is one current. When we are in our spirit, we are joined to the ascended Christ in the heavens.
To live in ascension means to have a Christian life all the time in our spirit. This requires that we discern our spirit from our soul. If we love others by our soul, we are on the earth, not in ascension. But if we love by our spirit, we are in ascension. We have been seated in the heavens with Christ (Eph. 2:6). Positionally, we are seated there, but we need to live in ascension. After calling us to the cross, Christ calls us further to live in ascension as the new creation in resurrection.
Song of Songs 3:6—4:6 is concerned with the new creation.
The lover of Christ becomes a new creation by her complete union with Christ (3:6-11). We were united with Adam, which made us the old creation. Now we are in union with Christ, so we are a new creation. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
“Who is she who comes up from the wilderness / Like pillars of smoke, / Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, / With all the fragrant powders of the merchant?” (S.S. 3:6). She (as an overcoming representative of God’s elect) comes from Egypt (wilderness) like persons in the unshakable power of the Spirit (Exo. 14:19-20), perfumed with the sweet death and fragrant resurrection of Christ and with all the fragrant riches of Christ as a merchant. The Lord needs the overcoming ones, those who are perfumed, permeated, with the fragrance of Christ’s riches.
“There is his bed, Solomon’s — / Sixty mighty men surround it, / Of the mighty men of Israel. / All of them wield the sword and are expert in war; / Each man has his sword at his thigh / Because of the night alarms” (S.S. 3:7-8). She is the victory (bed for rest and victory in the night) of the victorious Christ, full of the power of the overcomers among God’s elect which carries Christ even in times of difficulties, and these overcomers are experts in war, fighting with their weapons at the time of alarms.
“King Solomon made himself a palanquin / Of the wood of Lebanon. / Its posts he made of silver, / Its bottom, of gold; / Its seat, of purple; / Its midst was inlaid with love / From the daughters of Jerusalem” (vv. 9-10). She is a palanquin (for the day) as a carriage of Christ, made by Christ Himself of the resurrected, uplifted, and noble humanity (the wood of Lebanon), having God’s nature (gold) as its base, Christ’s redemption (silver) as its supports, the royal (purple) throne as its seat, and the love of the believers covering the inside.
“Go forth, O daughters of Zion, / And see King Solomon with the crown / With which his mother crowned him / On the day of his espousals, / Yes, on the day of the gladness of his heart” (v. 11). Here the Spirit bids the overcoming believers to look away from themselves unto Christ in His humanity of incarnation as a crown of His boast, at the time of the believers’ betrothal to Christ, a day of the gladness of His heart.
If Christ did not have humanity, He could not marry us. Because we are human, we could not be betrothed to Him unless He also had humanity. Thus, our betrothal to Christ depends on His humanity, which is His crown. The humanity which Christ put on in His incarnation and uplifted in His resurrection is His crown. We need to look away to Christ in His humanity.
At this juncture we should note that the union of the bed with its sleeper, the union of the palanquin with its rider, and the union of the bride with her bridegroom, indicated in the three items above, all signify the complete union of the lover with Christ. Because we have been united to Christ, we have become the new creation.
In 4:1-5 we see the beauty of the lover, the bride, as the new creation.
“Oh, you are beautiful, my love! / Oh, you are beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; / Your hair is like a flock of goats / That repose on Mount Gilead” (v. 1). In this verse we see the beauty in her singleness and insight by the Spirit, which is invisible to the outsiders, and in her submission and obedience through God’s feeding that subdues her disobedience among the disobedient people.
“Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes / That have come up from the washing, / All of which have borne twins, / And none of them is bereaved of her young” (v. 2). This speaks of the beauty in her receiving the divine food by her power that has been dealt with by the cross, made clean by the Spirit’s washing, and strengthened twofold and balanced, without losing strength.
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread, / And your mouth is lovely; / Your cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate / Behind your veil” (v. 3). This is her beauty in her speaking with Christ’s redemption and His authority by her lovely mouth and in her expression full of life which is hidden.
