«　WEEK 4　DAY 6　»

　　S.　S. 6:13 Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, as upon the dance of two camps?

　　Gen. 32:2 And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God's camp. So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

　　In these four things—life, nature, expression, and function—we become the same as God and Christ but not in Their Godhead. To say that we are the same as God in His Godhead is a great blasphemy, but if we say that we cannot be the same as God in life, nature, expression, and function, this is unbelief. The Bible tells us again and again that God wants to be one with us and to make us one with Him. This is God's intention. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," p. 349)

　　After seeing such a high vision in Song of Songs, we may ask, "Who can be such persons?" In order to answer this we need an additional interpretation of 6:13b, which says, "Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, / As upon the dance of two camps?" By this time the Shulammite is like two camps, or armies, in the eyes of God. These two armies are dancing in celebration of their victory.

　　This phrase two armies in Hebrew is Mahanaim. This is not a common word; it is a historical name from the Old Testament in Genesis 32:2. Jacob decided to go back to his fathers' land when he could no longer stay with his uncle Laban, to whom he had fled from his brother Esau....Jacob was returning with the fear that Esau still wanted to kill him. As he journeyed with his family, there were no strong ones with him. There were only feeble ones, women and children. Jacob was very frightened at the prospect of meeting Esau. On the way "the angels of God met him," and Jacob said, "This is God's camp." So he "called the name of that place Mahanaim" (vv. 1-2).

　　After he saw the two armies of God, Jacob did a marvelous thing. He divided his wives, children, and the rest of his possessions into two groups, or "two armies." He thought that if his brother Esau attacked one group, the other group could escape being slaughtered. This is full of spiritual significance. These two groups are not just the singular army of God but "two armies." This means that we are more than conquerors. It also signifies a strong testimony. God does not want "giants." He wants only the feeble ones, the weaker ones, the women and children. They can become His armies because the fighting is not in their hands but in His hands. He needs a people who are one with Him, a people who are submissive to Him, signified by the plaited hair (S.S. 1:11), and obedient to Him with a flexible will, signified by the neck with strings of jewels (v. 10).

　　When we consider how to arrive at the high peak of the revelation in Song of Songs, we should not trust in ourselves. We may think that because the apostle Paul was strong, he could do it. But the apostle Paul himself says that he was less than the least among the saints (Eph. 3:8). He says, "Who is weak, and I am not weak?" (2 Cor. 11:29)....In Romans 9:16 Paul says, "It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy." We may think that we can run, but we cannot. It is Christ who can run. Paul also says, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20a).

　　All who are strong in themselves will be disqualified....The weaker ones...who depend on the Lord will be counted worthy to be the overcomers....In Revelation 3:8 the Lord said that those in Philadelphia had

　　"a little power."...Remember that these two armies were composed of Jacob's wives and children. Eventually, none of them fought against Esau. It was God who fought Esau by changing his attitude. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," pp. 347-349)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," ch. 12; Life-study of Song of Songs, msgs. 7-8