SONG OF SONGS ‘98 – MIKE BICKLE

Session 20 The Bride’s Final Intercession And Revelation

(8:8–14)

SONG 8: 8-14

8. We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day
when she is spoken for?
9. If she is a wall, we will build upon her a bat tlement of silver; and if she is a door, we will
enclose her with boards of cedar.
10. I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; then I became in His eyes as one who found
peace.
11. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to keepers; everyone was
to bring for its fruit a thousand silver coins.
12. My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, and those who
tend its fruit two hundred.
13. You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice-- let Me hear it!
14. Make haste, my Beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

I. OVERVIEW OF SONG 8:8-14

A. The SONG is the story of how the Bride became set on fire within. In this
passage the Bride feels the electricity of God. She is describing how she feels so
alive because she knows in a deep way who she is. We can only be alive like this
on the inside as we walk in the rare place of radical obedience. This reality makes
our heart glow in this dark world. God has provided this as the only place where
the human heart can fully resonate within.

B. The Bride’s final intercession for the church (SONG 8:8–9) and for the Lord's
return (SONG 8:14).

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C. The Bride's revelation of her own spiritual maturity before God (8:12). This
understanding flows from her revelations of how God sees her (SONG 8:10). The
Bride's revelation of her maturity is the foundation of her spiritual identity and
implies that she has confidence and assurance in her heart.

1. Such spiritual confidence causes us to be radiant, as we know that we are

fully obeying God in maturity and victory.

2. Such unusual confidence before God and man does exist in the grace of
God. When God grants this gift, it results in His people enjoying radiant
confidence as they fully walk in the place that God has ordained for them

D. The Bride's revelation of her inevitable accountability before God (SONG 8:11).
This is a main doctrine in the Word of God that is associated closely to the
revelation of the Second Coming of Christ. The Bride's urgency for the Lord to
return is expressed in intercession (8:14). Often in Scripture, the doctrine of our
accountability in eternity appears in relationship to this urgency for the coming of
the Lord

E. Jesus' final commission to the Bride (8:13)

F. The Bride's final intercession for His coming (8:14). The Lord gives her a final
commission and then she offers to the Lord a final intercession in that wonderful,
romantic, poetic language of this love song. There are 2 different occasions for
intercession in this passage (8:8-9,14).

Verse By Verse Study of SONG 8:8–14

I. THE BRIDE’S FINAL INTERCESSION FOR THE CHURCH (8:8–9)

We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the
day when she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement of
silver; and if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

A. While overflowing from the seal of bridal love from the last session (8:5-7), she
now moves into intercession. The Bride is keenly aware of the spiritual condition
of other members of the Body of Christ who are still babes in Christ. They are
ones who have not yet grown into mature spiritual love. Bridal love causes her to
overflow, so as to move right into intercession.

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B. She intercedes for the spiritually immature to be visited by Jesus.

“We have a LITTLE SISTER and she has no breasts.” (8:8a,b,c)

1. “Sister” - the Bride remembers her as a “sister” instead of forgetting her in

order to move on to “deeper things”. She remembers the others that are a
part of her family. Her little sister is immature yet is a recognized relative
in the same family.

a. Jesus calls Himself our brother and teaches that all who obey are His
brothers and sisters in the new birth (Heb. 2:11; Mt. 12:50).

b. These new believers are under the family care and responsibility of
Jesus and His Bride.

2. Little sister speaks of others, depicting spiritually immaturity. They have

not yet been strengthened with the mature understanding of God. The
Bride sees her for who she is and yet is not impatient with her. The Bride
knows that she is a little sister and is thus at peace with her shortcomings.

3. The little sister speaks of those whose heart is still “little” in

understanding. She is “little” in her faith. The little sisters are still babes
in Christ that are only nurtured on the milk of the Word, and are still
unable to receive meat.

a. She is still spiritually unstable and easily moved by pressure. She has
little faith and easily loses her courage when she is in a trial. She is
easily filled with fear, and quickly gives up in the midst of trials.

b. She lacks passion for Jesus and confidence before God in the midst of
her weakness. She is little in her faith. She is easily condemned with
accusation in her failures.

4. This verse refers to the young maidens or the daughters of Jerusalem,

throughout the SONG. In SONG 6:1 the daughters asked to seek the Lord
with her.

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C. The little sister is not yet developed in love, and thus not ready for marriage.

“We have a little sister and SHE HAS NO BREASTS.” (8:8a,b,c)

1. The little sisters are undeveloped in spiritual love. Therefore, the Bride
intercedes for them. She is keenly aware of the conditions of the other
members of the Body of Christ.

2. They are spiritually as little girls who have not yet felt the impact of the
stirrings of love. The kiss of God or the embrace of God is something
they long for but have very little personal experience with.

a. They have not yet experienced the kisses of God’s Word that bring
them to spiritua l intimacy and maturity. The Divine kiss is
experienced when the Word spiritually romances our heart.

b. She has not yet experienced the long loving embraces of the Word of
God that are necessary to enlarge her heart. The Divine embrace is
experienced when the Word tenderizes our heart. Oh how glorious are
the “loving embrace of God to our hearts.”

3. The little sister is not yet equipped as a spiritual mother to spiritually

nurture and edify others with the milk of the Word. Her inability to
reproduce and nurture speaks of her spiritual immaturity.

a. Immature believers can only receive the milk of the Word (1Cor. 3:1-
2). They have no ability to release the milk of the Word to other
people.

b. They lack mature burden for the condition of others. They lack the
concern to help others. They are overwhelmed with their own
problems. They are immature in character, discernment, wisdom and
perseverance (Heb. 5:13-14).

4. The Bride was recently pictured as having a womb likened to a heap of

wheat (SONG 7:2). This implied that she was pregnant with the harvest.
Revival brings forth many new little sisters, who are spiritually
undeveloped and unable to nurture others.

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D. The Bride accepts co-responsibility with Jesus to bring forth others to spiritual
maturity.

“WE have a little sister and she has no breasts.” (8:8a,b,c)

1. The Bride is referring to herself and Jesus as having a co-responsibility to

bring forth others to maturity. She feels the same towards the immature
sisters as He does. He was ravished over them (4:9). He longed to see
their face and hear their voice (2:14).

2. She joins Jesus in mature spiritual partnership. The Bride is speaking to

the Lord in this passage; “we are in this together”. She sees the need of
the young ones as their mission together.

E. This shows the Bride's prayer concern for her little sisters.

“WHAT SHALL WE DO FOR OUR SISTER in the day that she is spoken
for?” (8:8d,e,f)

1. The question on her heart is, “what shall we do for our sister?” How can
we help to bring her forth to greater blessing and maturity?” She is
sensitive to her responsibility for young believers (6:11; 7:11). This
shows her strong sense of responsibility to feed the new believers as if
they were her own. This is the heart of a spiritual father (1 Thess. 2:11).

