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The lovers of Christ should be lovable and terrible at the same time; however, many believers have lost their loveliness before the Lord and their terribleness before the enemy (6:4, 10).
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The building of God is always an army; when we become a city to the Lord, we are an army to the enemy (v. 4):
１
Building cannot be separated from spiritual warfare; wherever the building is, there is the battle (Neh. 4:1-23).
２
Fighting always accompanies the building, and the building always brings in the victory in the battle (Matt. 16:18-19).
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This is the consummation of the Christian life; the uttermost completion that the seeking lover of Christ can attain is to be a city as an army.
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A terrible army signifies that the Lord's overcomers terrify God's enemy, Satan (S.S. 6:4, 10):
１
Satan is afraid of only one kind of people—those who do not love their soul-life (Rev. 12:11).
２
The enemy is terrified of Bethel, the house of God (Gen. 35:1-5).
３
The enemy is frightened by the church that is built up as the city of God (Neh. 6:15-16; Psa. 102:12-16).
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The demons and the evil angels are terrified of the one new man created by Christ on the cross (Eph. 2:15-16; Col. 2:14-15).
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Satan is not afraid of individualistic Christians, even if they number in the thousands, but is terrified of the church as the Body of Christ, the corporate warrior fighting against him and his kingdom (Eph. 6:10-20).
Morning Nourishment
S. S. 6:10 Who is this woman who looks forth like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, as clear as the sun, as terrible as an army with banners?Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.
Believers ought to be lovable and terrible at the same time. Believers today have lost their loveliness before the Lord, and they have lost their terribleness before the enemy and the world. Are men terrified by us? The Bible often mentions the terribleness of the Lord; He is terrible because He is holy. If we maintain our holiness and victory, we will see the enemy retreating and the world standing back. (CWWN, vol. 23, "The Song of Songs," p. 97)
Today's Reading
When the seeking one becomes the city, she is also an army. We mentioned that the tenth figure is the last one, but there is also the eleventh. This is the army. "You are as beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, / As lovely as Jerusalem, / As terrible as an army with banners" [S.S. 6:4]. Why do I say that the tenth is the last, yet there is still the eleventh? It is because the tenth is the eleventh, and the eleventh is the tenth. When we become a city to the Lord, we are an army to the enemy. It is not just an armory as in the past (4:4). An armory is defensive, but the army is offensive. It is not just a matter of defending the kingdom but also of fighting for the kingdom. She is so beautiful to the Lord, even as beautiful as Jerusalem. But to the enemy, she is as terrible as an army with banners. We all know that an army with banners means victory. She is not without banners. This means that she has won the victory already. No wonder she is so terrible to the enemy!First, there was the armory for the defensive warfare. But now the seeking one has become an army marching in triumphant victory. The Hebrew word army in this verse is in the plural, so some versions say that she is the hosts, the troops. It is not just one troop but the many troops with banners. She has become such a marvelous fighting army as troops with the victory banners. We can never separate the building from the spiritual warfare. Wherever the building is, there is the battle. We all remember the account in Nehemiah: with one hand the people did the building work, and with the other hand they held the weapons for battle (4:17). While they were building, they were fighting. Fighting always accompanies the building, and the building always brings in the victory in the battle. This is the consummation of the Christian life. This is the uttermost completion that the seeking one of the Lord can attain. She is now a city as an army.
In Ezekiel 37:2-10 we read the same thing. All the dry bones, after being inbreathed with life, came alive to be built into the habitation of God. And at the same time they were formed into an army. The building is always an army. Without an enemy, there is no need to build a city. In human history, the city came into existence because of the attacks of the enemies. The city is God's dwelling place, but it is also the fighting army to the enemy. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, "Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs," pp. 289-290)
Not only is the church the Body, the new man, the bride, the family, the kingdom, and the dwelling place; the church is also the warrior to fight against God's enemy. God's enemy, Satan, is terrified of such a church. Satan is not afraid of individualistic Christians, not even if they number in the thousands. But whenever the believers come together as the church in the aspect of the Body and in these other aspects, Satan trembles. By the church in these seven aspects Christ is expressed, the Father has rest, and the enemy is defeated. May we all see the vision that the church is not a matter of individual holiness or spirituality. On the contrary, it is a matter of being built up together as the Body, the new man, the bride, the family, the kingdom, the dwelling place, and the warrior. As such a church, we defeat the enemy and prepare the way for the Lord Jesus to come back. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 627)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, "Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs," ch. 12