CONSISTENT VICTORY
Eventually, some of her admirers ask her to return: “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the dance of two armies” (6:13). It is at this time that her name is called “Shulamite.” This is the feminine form of Solomon. So now she simply becomes Solomon. They ask, “What can you see in this feminine Solomon?” The answer is that this female Solomon is just like the dance of two armies.
Exodus 15:20 and 1 Samuel 18:6 tell us that dances among the Lord’s people were a celebration of victory. When they defeated the enemy, they danced to celebrate their victory. This poetic expression shows us that this seeking one has victory all the time. There is never any defeat, but always the celebration of victory.
Before I came to the church, I was with a group of believers who were seeking the Lord. They were good teachers of the Scriptures, but they were never victorious. Whenever I met with them, there was always a kind of sighing and confessing of their defeat. I never heard a praise of victory among them. That was surely not the Shulamite. But after I came into the church life, there was always the “Hallelujah! Amen! Jesus is Lord!” This was really the Shulamite in the dance of two armies to celebrate the victory.
When I was a young Christian, I was bothered by my temper. But now in the church life I realize that Christ is much bigger than my temper. I just say, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I’m in the corporate Shulamite, where there is always the victory!” Some people ask, “What is there to see in the local church?” We can only reply, “The dance of two armies!” This does not mean I am encouraging you to dance. What I mean is that the real dance is the celebrating of our victory. Hallelujah! In the local church we are always enjoying the victory over the enemy!
THE ALL-INCLUSIVE CHURCH
She is not only the city, but also two armies. She is also the dawn, the moon, and the sun. The Lord has used so many figures in describing her. He has used the animals, the plants, the things on the earth, and the things in the sky. All these figures are used by the Lord to describe such a wonderful one. She must include all of us. We all must be like this. Some of us are still horses, some have doves’ eyes, some are lilies, and some are little doves. Moreover, some are the pillars of smoke, the couch, the palanquin, and the crown. And, praise the Lord, some are the garden and the city. This is the local church! We are all-inclusively these figures under the Lord’s transformation. Transformation can only be accomplished by enjoying the Lord Himself, step by step, in all the deeper experiences of His death and resurrection. Hallelujah! This is the real Song of Songs. The church is a real song to Christ, and Christ is the real Song of Songs to the church. Praise the Lord!
Christ will make His seeking lover
Pillar, couch, and palanquin,
E’en a crown, His boast and glory;
He will do it all! Amen!
His beloved—how He loves her,
So attractive, His delight.
He is captivated wholly;
She is comely in His sight.
But there still remains a shadow;
Christ is still not satisfied.
He must have a growing garden
To become His loving Bride!
Paradise of pomegranates,
Pleasant fruits, and henna flowers,
Spikenard, saffron, myrrh, and aloes:
His enjoyment now—not ours.
He has come into His garden,
Gathered myrrh and spices there,
Eaten honeycomb and honey;
Wine and milk He’ll drink fore’er.
From the garden comes the city,
All materials thus supplied;
God is satisfied completely,
And the foe is terrified.
“Thou art fair, my love, as Tirzah,
Comely as Jerusalem.”
O Lord Jesus, Hallelujah,
Thou wilt do it all! Amen!
(Tune: Hymns, #246 or #268)
(Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, Chapter 12, by Witness Lee)