2. As the sealed Bride is before the Lord, a primary thing on her mind is her
little sister that is able to reproduce or to nurture others. She is small in
her understanding and in her heart. She can’t yet handle the deeper things
of God. The Bride has a tremendous sense of responsibility for her little
sister. She doesn’t want to move on without her. She is not just content to
go on in the Lord herself without helping others to follow.

3. I had an encounter with the Lord that changed my ministry. This

happened in the summer of 1983. I was very focused on my own spiritual
development in personal holiness, seeking to grow deep in prayer and
revelation of deep things in God. I didn’t want to be bothered by the
concerns of leading others. It was a real burden to me. One day, as I was
in prayer, I was complaining to the Lord that I didn’t want to be
responsible for so many people (the church was about 500 people).
Suddenly, the Lord spoke to me in powerfully from Josh. 1:2.

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"Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan,

you AND ALL THIS PEOPLE, to the land which I am giving TO
THEM-- the children of Israel. (Josh. 1:2)

a. In this passage the Lord told Joshua to lead the people to their
inheritance in the land.

b. A question came to me in a strong way from the Lord, “what is more

important to the Lord than a holy man on the earth? I was perplexed
by this question and could not imagine what was more important to the
Lord than a holy man. Then the Lord gave me His answer, “a whole
generation of holy people.” Then out of nowhere came Josh. 1:2. The
Lord impressed me, “I want you and the people to inherit the land.”
This verse struck my heart like an arrow. I was surprised because I
wasn't reading this passage.

c. This encounter with the Word changed my whole perspective. I then

understood His answer to my complaint about having too many people
to care for.

d. As a very immature believer, I simply wanted to be a holy man of

God, that was enough. But as I grew in the Lord, the Lord began to
say, “Where are your brothers? Where are your little sisters?”

4. One sign of spiritual maturity is concern of the spiritual condition of

others. “What shall we do for our sister?” This question was deeply
rooted in the Bride's heart.

F. Working together with the Lord

“What shall WE DO for our sister in the day that she is spoken for?” (8:8d,e,f)

1. The Bride does not use the singular, saying, “What will ‘I’ do for my
sister,” but rather, she uses the plural, “we,” indicating that she is in full
bridal partnership with Jesus.

2. Her original prayer in 1:4, “Let us run together,” is also in the plural. All
running in ministry is in the plural.

3. We work together with the Lord to help the others.

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G. The Bride recognizes that the young ones will eventually mature.

“What shall we do for our sister IN THE DAY THAT SHE IS SPOKEN FOR?”
(8:8d,e,f)

1. “In the day” – the day of God's visitation is the season in which He
requires maturity from the little ones.

2. The phrase, “in the day” is also used early to speaks of the wedding day
(SONG 3:11).

Go forth…see King…with the crown…on the day of his wedding, the

day of the gladness of his heart (SONG 3:11)

a. This speaks of the engagement time, the preparation for the joys of
marriage. That is what it means in the literal sense. The day when she
receives the “kisses of God” in a deeper way is the spiritual sense.

b. This is a reference to the time when she attains to the maturity of

bridal partnership with Christ. This maturity begins as the daughters
see themselves as chosen to be the Bride of Christ (2:1).

3. The day is in contrast to the night. She sought Him in the night of
immaturity (3:1). When He is found it becomes day. The Bride has
confidence that “the little ones” will eventually come to maturity (Eph.
4:13).

a. There are seasons in a believer’s life, in which the Lord visits and
begins to intensify His dealings in us. During such seasons God
delivers us from our spiritual immaturity more intensely than at other
times in our walk with Him. He begins to call us forth with greater
intensity. This speaks of the seasons in our life in which He requires
more fruit than He did in the previous season.

b. There is a time and a season when the Lord begins to visit and require
more fruitfulness out of her life. In those early years in the grace of
God, the Lord treats us as young ones. He doesn’t hold us responsible
to nurture others. He doesn’t require us to be able to give ourselves by
serving other people in a consistent and costly way. Many believers
live their whole life without a deep sense of responsibility of others in
the grace of God.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 8

c. He usually allows those early seasons where we could just splash in

the water as spiritual babies without any responsibility and say, “You
love me, I love You.” As we play in the water, we look up to see the
Lord smiling, and bouncing us on His knee. However, there is a time
when He says; “Now it is time to grow up and prepare for your coming
wedding.”

d. There is a time when the Lord begins to require a deeper response that
is adequate for that particular season in our lives. It is referred to as
“the day when she is spoken for.” It is the time when the Lord says;
“Now I'm going to bring you forth into your inheritance as the Bride. I
am now not going to let you just splash in the water, and fall in the
mud. I want you to be My partner.”

e. The question is “What shall we do for our sister as she begins to

awaken to the fact that she really is called to a life of mature love for
Jesus?” What can I do to help bring her forth? What can I do to
cooperate with you in the day of which she is spoken for?”

f. The day that she is spoken for speaks of the time when the young ones
begin to connect with their spiritual identity and destiny as the Bride of
Christ. In SONG 2:1, at the beginning of the young Bride’s journey,
she said, “I am the rose of Sharon, I am the lily of the valley.” This
was the time that she connected with her spiritual identity as the
inheritance of Christ Jesus.

g. There is a time in a believer’s life when they are awakened to the

destiny of who they ultimately are as the Bride of Christ. This is the
day that they are spoken for, or the seasons in their life when they
progressively connect with the truths of who they are. We are called
from eternity to be His Bride. There is a time when every believe
connects with this reality. Some grasp this truth while still on earth,
and others do not see it until they arrive in the Eternal City.
Christianity is more than fire insurance in eternity, insuring that we
escape hell. Rather, we ha ve a high calling on our life.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 9

h. She asks, “Lord, what can I do? What will we do together for these
immature ones?” In SONG 7 her waist was like a heap of wheat as the
great harvest was about to come forth. The harvest resulted in these
immature little sisters. All of them were unable to nurture themselves,
and carry responsibility for others. Therefore, the Bride is crying out
in intercession, “What are we going to do for her so we can bring her
to the place where she connects with who she is? It is the day of the
revelation (Eph. 1:18), that she is the inheritance of Christ Jesus. In
Eph. 1:18 Paul prayed over the mighty church of Ephesus. He said,
“O Father, that You would open the eyes of their heart. They would
see the riches of the glory of being the inheritance that You promised
Your Son.” It is very powerful when we connect with the reality that
we are the inheritance that Christ Jesus has been waiting for. We grow
and begin to connect with the riches of the glory that we have as God’s
own inheritance. It is the day in which she is awakened to her destiny.