“Your neck is like the tower of David, / Built for an armory: / A thousand bucklers hang on it, / All the shields of the mighty men” (v. 4). Here we have the beauty in her submissive will to Christ that is rich in the defending power.
“Your two breasts are like two fawns, / Twins of a gazelle, / That feed among the lilies” (v. 5). This speaks of the beauty in her tender faith and love strengthened twofold and nourished in the environment of a pure and trusting life.
Verse 6 speaks of her deeper pursuit: “Until the day dawns and the shadows flee away, / I, for my part, will go to the mountain of myrrh / And to the hill of frankincense.” In her deeper pursuit she would go and remain in Christ’s death and resurrection in their high peaks until Christ comes, when the day dawns and the shadows flee away. Earlier, she was afraid of the clefts of the rock and the covert of the precipice, but now she is willing to be there, remaining in Christ’s death and resurrection.
In verses 7 through 15 the lover is called to live in ascension.
In verses 7 and 8 we have the Beloved’s calling.
“You are altogether beautiful, my love, / And there is no blemish in you” (v. 7). Here He appraises her beauty and perfection.
“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; / With me from Lebanon come. / Look from the top of Amana, / From the top of Senir and Hermon, / From the lions’ dens, / From the leopards’ mountains” (v. 8). Amana means “truth,” Senir means “soft armor,” and Hermon means “destruction.” In this verse He asks her as His bride to look with Him from His ascension, the highest place of the truth and of Christ’s victory in His fighting, and from the heavenly places of the enemies. Here we have a living in Christ’s ascension.
The lover does not answer the Beloved’s call audibly. Verse 9 indicates that she gives a silent answer: “You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; / You have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes, / With one strand of your necklace.” Here He considers her as one with Him in nature and as His bride, whose answer without voice, by a quick look and by her submission to God’s instruction, has ravished His heart.
Verses 10 through 15 describe His private enjoyment of her.
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! / How much better is your love than wine, / And the fragrance of your ointments / Than all spices” (v. 10). Considering her as one with Him in nature and as His bride, He enjoys her beautiful love, which is much better than wine, and her ointments, which were the King’s (1:3) and are more fragrant than all spices.
“Your lips drip fresh honey, my bride; / Honey and milk are under your tongue; / And the fragrance of your garments / Is like the fragrance of Lebanon” (4:11). He enjoys her word as fresh honey (for restoring the weak), which comes from her lips, and her word as honey and milk (for restoring the weak and feeding the immature ones), which are under her tongue, and the fragrance of her conduct as the fragrance of ascension.
“A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride, / A spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (v. 12). He considers her not as something open and public but as an enclosed garden, a shut up spring, and a sealed fountain.
“Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates / With choicest fruit; / Henna with spikenard, / Spikenard and saffron; / Calamus and cinnamon, / With all the trees of frankincense; / Myrrh and aloes, / With all the chief spices” (vv. 13-14). In His enjoyment of her she is an enclosed garden that grows all kinds of plants in different colors as different expressions of the inner life and in a variety of fragrances as the rich expression of the mature life.
“A fountain in gardens, / A well of living water, / And streams from Lebanon” (v. 15). He considers her a sealed fountain with a shut up spring in gardens that flows as a well of the living water of the life-giving Spirit and as streams of the resurrection life.
Song of Songs 4:16—5:1 speaks of living a life of love.
Verse 16 is the answer of the bride: “Awake, O north wind; / And come, O south wind! / Blow upon my garden: / Let its spices flow forth; / Let my beloved come into his garden / And eat his choicest fruit.” She wants the difficult environment (north wind) and the pleasant environment (south wind) to work on her as a garden that its fragrance may be spread. She asks her Beloved to come into her as a garden and enjoy its choicest fruit. We all should consider ourselves gardens to Christ, producing fruit for His enjoyment.
“I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; / I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; / I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; / I have drunk my wine with my milk. / Eat, O friends; / Drink, and drink deeply, O beloved ones!” (5:1). Here the Beloved answers, inviting His beloved “friends,” the Triune God, to eat, drink, and drink deeply, to enjoy her with Him.
