Song 4:8 | KingComments | STEP | In , the groom speaks to the bride, by which we think of the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. He praises her impeccable beauty. He has already said that she is beautiful. Now the groom says that she is “altogether beautiful” and that there is “no blemish” in her. That cannot but be the result of his special care for her. Here we see the picture of the believer who is perfect in Christ. Christ accomplished the work on the cross and He continues to take care of His own. That is what the previous verses have shown. Here we see the result. As for the church, we see that Christ cleanses His bride in His love “by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” ( ). For this purpose He is now for the individual believer and for the church as a whole in heaven. There He is committed to us. He looks thereby at the end result. The same goes for the earthly bride, Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the perfection of beauty ( ; cf. ). It will be the beauty that the LORD has laid upon her. That is the result of His going to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. The bride has occupied herself with this and has therefore, spiritually applied, penetrated deeper into the mystery of the cross and the resurrection. When we are spiritually on the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense, we are in the company of the Lord Jesus. We are then in the spirit in the heavenly places, where as to our position we are also placed in Christ ( ). Knowing that we are there in Christ is something else than to experience that. As we are busy with Him, with what He has done and does for us, He tells us who we are for Him and we experience fellowship with Him. However, we cannot always stay in the spirit in the heavenly places. We then hear Him ask us to come with Him from the height down to the life of every day ( ). He insists that she go with Him by saying ‘come’ to her twice. Lebanon is a symbol of stability, of what is unshakeable. Amana means ‘support’ or ‘confirmation’. One of the meanings of ‘Senir’ is armor. Hermon means, among other things, ‘inaccessible’. These different names of the mountains where the bride is, but also where the lions and leopards hide, can be applied to our position in the heavenly places. At the place where we enjoy heavenly blessings we also have to deal with demonic powers, of which the lions and leopards are a picture. These spiritual powers of evil want to attack us to make it impossible for us to enjoy the blessing. But they will not succeed if we spiritually link the meaning of the names of the mountains to what we have become in Christ. On earth, too, the Lord is our protection. This may encourage and motivate us to do our daily activities with and for Him. We know the occasions of enjoying the love of the Lord Jesus. Then we live, so to speak, ‘on top of the mountain’, in heavenly spheres. But daily life also requires our attention, and that is what the Lord is looking at, while at the same time saying that He also leads us in this. We may come with Him and descend. It is precisely the letter to the Ephesians, where our blessings in Christ are displayed in the heavenly places, that also speaks of our daily life. We read about our responsibilities in society, in marriage and family and in the church. The Lord Jesus wants us to learn to have fellowship with Him in this too. His presence in and involvement with our earthly circumstances give them a heavenly radiance. His joy about this is great and at the same time it is a testimony in the world. Prophetically God has said that He will send lions and leopards among His people because of their unfaithfulness ( ; ). The places where they have been, are places where lions and leopards hide and lurk on their prey. Both beasts are characteristic of the beast coming up out of the sea, the symbol of the Roman empire that will be restored ( ). The beast will try to devour the remnant, but God will hide them in the place He has prepared for them ( ). The reference of the groom to Lebanon has to do with the residence-place of the faithful remnant during the great tribulation, the time of trial and hiding. Prophetically, the remnant here is outside the land ( ). The Lord Jesus asks them to come to Him. After He has spoken to the heart of His own about the beauty He Himself has worked into them, He says that they may come to Him. They no longer need to remain in the circumstances in which they find themselves.

‏ Song of Solomon 4:8

Perfect Beauty and Testing

In Song 4:7, the groom speaks to the bride, by which we think of the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. He praises her impeccable beauty. He has already said that she is beautiful. Now the groom says that she is “altogether beautiful” and that there is “no blemish” in her. That cannot but be the result of his special care for her. Here we see the picture of the believer who is perfect in Christ. Christ accomplished the work on the cross and He continues to take care of His own. That is what the previous verses have shown. Here we see the result.

As for the church, we see that Christ cleanses His bride in His love “by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph 5:26-27). For this purpose He is now for the individual believer and for the church as a whole in heaven. There He is committed to us. He looks thereby at the end result.

The same goes for the earthly bride, Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the perfection of beauty (Psa 50:2; cf. Num 23:21a). It will be the beauty that the LORD has laid upon her. That is the result of His going to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. The bride has occupied herself with this and has therefore, spiritually applied, penetrated deeper into the mystery of the cross and the resurrection.

When we are spiritually on the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense, we are in the company of the Lord Jesus. We are then in the spirit in the heavenly places, where as to our position we are also placed in Christ (Eph 1:3). Knowing that we are there in Christ is something else than to experience that. As we are busy with Him, with what He has done and does for us, He tells us who we are for Him and we experience fellowship with Him.

However, we cannot always stay in the spirit in the heavenly places. We then hear Him ask us to come with Him from the height down to the life of every day (Song 4:8). He insists that she go with Him by saying ‘come’ to her twice.

Lebanon is a symbol of stability, of what is unshakeable. Amana means ‘support’ or ‘confirmation’. One of the meanings of ‘Senir’ is armor. Hermon means, among other things, ‘inaccessible’. These different names of the mountains where the bride is, but also where the lions and leopards hide, can be applied to our position in the heavenly places.

At the place where we enjoy heavenly blessings we also have to deal with demonic powers, of which the lions and leopards are a picture. These spiritual powers of evil want to attack us to make it impossible for us to enjoy the blessing. But they will not succeed if we spiritually link the meaning of the names of the mountains to what we have become in Christ.

On earth, too, the Lord is our protection. This may encourage and motivate us to do our daily activities with and for Him. We know the occasions of enjoying the love of the Lord Jesus. Then we live, so to speak, ‘on top of the mountain’, in heavenly spheres. But daily life also requires our attention, and that is what the Lord is looking at, while at the same time saying that He also leads us in this. We may come with Him and descend.

It is precisely the letter to the Ephesians, where our blessings in Christ are displayed in the heavenly places, that also speaks of our daily life. We read about our responsibilities in society, in marriage and family and in the church. The Lord Jesus wants us to learn to have fellowship with Him in this too. His presence in and involvement with our earthly circumstances give them a heavenly radiance. His joy about this is great and at the same time it is a testimony in the world.

Prophetically God has said that He will send lions and leopards among His people because of their unfaithfulness (Jer 5:6; Hab 1:8). The places where they have been, are places where lions and leopards hide and lurk on their prey. Both beasts are characteristic of the beast coming up out of the sea, the symbol of the Roman empire that will be restored (Rev 13:1-8). The beast will try to devour the remnant, but God will hide them in the place He has prepared for them (Rev 12:13-17).

The reference of the groom to Lebanon has to do with the residence-place of the faithful remnant during the great tribulation, the time of trial and hiding. Prophetically, the remnant here is outside the land (Psa 42:6-7). The Lord Jesus asks them to come to Him. After He has spoken to the heart of His own about the beauty He Himself has worked into them, He says that they may come to Him. They no longer need to remain in the circumstances in which they find themselves.