H. The Bride continues to make intercession before the Lord.

“If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement of silver” (8:9a,b,c)

1. The Bride continues to make her plea before the Lord in intercession. She
is dialoging with the Lord over the concerns of the young ones. The
Bride’s commitment to labor for the maturity of the “little sister” is seen in
this intercession. “If she is a wall,” she says, “we’re going to build upon
her. I’m committed to see the work of God continue in her life.”
2. “If she is a wall” – a wall speaks of defense and protection. Several
places in the scripture speak of an unwalled city that has no protection. A
walled city is a protected city. A wall is necessary for a city to be properly
guarded.

a. God’s desire for us is to become a wall of protection for others. A city

without a strong wall of defense was like a flock of sheep without a
shepherd vulnerable to wolves.

b. He says, “If she comes forth as a wall, to provide protection for

others…” The ministries that provide protection as a wall are the
pastoral ministry, or the prophetic ministry.

3. The Bride, herself, in SONG 7:10, says, “I am a wall.

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4. The idea is to determine how the little sisters will respond to the grace of
God. Will she mature and become a wall in the purposes of God, a source
of protection and defense for others?

5. “We will build upon her.” This is a commitment to work to equip her in
ministry until a strong ministry of protection is established in her for
others. The Bride is saying, “If she decides that she is called to be a wall,
then we are committed to equip and train her. We are going to build into
her life.”

a. If she agrees to move on to maturity to be a wall or to be one that is

filled with God’s concerns for protecting others, then Jesus and His
Bride will build together in her life.

b. If my sister commits to be a wall, then we will respond in great earnest

to equip her for such ministry by building battlements of silver into her
life.

c. In 2 Tim. 2:2, Paul told Timothy to invest much time and energy only
in those who are faithful to help others. Jesus girds Himself to serve
or equip those who are faithful to serve others (Lk. 12:37).

d. There are 2 different directions in which the little sister might respond.
She might respond to be a wall or she might respond to be a door.
However, the Bride's commitment to train her is dependent upon her
God-given giftings and heart passions, as well as, her response to serve
others in diligence.

e. If in the season that she is spoken for, she desires to be a wall or a

ministry that protects others from the onslaught of the enemy, then the
Bride commits to train her, or to take her to the next step. She does
this by building into her deeper things in the grace of God that cause
her to be a battlement of silver.

I. There are pressures associated with being a wall. When the enemy attacked, they
shot arrows to kill people. The wall took many of the arrows. God wants to raise
up men and women who will take a stand regardless what it costs them, regardless
of the assault that comes against them. They will stand true for what God says is
true, and it will stand for righteousness and will protect others.

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J. Effective ministries of protection

“A battlement of silver”

1. The NIV translates this phrase as “towers of silver.” We put time and
energy into her to equip her to protect people and to bring her forth in her
ministry skills. The Bride is saying to Jesus, “We're going to build her
into a battlement of silver.”

2. “Battlement” – The battlement of a castle was the place on the top of the
stone tower or wall that goes around the city of the castle where the
archers stood to shoot through the indentations. The archers shot their
arrows through small indentations in the stone at the below. They could
shoot and then stand behind the stone battlements for protection.

a. These towers or battlements provided places for the watchmen to spot

the enemy shoot the arrows, and defend the city.

b. A city was guarded against invading armies or thieves by the

watchmen standing on the battlements of a wall (Is. 62:6-7).

c. “Silver” – speaks of redemption or the help of God via the Holy Spirit.
There was no such thing as a battlement of silver. They were made of
clay, wood or stone, never silver. A battlement of silver is in contrast
to being a battlement of clay or wood that could be easily torn down.
This speaks of God’s supernatural power (grace) that guards us.

d. It is supernatural protection in the context of redemption. The

battlement of silver speaks symbolically of being equipped in the
power of the Holy Spirit to bring redemption and protection to others.

e. These battlements include the release of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
that are vital in protecting others. They are not weapons of the flesh,
but of the Spirit (silver). Our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12). Therefore, the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in the power of God
(2 Cor. 10:4-5).

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f. These battlements speak of constant watchfulness for the safety of

God’s people against the enemy. It is God’s supernatural power and
grace that guards and keeps us. These are battlements of silver
because without God’s help, we can never watch over the city
effectively. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchmen guard it in
vain (Ps. 127:1).

g. The battlement of silver could speak of the release of the power of the
Spirit in these young sisters lives as they seek to be a wall that protects
others.

h. The battlement of silver can also refers to the ministry of intercession

and the release of angels. The battlement of silver could mean making
these young sisters intercessors. It could relate to the release of the
angelic ministries helping them as we see angels helping in the book of
Acts.

i. Only a strong wall could sustain a battlement of silver.

K. The ministry of opening a door of grace for others

“AND IF SHE IS A DOOR, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.”

(8:9d,e,f)

1. “If she is a door” – a door is the point of entry for others.

2. Jesus is the doorkeeper to the flock of God.

3. As a door, she functions to open the way of salvation to others. She

becomes a vessel to help others through the door of salvation. Paul prayed
for evangelism as a door of faith being opened (Col. 4:3). Many passages
in the New Testament speak of opening a door for the Gospel. This is the
actual terminology that Paul uses.

4. For some the primary thrust of their ministry is as a wall of protection, for
others she is a door of evangelism. A wall speaks of a pastor, while a door
speaks of the evangelist.

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L. The Bride's intercession for the newly trained ones to be anointed

“And if she is a door, we will ENCLOSE HER WITH BOARDS OF CEDAR.”

(8:9d,e,f)

1. If the grace of God upon her life leads her to evangelism, then the Bride
prays, “let us enclose her with boards of cedar.”

2. “We will enclose her” speaks of being clothed with Jesus. This is the
principle of being clothed from on high with Jesus’ power to win the lost
(Acts1:8; Lk.24:49).

a. Jesus and the Bride will continue to work together with her until she is
enclosed, clothed or anointed by God.

b. The word enclosed is the idea of Rom. 13:14, “being clothed with
Christ Jesus.” This speaks of being wrapped in Jesus as the One
likened to the cedar of Lebanon, picturing His death and resurrection
(SONG 3:9). He is the cedar. As the cedar sent from the Father, Jesus
is as the stately cedars of Lebanon that are fragrant, strong, expensive
and are the most exquisite wood building material that could be found
in all of Israel.

M. The Bride is praying here that if she becomes committed to evangelism, as the
primary focus of her life, then let’s cloth her or surround her with boards of cedar
which are symbolic of Christ Jesus. If she consents to be a door of evangelism,
then God will enclose her with power from on High.

1. “With boards of cedar” (or “cedar panels”) – these boards are made of
expensive, strong and fragrantly scented cedar wood. Cedar is smooth,
fragrant, and scented wood. Cedar wood speaks of humanity in the
symbolism of scripture. In the symbolism of the tabernacle the wood
speaks of humanity. Jesus is the fragrant cedar of Lebanon (SONG 3:9a).
A cedar board is expensive, sturdy, reliable and fragrant. These fragrant
boards speak of the fragrance of Christ and bring unbelievers to the gospel
from 2 Cor. 2:15. The chariot of the gospel was made out of the cedar of
Lebanon, the humanity of Jesus (SONG 3:9a).

a. Cedars of Lebanon were used to build Solomon’s temple where the

Lord’s Presence dwelt (1 Kings 4:33; 5:6).

