Scripture Reading: S. S. 3:7-8; 4:4, 8
Ⅰ
In the third stage of overcoming (S. S. 3:6—5:1), the lover of Christ over-comes the old creation (the physical things) by living in the ascension of Christ in resurrection after her self has been dealt with by the cross; she has become a new creation by her complete union with Christ (3:6), and thus she is an overcoming representative of God's elect.
Ⅱ
"There is Solomon's bed; / 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"—vv. 7-8:
A
In her union with Christ, the lover of Christ is likened to a bed for rest in the night during wartime.
B
The bed is for rest and victory in the night, signifying the church age, during the time of spiritual warfare, signified by the sixty mighty men who surround the bed:
１
In the church age Christ needs the overcomers so that He may have a resting place.
２
Christ's lover is among the sixty mighty men, indicating that she is a leading overcomer, fighting for Christ in order to keep Him at rest during the fighting.
３
The lover of Christ is the victory of the overcoming Christ, full of the power of the overcomers among God's elect that carries Christ even in times of difficulties.
４
The overcomers are experts in war, fighting with their weapons at the time of alarms—2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 4:7.
Ⅲ
"Your neck is like the tower of David, / Built for an armory: / A thousand bucklers hang on it, / All the shields of mighty men"—S. S. 4:4:
A
The neck signifies the human will under God; the Lord considers the submission of our will a most beautiful thing.
B
The lover of Christ is beautiful in having a will that is submissive to Christ (neck like the tower of David) and that is rich in the defending power (bucklers and shields of mighty men):
１
If we have a submissive will, a will that has been subdued like a flock of goats on a mountainside (v. 1b), our will is expressed like the tower of David that holds all kinds of weapons against the attacks.
２
The lover of Christ has come out of her natural will, and now she is standing in her resurrected will against the enemy—Eph. 6:11, 13.
３
The more our will is subdued, the more we will be transformed—Rom. 12:2.
４
First our will must be subdued; then it will be strong in resurrection and be like the tower of David, the armory for the spiritual warfare—Eph. 6:10:
ａ
The weapons for spiritual warfare are kept in our subdued and resur-rected will—2 Cor. 10:3-5.
ｂ
In the spiritual warfare we are mainly on the defensive, standing against all the devilish, subtle attacks of the enemy—Eph. 6:10-20.
ｃ
The bucklers and shields which protect us against the arrows of the enemy are kept in the tower of the subdued and resurrected will of the Lord's seeking one.
Ⅳ
"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"—S. S. 4:8:
A
The experience of Christ's death and resurrection has brought the seeking one into His ascension, and now she is on the mountaintop of Christ's ascension and is living in ascension—Eph. 1:20; 2:5-6.
B
Christ calls His lover to live with Him in His ascension, as He had called her to remain in His cross—S. S. 2:14:
１
Christ asks His lover as His bride to look with Him from His ascension (Lebanon), the highest place of the truth (Amana) and of Christ's victory in His fighting (Senir, meaning "soft armor," and Hermon, meaning "destruc-tion") and from the heavenly places of the enemies (the lions' dens and the leopards' mountains).
２
When the lover of Christ is living in ascension, she and Christ are living in one condition, the condition of ascension, to be a couple; they are the same in life and nature, perfectly matching each other.
C
In Christ's ascension is His victory; there is no more fighting, for the enemy has already been defeated, and we wear soft armor to enjoy our victory in Christ—Rom. 8:37.
D
Those who know ascension realize the reality and nearness of the enemy— Eph. 1:20; 2:5-6; 6:10-20.
E
Spiritual warfare is a matter first of position and second of view; without the heavenly position, we cannot identify the enemy himself, and without the heavenly view, we cannot identify the stratagems of the enemy—2 Cor. 2:11.
F
The position of prayer is ascension, that is, a heavenly position—Eph. 1:3; 2:6; 6:18:
１
With the position of prayer there is the authority of prayer; as the position of prayer is ascension, so the authority of prayer is also ascension—Matt. 17:20; 18:18-19.
２
When we have the heavenly position and authority, our prayers become God's administration, the execution of God's rule—6:9-10, 13b.