Song 8:5 | KingComments | STEP | Here the last section of the book begins. Here we find again the question who the bride is (cf. ). She leans on her beloved as she comes up from the wilderness. For us, this means that the best way to go through the wilderness of the world is to lean on the Lord Jesus. We are all too inclined to rely on other means and not on Him. He helps us through the wilderness of this life and appears with us at the end of the wilderness journey. This is also a picture of the remnant, that leaning on Him comes out of the great tribulation. He picks up His bride Himself. The bride comes out of the wilderness again, now not on a traveling coach as in Song of Songs 3 ( ), but “leaning on her beloved”. This refers to an open relationship. The wilderness is mentioned here for the last time in this book. It is no longer about her, but about the groom, the beloved on whom she leans. It is trusting love. We see here that he is her strength and she his beloved. The experiences of the wilderness are behind her. She has learned to lean fully on him. It also means that he was with her in the wilderness. She is not only in his company, but is dependent on him, she leans on him. The wilderness journey is over. With her is weakness, with him is strength. Leaning is relying on the strength of someone else. We must learn to lean on the Lord Jesus all the way. The wilderness experiences in our life are over when we have learned to lean only on Him. In the wilderness we are tested. We learn to know our weakness and to be dependent on Him. He also comes from the wilderness. This also applies to the faithful remnant that comes from the great tribulation. They cried out to the LORD, and He has delivered them out of their tribulation. They come out, leaning on Him. They will acknowledge that He leads them out of the wilderness, for they themselves have no strength to deliver themselves from it. We need support because we do not have strength of our own to move forward. If we are aware of this, our environment will see that we do not rely on our own strength, but on Christ. Just as the bride leans on her beloved, so we rely on Him. Leaning you do against something of which you expect it remains standing, you trust it to provide firmness and does not collapse. Christ never disappoints, He is the unshakable rock. Israel has relied on Egypt. The LORD says that it is “the staff of this crushed reed”. Whoever leans on that, will not get the expected support, but pain ( ). That’s how it goes with us if we trust in human wisdom and lean on it. Then we collapse and hurt ourselves, because that staff breaks. All relying on people not only disappoints, but causes suffering. Israel has also relied on the law ( ). They have relied on works of their own righteousness in order to gain the favor of God. But it led them to reject the Lord Jesus. The big change comes when they will see and confess that. That will be the work of the Spirit in their hearts. When they come out of the great tribulation, they will no longer rely on the law, but on Christ. During His life on earth He Himself has been the great Example of trusting God. He has a word for those who fear the LORD, for He has done it perfectly. To them He says that if they go through darkness and have no light – which prophetically is seen in the great tribulation – they must then trust in the name of the LORD and rely on their God ( ). Then the groom speaks to the bride. He points out to her where the change she has undergone in the wilderness has begun. He tells her he has brought her back to life under the apple tree. The bride compares the groom again with an apple tree ( ). In the picture the bride, that is the remnant, Jerusalem, owes her life to Him. He has awakened that new life in her. This has happened because of the pain, the contractions, of the great tribulation that has come upon the mother, Israel. In this way she entered the new life ( ; ; ). She is born again, as it were. The dead Israel has come to new life. He awakened her “under the apple tree” and made her His property. There she was born. Everything she has, she has from Him. All experiences are now behind, but they have not been forgotten. We will continue to be reminded to see Who He has been for us and what we have been and what we have become through Him. We will see this when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ ( ).

‏ Song of Solomon 8:5

Coming Up From the Wilderness

Here the last section of the book begins. Here we find again the question who the bride is (cf. Song 3:6). She leans on her beloved as she comes up from the wilderness. For us, this means that the best way to go through the wilderness of the world is to lean on the Lord Jesus. We are all too inclined to rely on other means and not on Him. He helps us through the wilderness of this life and appears with us at the end of the wilderness journey. This is also a picture of the remnant, that leaning on Him comes out of the great tribulation. He picks up His bride Himself.

The bride comes out of the wilderness again, now not on a traveling coach as in Song of Songs 3 (Song 3:6-7), but “leaning on her beloved”. This refers to an open relationship. The wilderness is mentioned here for the last time in this book. It is no longer about her, but about the groom, the beloved on whom she leans. It is trusting love. We see here that he is her strength and she his beloved.

The experiences of the wilderness are behind her. She has learned to lean fully on him. It also means that he was with her in the wilderness. She is not only in his company, but is dependent on him, she leans on him. The wilderness journey is over. With her is weakness, with him is strength. Leaning is relying on the strength of someone else. We must learn to lean on the Lord Jesus all the way. The wilderness experiences in our life are over when we have learned to lean only on Him.

In the wilderness we are tested. We learn to know our weakness and to be dependent on Him. He also comes from the wilderness. This also applies to the faithful remnant that comes from the great tribulation. They cried out to the LORD, and He has delivered them out of their tribulation. They come out, leaning on Him. They will acknowledge that He leads them out of the wilderness, for they themselves have no strength to deliver themselves from it.

We need support because we do not have strength of our own to move forward. If we are aware of this, our environment will see that we do not rely on our own strength, but on Christ. Just as the bride leans on her beloved, so we rely on Him. Leaning you do against something of which you expect it remains standing, you trust it to provide firmness and does not collapse. Christ never disappoints, He is the unshakable rock.

Israel has relied on Egypt. The LORD says that it is “the staff of this crushed reed”. Whoever leans on that, will not get the expected support, but pain (Isa 36:6). That’s how it goes with us if we trust in human wisdom and lean on it. Then we collapse and hurt ourselves, because that staff breaks. All relying on people not only disappoints, but causes suffering.

Israel has also relied on the law (Rom 2:17). They have relied on works of their own righteousness in order to gain the favor of God. But it led them to reject the Lord Jesus. The big change comes when they will see and confess that. That will be the work of the Spirit in their hearts. When they come out of the great tribulation, they will no longer rely on the law, but on Christ.

During His life on earth He Himself has been the great Example of trusting God. He has a word for those who fear the LORD, for He has done it perfectly. To them He says that if they go through darkness and have no light – which prophetically is seen in the great tribulation – they must then trust in the name of the LORD and rely on their God (Isa 50:10).

Then the groom speaks to the bride. He points out to her where the change she has undergone in the wilderness has begun. He tells her he has brought her back to life under the apple tree. The bride compares the groom again with an apple tree (Song 2:3). In the picture the bride, that is the remnant, Jerusalem, owes her life to Him. He has awakened that new life in her.

This has happened because of the pain, the contractions, of the great tribulation that has come upon the mother, Israel. In this way she entered the new life (Mt 24:8; Jer 30:6-7; Isa 66:7-9). She is born again, as it were. The dead Israel has come to new life.

He awakened her “under the apple tree” and made her His property. There she was born. Everything she has, she has from Him. All experiences are now behind, but they have not been forgotten. We will continue to be reminded to see Who He has been for us and what we have been and what we have become through Him. We will see this when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2Cor 5:10).