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b. Jesus is pictured as the cedar boards, not only in the Song of Solomon,
but also in several places in the Psalms. Enclosed with the cedars of
Lebanon is a picture of Jesus. The boards of cedar speak of the
fragrance of Christ, as the cedars of Lebanon are very fragrant.

c. Being enclosed with the cedars of Jesus speaks of her being clothed in
the beauty and fragrance of Jesus Christ or the cedars of Lebanon
(Rom. 13:14).

2. Teaching ministries are used to open the door to new truths. Therefore,
this door also speaks of the revelation of the Holy Spirit in her teaching
ministry. She communicates the mysteries of God with great clarity.

3. Anointed teachers’ open hearts to new truths. The evangelist begins the
process and the teacher takes them through new doors of understanding.

4. “We” - she does not use the singular, but rather the plural, “we,” indicating
that she is in partnership with Jesus.

N. Summary - Some ministries in the body of Christ function as a wall to protect

others. Others function as a door to new things for others.

1. The wall ministries are the prophetic or pastoral ministries that protect the
people from the enemy. The wall speaks of the pastor developing the
community within safe boundaries. Or the wall speaks of the prophetic
raising up the wall of demarcation drawing God's line of holiness, the
standard of God. God wants a line of demarcation to be raised up in the
land.

2. The door ministries that open new doors of grace speak of either the
evangelist or the teacher. The door speaks of the evangelist inviting
outsiders to come in, and the teacher opening the door of new truths. God
protects His church through prophetic and pastoral ministries. He opens
people’s hearts to ne w truths through evangelists and teachers.

3. The Lord and the Bride will respond to the sister’s responses. They
respond according to what has been put into the sister’s heart by God. If
the sister desires in the grace of God to be a wall of protective ministry,
then God will build her into a battlement of silver. However, if she desires
in the grace of God to be a door, then God will enclose her with power
from on high. In other words, they will work to make her effective
according to her response.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 15

4. The seal of love (8:6) has transformed her into a wall of protection. She
speaks what the Lord thinks about her. The Bride sealed with love goes
right into the ministry of intercession to build her up in the way that she is
called by God. She continues to pray for the sisters until they also become
effective in ministry. The one sealed with love has deep concern
expressed in intercession for other members of the Body of Christ. Divine
love in us leads us to join Jesus who lives forever to make intercession
(Heb. 7:25).

II. THE BRIDE’S REVELATION OF MATURITY BEFORE THE PEOPLE

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, then I became in His eyes as one who found
peace. (8:10)

A. This is her final confession of faith in her progression of holy passion.

“I AM A WALL, and my breasts are like towers” (8:10a,b)

1. As she is faithful in intercession (SONG 8:8-9) she enjoys confidence

before the Lord. She has a revelation of her own spiritual maturity. This
is something that I don’t think many of us understand.

2. She sees herself as a wall that exists in this world to protect the young
ones. In other words, she now understands her life purpose so differently
than she did before. She no longer sees herself as a separate entity, living
primarily for her own earthly happiness, but as a source of protection for
others.

a. I am a wall of protection. I know that my time, my energy, my

finances, my hopes and dreams on the earth are to serve the purpose of
God. This insight of seeing herself as a wall is a powerful and
necessary revelation aiding in the welfare of others. The Apostle Paul
saw himself in this light.

b. Paul functioned as a wall when he stood up for and protected new

believers (I Thess.2:7-12; Gal. 2:11-14).

B. Several of God's servants in redemptive history have had this assurance. This is a
confidence that others mighty in faith as Paul, John the Baptist, David, Samuel
and Moses experienced while still living on earth. They had this testimony of
their conscience at the end of their lives. This is significant because at the end
they have faced every opportunity to fail.

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1. The apostle Paul wrote concerning himself-

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we
conducted ourselves in the world in…godly sincerity, not with fleshly
wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 15.
And in this confidence I intended to come to you…2 COR. 1:12,15

a. Just like Paul, she knows in her conscience that no hidden motive was
in her heart. In other words, that she stands clean before God and
man. To make that statement in truth is so powerful. She knows the
truth that she lives fully to God.

b. This is really an amazing passage of Scripture. The Bride’s revelation

of her own spiritual maturity. She speaks this even before people.
This spiritual principle is seen in the epistles. Who would be so bold
to talk like this?

2. One of the boldest statements in the whole New Testament of a sinful man
is made by Paul the apostle when he said, “imitate me.”
Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1)

a. Other times he said, “Imitate God.” This time he was saying, “just
imitate me and you’ll on the right path of godliness.” What a powerful
confidence to know that we have that kind of life before God.

3. The apostle Paul spoke before the elders of Ephesus concerning himself-
Paul said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in
what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all
humility, with many tears and trials…how I kept back nothing that was
helpful…nor do I count my life dear to myself…Therefore I testify to
you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men…Therefore
remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night
and day with tears…I have coveted no one's…gold…when he had said
these things…he prayed with them all. Then they all wept freely, and fell
on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words
which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. (Acts 20:18-38)

4. John the Baptist said concerning himself

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Then they said to him (John the Baptist), "Who are you..? What do you
say about yourself?" He said: "I am `The voice of one crying in the
wilderness…as the prophet Isaiah said." (John 1:22-23)

John answered…to all, "…One mightier than I is coming... (Luke 3:16)

John the Baptist made this most amazing statement when introducing
Jesus. He said, “Jesus is even mightier than I.” He looked around the
nation and couldn’t find anyone else to be the standard to compare Jesus'
might to. The best example was his own ministry. He said, “Jesus is even
mightier than me.” He had a clear understanding of how he stood in the
grace of God.

5. Moses wrote about himself:

…Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of
the earth. (Num. 12:3)

6. Samuel had this confidence before the people of God when his time as the
prophet of Israel as a judge was ending.

Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed…I am old and grayheaded…I

have walked before you from my childhood to this day. "Here I am.
Witness against me before the LORD…: Whose ox have I taken,…or
whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand
have I received any bribe…? And they said, "You have not cheated us or
oppressed us..." Then he said to them, "The LORD is witness against
you…this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they
answered, "He is witness." …"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me
that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will
teach you the good and the right way. (1 Sam. 12:1-5,23)

7. Enoch obtained a testimony he was pleasing, before God took him.

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death…for before
he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Heb. 11:5)

a. This supernatural assurance releases powerful emotional dynamics.

My main point is that God will bring His people to this place of holy
confidence where absolutely nothing can shake their faith.

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b. The Bride will also have this same testimony before the Lord even
before her natural life is over. She will have the assurance that she
accomplished all the will of God with all of her heart.

C. This kind of confidence comes only by revelation. The Bride's confidence is

supernatural, not the result of sinful pride. She speaks what the Lord thinks about
her. She has supernatural confidence in her soul about her life and maturity
because God is the One who spoke it to her. We all wonder what this must feel
like to be able to stand before the people of God and say that we have protected
the people of God and have abundantly nurtured them throughout our life. She
attributes her growth to the seal of 8:6, which produced her maturity. This is the
witness and testimony of her conscience. She is at the end of her journey and
knows that she has lived this way before the people. What a glorious and radiant
heart that can have that kind of knowing. It is this complete union of heart and
motive with Christ Jesus that flows out of the seal of SONG 8:6-7.

D. The emotional dynamics related to this confidence. I’m not sure we understand
the full emotional dynamics of this. She possesses knowledge of her own
sincerity and fruitfulness. She makes her final confession. She wants the young
sisters to enter into this confidence and emotional power. She has a great
confidence in her walk before God and people. She has the witness in her heart
that she has fully done the will of God and has stood in victory before God.

1. This assurance makes a believer so powerfully committed to Jesus, as they

do the work of service. Consider how much emotional energy is expended
on condemnation, fear and uncertainty. It takes a lot of energy to work
through out such emotions. It requires a great amount of emotional
energy to live in fear. For example, thoughts like- “maybe God doesn’t
love me, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm in the wrong place, maybe they do
not really like me, probably I'm a hypocrite.”

2. However, she is free from such fear and self-doubt. She is filled with
assurance. A person with this kind of assurance has so much extra energy
because they are free from that which depleting their emotional life. This
is powerful. God wants His people to have this kind of assurance.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 19

3. The seal upon her heart has produced this kind of boldness and
confidence. She is describing her own attainment of maturity without any
boasting because she, like Paul, has the Holy Spirit’s evaluation of her
life. She understands that her maturity by God's grace is a pattern for
others (1 Cor. 11:1). This is not boastful, but flows from revelation and it
results in a heart of thanksgiving for the sufficiency of God. She has
learned through pain and testing to find God as her strength (SONG 8:5).

4. Like a wall, she commits to surround and enclose the little city entrusted
to her. She will not draw back from her responsibilities to lead. No
matter how small or difficult her sphere of leadership is, she regards it as
very important because the Lord has given it to her. She does not despise
the smallness or the difficulty of the sphere that He has entrusted to her.

E. Her confidence in her effective ministry and pure motives

I am a wall, and MY BREASTS LIKE TOWERS...(8:10)

1. Throughout the SONG the breasts speak of the ability to nurture others,
the milk of the Word of God. She has an abundant ability to bring nurture
to other people.

2. Her ministry is as towers of milk, which speaks of her abundance to

nurture those within her walls. She knows she is like a fortified city, with
the capacity of a tower to nurture others in the “milk of the Word.” Three
times she has been compared to a tower (4:4; 7:4; 8:10).

3. Paul knew that God strengthened him beyond the normal measure for
effective ministry (Phil. 4:13).

a. She is not like the little sister that doesn't have the ability to nurture
anyone. She knows how to bring the Word of the Lord skillfully and
with abundant revelation.

b. She knows what they need. This is not arrogance.

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F. Her experience of supernatural peace by understanding who and why she is.

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, then I became in His eyes AS ONE
WHO FOUND PEACE. (8:10)

1. She has found peace. She’s connected with her destiny. She understands
who she is in the full sense of the word. Blessed is the man and the
woman that has this kind of peace. This is more than the peace we have at
salvation.

2. She says, “I’ve come to peace with the creative design of God for my
humanity. I know why I have breath on the earth. I know why I have
been created in the mind of God. I have been created to be a partner of
Christ Jesus.” She connected with the truth of what this life is all about.
This is a profound sense of peace fills her being. She has no striving and
accusing thoughts. She is completely at peace with the way that God
designed her and created her. She knows why she is on the earth.

3. She connects with the truth of why she has life on the earth. She can look
at all the alluring lusts of this world and say no to them because this is not
what she is about. She has settled the issues.

G. Her life before God's eyes- the Audience of One

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, THEN I BECAME IN HIS EYES as

one who found peace. (8:10)

1. She finds peace in Jesus’ eyes, but not necessarily in the eyes of others.

2. Paul the apostle was still slandered and stoned and considered a deceiver
by many even in the church and even at the end of his life. People in the
church considered him as evil.

By...dishonor, by evil report (regarded) as deceivers (2 Cor. 6:8)

Now I pray to God…not that we should appear approved, but that you
should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. (2 Cor.
13:7)

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3. But in God's eyes he found peace. He knew he was walking in his Divine
destiny and was pleasing to God. The assurance of an undistracted heart
gave him freedom from self-consciousness. Paul had peace at the highest
level that can be described. This is where the Lord wants us. He wants us
to let go of false ideas fueled by the spirit of unbelief and self-doubt.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by

a human court…For I know nothing against myself…but He who
judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the
Lord comes…Then each one's praise will come from God. (1 Cor. 4:3-5)

4. People in the world and in the church criticized her just as they slandered
Paul. We will never be at peace in the eyes of all others. But she found
peace before God. In the eyes of other people she is still criticized, but
she was still living for an audience of One. She was still living before the
Master Who was approving her.

5. To know the truth of why we are created and then to say yes to it is to
have tremendous assurance that we have lived a life in wisdom. To know
that we have offered to God a heart of wisdom and a heart of worship
throughout our life is glorious. What a wonderful thing to know at the end
of our days, as we look back over 20, 30, 40, 50 years of our life, that to
the best of our knowledge we gave Jesus everything that we could give
Him. To be at peace in the sight of God. To have sought Jesus with a
wholeheart for many years. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing? I can’t
think of anything more profound for a human being to say that before the
eternal God on the last day. To say that we were saved by faith is
glorious; I am certainly not undermining that. But to know that we loved
Him deeply for many years is a gift from God that we will be able to cast
before Him in eternity.

H. She is no longer speaking of her intercession as in SONG 8:8-9. The Bride has
been describing herself in SONG 8:10. She is now speaking to the little sisters.
She says, “I am a wall. I am a source of protection to many. And my breasts are
like towers; then I became in His eyes as one who found peace.”

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III. THE BRIDE’S REVELATION OF ACCOUNTABILITY BEFORE GOD

Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to keepers; Everyone
was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. (8:11)

A. She is now walking out her confession of 8:10. This short parable speaks of the
principle of accountability before God that every believer will give on the last day
(1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12-14).

B. She has a profound understanding of her accountability before God. This is the
principle of accountability before God, being spoken through the picture language
of this Song. On the last day, every believer will give to God a full account of his
or her earthly life.

C. The vineyard belonged to the King

“SOLOMON HAD A VINEYARD at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to

keepers” (8:11a,b)

1. The King Solomon, throughout the Song of Solomon, is a picture of King

Jesus.

2. Solomon’s or Jesus’ vineyard speaks of the people of God or the church of

Jesus, worldwide. Israel was spoken of as God’s vineyard (Is.5:1-7). Jesus
“had a vineyard.” Israel was God’s vineyard in the Old Testament and the
church is God’s vineyard in the New Testament.

D. The King’s vineyard grows dynamically through great revival.

Solomon had A VINEYARD AT BAAL HAMON; He leased the vineyard to

keepers; Everyone was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. (8:11)

1. The king had a vineyard “at Baal Hamon.” There is no mention in

Scripture or in Israel’s history of this geographic place. Baal Hamon is
also translated as “the populous one.” The word literally means in
Hebrew, “the father of a multitude.” Some Bible versions translate the
meaning without trying to translate it as a city.

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2. King Jesus has a very large vineyard at Baal Hamon or throughout the all
the nations. It’s a worldwide vineyard. It’s a very large vineyard. It speaks
of the large worldwide vineyard or the church of Jesus that reaches to the
ends of the earth. It also speaks of a vast harvest before this age is over
(Rev. 14:14-16).

E. The king entrusts His vineyard to His partners.

Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; HE LEASED THE VINEYARD TO

KEEPERS; Everyone was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
(8:11)

1. “He leased the vineyard” – this speaks of the principle of the kingdom of
God in this age as being entrusted to the church. This is an aspect of the
dignity of the church.

2. Jesus taught in parables of how He “leased His vineyard” to His servants

before He went away to a “far country”.

"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner that planted a

vineyard…and built a tower. And He leased it to vinedressers and went
into a far country. (Mt. 21:33)

a. The kingdom of God is the rightful property of Jesus and He entrusted

it to the church. He taught in his parable on His last visit to Jerusalem
right before He died.

b. Jesus taught that He came to earth as the owner of the vineyard. Then
He leased it and went away to a far country (heaven) and promised to
return after a period of time.

c. We are living in the time frame when the Lord is in a “far country”. In
other words, He is out of our sight. He has entrusted the resources of
His kingdom to His servants.

3. “To keepers” – those to whom the Lord has entrusted responsibility to

cultivate His vineyard. He works together with these keepers (1 Cor. 3:9;
Mk. 16:20). In other words, it speaks of each believer.

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a. All of us have been given a certain stewardship before God. His

vineyard has been leased to the people that He has entrusted a sphere
of responsibility to.

b. You don’t need to wait for a pastor to define your calling to serve. Go
out and begin to win your neighborhood and begin to invest your life
in the people in the work place. You don’t need a title. You don’t
need an official job description. Just start serving people.

c. The Word of God has already commissioned you to go forth. We all

are the keepers that He has leased His vineyard to.

F. She understands that she must give an account for the stewardship that God has
given her.

Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to keepers;

EVERYONE WAS TO BRING FOR ITS FRUIT a thousand pieces of silver.
(8:11)

1. “Everyone” - He expects everyone to bring fruit as they cultivate, through

hard work, the portion of the vineyard that He has entrusted to them (Lk.
12:31-48).

a. Everyone was to bring forth a return for the vineyard that was leased
out to them, the part of the vineyard.

b. The portion of the vineyard that God has entrusted to us is usually our
neighborhood and our workplace. Ask the Lord who they are and go
cultivate that vineyard. It won’t necessarily be easy.

2. “For its fruit” – there is an accountability to cultivate the vineyard in a

way that produces fruit. Jesus taught of this in the parable. (Mt. 21:33-
44). He requires a return of fruitfulness from the gifts that He gives us

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes…He will destroy

those wicked men miserably, and lease His vineyard to other
vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." (Mt.
21:40-41)

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G. The Lord desires a full return of fruitfulness for that which He entrusts.

Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to keepers;

Everyone was to bring for its fruit A THOUSAND PIECES OF SILVER.
(8:11)

1. The “thousand” is an indication of a full response of the heart back to

God. It is a complete number that speaks of fullness. In other words, full
return.

2. It speaks of the full measure that God requires according to that which was
entrusted. The idea is a life that has full fruitfulness, i.e., a thousand. This
speaks of the fullness of what Jesus expects from every person. Jesus
requires fruitfulness from His investment in our lives. He has a clear
expectation from every person, which is signified by the number “a
thousand.”

3. Silver speaks of redemption. Silver speaks of purity (Mal. 3:3).

He will sit as a…purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, and
purge them as…silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in
righteousness. (Mal. 3:3)

4. The prophet Isaiah also refers to the 1000 pieces of silver.

It shall happen in that day, that wherever there could be a thousand

vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be for briers and thorns.
(Isa. 7:23)

5. Jesus was able to give the full return of fruitfulness that was expected by
His Father.

H. The vineyard was rented out with the expectation of a return. This money was
given back to the royal treasury. There is a return to the royal treasury in heaven
for our work on the earth. “A treasure that neither moth nor rust can destroy, nor
thieves steal” (Mt. 6:20). Our faithful labors are translated into silver in the
Lord’s treasure chest in heaven.

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I. He has a vineyard that is named “the father of multitudes.” It's a very large one
coming at the end of the age. He is presently leasing it out. He is presently
giving each individual a measure of responsibility. However, He will ask for an
accountability.

J. To one person there is given widespread impacted and to another is given very
little public impact in ministry. The Lord is not impressed with the number itself.
Because the Lord knows He gives the ability to impact the multitudes. The Lord
is not anymore impressed by those who touch 5 or 5,000,000. He requires a heart
of faithfulness.

K. The Lord rewards us based on our measure of faithfulness, not our measure of
giftedness. We often focus our attention on the measure of our gifting. The Lord
focuses on our measure of faithfulness. We are not to be sorrowful if our
giftedness is smaller than others, but only if we lack faithfulness.

a. This stewardship involves encouraging believers, touching the lives of

unbelievers, faithfully engaging in prayer over our families,
faithfulness in finances, and faithfulness in the way we treat our
enemies. This fullness is not determined by how many respond to our
ministry, but rather the faithfulness of our heart in context to what God
gave us.

b. He doesn’t expect the same amount of impact from every believer.

We also want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt.
25:21).

L. Jesus emphasized the necessary of accountability on the last Day.

1. Jesus spoke 3 parables in Mt. 25 teaching us that all of God’s servants are
responsible to give an account for what has been entrusted to them. These
parables are in the context to the Lord’s teaching on the Second Coming
(Mt. 24-25). All 3 of the parables in Mt. 25 are related to the doctrine of
the Second Coming of Christ. Likewise, SONG 8:11 is in context to the
Lord’s Second Coming ((SONG 8:14). The Bride is looking to the
consummation of this age and proclaims that she will give an account for
what is entrusted to her.

a. The parable of the five virgins represents diligence before the Second
Coming of the Lord (Mt. 25:1-13).

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b. The parable of the talents represents accountability to serve fearlessly

before the Second Coming of the Lord (Mt. 25:14-30).

c. The parable of the sheep and goats represents accountability to serve

sacrificially before the Second Coming of the Lord (Mt. 25:31-46).

2. The Lord demands an account for the vineyard He entrusts to His people.
The parables of Lk. 12 speak of this principle. This revelation of
accountability motivates the Bride to faithfulness and watchfulness
through the pressures of Satan’s final attacks. We want our lamps to be
burning when the Bridegroom returns.

3. The Second Coming of the Lord is the hope that purifies the church.
We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see
Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself,
(1 Jn. 3:2-3)

4. The robes of righteousness are given to us as a free gift of salvation, but

the fine linen speaks of righteous acts of the saints.

For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself
ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev. 19:7-
8)

5. People will differ in glory in the resurrection.

For one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the
resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:41-42)

6. When the Lord returns from the far place, He will reward every person
according to his or her works.

"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His
angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. (Mt.
16:27)

Each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. (1
Cor. 3:8)

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7. Summary - These are her final words to the people that she ministered to,
and her final words to the Lord at the end of her life journey. She is
giving her statement before the Lord. She has functioned as a wall of
protection with towers of revelation in the Word. God gave her full
measure of anointing and now she is accountable to be fruitful.

IV. THE BRIDE’S REVELATION OF MATURITY BEFORE GOD

My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, and those who
keep its fruit two hundred. (8:12)

A. The Bride’s confession of her experience includes her assurance of victory before
God. She is able to give Jesus all that He expects from her.

B. She totally fulfills the Lord's expectation from her.

“My own vineyard is before me. You, O SOLOMON, MAY HAVE A

THOUSAND, and those who keep its fruit two hundred. (8:12))

1. She fulfills the principle in 8:11 where Solomon expected 1000 pieces of
silver from the keepers. He asked for a thousand in V. 11, now in V. 12,
she is saying, “You, O Solomon, may have a thousand. Everything You
have asked of me is now offered in love to You”. The king receives full
payment. She is confident that she has given her full devotion and
obedience to Him. Enoch also received this testimony that he was
pleasing to God (Heb.11:5). What a glorious testimony to be assured of
even while on the earth.

2. Now she says before God, “O King Solomon, O King Jesus, you know I
have given you the thousand you have asked for. I have said yes in every
area that you have required of me in these years and I have the assurance
of a life that I’ve given myself wholly unto you.” What a powerful
assurance to have before we leave the earth.

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3. At the very beginning of the journey, her vineyard was not kept.

My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the
vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept. (SONG 1:6)

a. Now everything that Lord wanted for is given to Him. It is totally

opposite from the young Bride's beginning.

b. This is the glory of a mature life. The emotional dynamics that are
released with this kind of assurance is fantastic. The dynamics of
single- minded emotion without any draining negative self-
consciousness.

4. Earlier she told the people, “I have lived to protect and to nurture you.”
She has this same assurance before God that is equal to the assurance she
had before the people as a wall and a tower.

5. My goal is to be able to say that before the Lord, “You, O God, may have
the thousand from my life. You know that I’ve given you my heart
through the years.”

6. She is confident she has given her full devotion and obedience to Jesus.
This does not mean that we never make mistakes, or never stumble, or
never do anything wrong. It means that when we have stumbled, we get
up and run into the heart of God.

C. The impact that others have made on her during her journey.

“My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, and
THOSE WHO KEEP ITS FRUIT TWO HUNDRED. (8:12))

1. “And those who keep its fruit” – those who helped her on her journey to
maturity and fruitfulness. She acknowledges that some reward will be
given to them as well. “Those that keep its fruit” speaks of those who
have helped her on her journey to maturity and fruitfulness.

2. She acknowledges that there are others. She didn’t do it alone. It wasn’t
just her and the Lord. There were the others that were working along side
her. They were the comrades that God joined to her.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 30

3. These were the men and women that were a part of the team that she was a
part of. The Lord wants to raise us all up in various teams and ministries.
We call them cell groups or ministry groups where we can cluster
together, so that we can give to King Jesus the thousand and those that
keep its fruit.

4. “Two hundred” – Those who helped will also have honor from her
fruitfulness on the last day.

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our
glory and joy. (1 Thes. 2:19-20)

a. Paul with Silas and Timothy wrote this letter which taught the saints
how they would be his crown and glory. They would be their crown
of glory together.

b. There is a plural sense in which Paul’s team had a crown of glory in

the church of the Thessalonians.

5. Jesus spoke of making friends in eternity from our service in this age.

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon,

that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. (Lk.
16:9)

a. Those that have helped will have honor from her fruitfulness on the
last day.

b. Others share a part of the reward in our labors on the last day, when
we stand before the Lord to give Him what He requires.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 31

D. The particular responsibility given to her, by Jesus, of her own life.

“MY OWN VINEYARD IS BEFORE ME. You, O Solomon, may have a

thousand, and those who keep its fruit two hundred. (8:12))

1. “My own vineyard” – speaks of the particular responsibility given to her

by Jesus. This is the sphere for which she is accountable. This is a
reference also to her personal life (1:6).

2. “Is before me” – she is aware that she will stand at the judgment seat of
Christ to give a full account of all that had been entrusted to her (1 Cor.
3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). She says, “My own heart is before and I see it
clearly.”

3. Paul exhorted the elders of Ephesus to watch over their own souls or their
own personal vineyard first. He said, “Guard your own hearts in this
journey of being an elder.”

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers...( Acts 20:28).

E. Paul fulfilled his ministry course.

“…nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy,
and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24)

V. JESUS’ FINAL COMMISSION TO THE BRIDE

You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice—Let Me hear it!
(8:13)

A. Jesus gives one final commission to her. These are the last words that He speaks
to her.

B. He names her, “You who dwell in the gardens.”

YOU WHO DWELL IN THE GARDENS, the companions listen for your voice—Let
Me hear it! (8:13)

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1. “The gardens” – The gardens speak of the vineyard of 8:11. Jesus speaks
to His Bride who labors diligently in His gardens (5:1).

2. The gardens (plural) are the many parts of His church (6:2) in which she
dwells or labors.

3. The gardens, as we know from the other parts of the book, speak of the
place where all the plants are growing. It spoke of the church at large.
The gardens (plural) speak of the different beds of spices we talked about
in 6:3 throughout the whole church universal.

4. He’s saying, “You are connected, related, and involved in the garden of
God.” What the Lord is saying to her in this title is a fantastic affirmation.
He is identifying her with someone who didn’t quit.

5. At the end of the journey she’s still vibrantly related to the people of God.

6. I have found over the years the older people get in the Lord the more
offenses that have accumulated in their heart and the more logical reasons
they have for giving up on the people of God. Many people that are older
in the faith having walked with Jesus for 30, 40, or 50 years have drawn
back from the purpose of God.

a. Here she is at the end, and she is still one whose dwelling in the midst
of the gardens of God. She loves the people of God. She is not in
isolation.

b. All the reasons she could have had to quit the race, to legitimately
been offended and drawn up, she has overcome every one of them
because she has seen the garden as God’s purpose.

c. She’s dwelling in the garden. That is a very powerful statement for

someone tha t has walked with the Lord for many years.

d. When you are young in the Lord you could only imagine 50 years later
having so much wisdom and grace and tenderness.

e. We know the truth of life is that the vast majority 40 or 50 years later
are bitter, angry and cynical about the purpose of God. When our
hearts are tenderized instead of made bitter, the Lord calls us the ones
that are dwelling in the garden even at the end of our race. What a
powerful thing to be in the midst of this.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 33

7. “You who dwell in the gardens,” what a powerful statement of who she is
in the grace of God. To dwell in the garden implies regular involvement
in the Body with a whole heart of desire towards the various parts of the
body of Christ. The gardens are plural with all the different flavors and
spices in the whole purpose of God worldwide. It is not just even her little
local place. She has a heart for the whole purpose of God. She loved the
whole church, not just one part that she was familiar with.

8. In other words, He is calling her, “Oh faithful and diligent Bride!” He

describes her as, “you who dwell in the gardens.” In other words, her
deep involvement in the Body gets her the reputation as “one who dwells
among others” instead of “one who dwells in isolation” as in 2:1-17.

a. “The one who dwells in the gardens” In other words, she didn’t quit.
She is still in the midst of the church. She is still cultivating the
purpose of God.

b. So many reasons she could have quit or backed away but she is still in
the gardens and that is where God finds her.

c. So many people, at the end of their journey, are just at home watching
TV because they have lost their heart for intercession; they have lost
their vision to touch anybody.

d. She is living at the end of her days serving and cultivating the garden
of God. She didn’t quit. There are 100 reasons to quit when you get
older because you have a lot more disappointments. Alot more people
have mistreated you.

C. The Bride's continuing credibility

You who dwell in the gardens, THE COMPANIONS LISTEN FOR YOUR
VOICE—Let Me hear it! (8:13)

1. He says, “The companions, who dwell in the gardens, the companions

are listening for your voice.”

2. “The companions” – the believers who receive her ministry. The Body of
Christ has not written her off. She still has real credibility and a sense of
integrity for the companions are still receiving from her.

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3. “Listen for your voice” - these believers eagerly desire the mature quality
of ministry that comes from her. They listen for her voice because they
take her ministry very seriously.

a. This speaks of her credibility, stability, and maturity of her life. They
still want to receive from her. As the daughters heard her voice in 5:9
and 6:1, so also many others in the Body honored her by hearing her
voice.

b. This implies honor and unity when people truly hear one another. This
is the opposite of criticism, judgment and isolation that result in people
minimizing each other’s value.

4. “They listen”- He says, “There is a stature and a maturity. There is a

kindness and a gentleness.

a. “There is a fragrance about your ministry, at the end, that the young
ones are still longing to receive from you. There is something about
your countenance. They are eager to receive from you. They haven’t
written you off, but the y have seen the maturity and the wisdom and
the stature of Christ in you.”

b. He says, “You who are still involved, I want you to know the
companions are still receiving from you. Your ministry has been
successful.”

c. “You haven’t been shamed or disqualified, but the people are still
receiving from you. You’ve given them reason to receive from you.”

d. You are not disqualified. You are connected and they see the love and
tenderness of God in you. That is why they are receiving from you.”

5. Remember the original prayer? “Draw me and let me run.” She is now
running in her commitment to take care of the companions. They are
listening to her and receiving from her. She has a place of honor in the
Body.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 35

D. He is beckoning her again to prayer and intercession.

You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice—LET ME
HEAR IT! (8:13)

1. He goes a step further. He says, “I want to hear your voice.” Our voice is
welcome to God’s ears. It delights His heart.

2. Way back in her immaturity her voice was sweet and He said, “Your voice
is sweet,” (SONG 2:14). Still at the very end, He says, “Let me hear your
sweet voice. This was spoken at a time of her immaturity and weakness.
How much sweeter is her voice now that she is fully mature and in union
with Him as His beloved partner.

E. The Lord wants to continually hear her voice in 4 ways:

1. Worship-He gives her this one final exhortation, “In all your labors, don’t
forget to let Me hear your voice!” Don't neglect prayer. Don't forget it is
about worship. He wants the voice of devotion to continue to ascend from
our hearts. He wants to hear you say, “I love you God” until her last
breathe on the earth. We are lovers. He wants to continue to hear your
voice clear to the end.” Originally, she was reluctant to run, but now is
reminded how precious her voice is to Him. He doesn’t want her to forget
intercession, worship and prayer in the midst of her anointed ministry to
others. Earlier, He said, “Let Me hear your voice, because your voice is
sweet to Me” (2:14). He wants to hear our voice in worship. He says,
“Don’t get so busy that you quit worshipping Me.” One of the ways that
we love Jesus is by lifting our voice in praise, and worship.

2. Teaching -One of the ways that we care for the vineyard is by lifting our
voice in teaching. She should teach and encourage others as if God were
listening to her, since she will give an account to Him one day. Another
way to care for the church is by lifting our voice to speak words of
encouragement to others. God also hears our voice when we speak to the
little sisters. This exhortation is very similar to Mt. 28:19-20, where Jesus
tells the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. He wants to hear
your voice in speaking the Word of God to believers.

3. Evangelism -One of the ways that we care for the vineyard is by lifting our
voice in evangelism. He wants to hear your voice in proclaiming the
Word of God to unbelievers.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 36

4. Intercession: - Another way to care for the church and to love Jesus is by
lifting our voice in intercession. She should let Him hear her voice in
intercession in the midst of her ministry to others. In Heb. 7:25, it says,
“Jesus lives forever to make intercession.” He will hear our voice in
intercession throughout all the ages. He wants to hear your voice in
intercession. Don’t get discouraged where you draw back and quit. Fight
for the purpose of God in intercession. God wants to hear the voice of His
church in night and day intercession (Is.62:6-7). He wants to hear our
intercession for revival to go day and night. He wants to hear your voice
in partnership as you speak the gospel to unbelievers, and as you
encourage the saints. The enemy wants to silence our voice, but God
wants to release our voice to ever ascend before Him and His people.

5. He says, “I want to hear your voice come forth to Me. I want you to stay
active to the enjoyed worshipping, interceding, reaching out and edifying.”

a. “You that dwell in the gardens, the people of God are still hearing and
receiving from you. You have not been disqualified. I see the
tenderness, the meekness and the fragrance in your life. Well, I want
to continue to hear your voice. Let Me hear it more! Even give
yourself more fully to Me in your waning years, in your last years
here.

b. Do not let offense, pressures or disappointments silence your voice.

Rather, let your voice of praise, preaching, encouragement and
intercession be made known to God. Let nothing stop you. Her voice
must never be shut up.

6. Jesus’ last statement. He is ending the Song with an affirmation of the

two aspects of her initial prayer, that she began her journey with - to be
drawn and to run (1:4). He restates these two parts of her prayer yet
reverses the order saying, “the companions listen for your voice,” i.e.
“keep running” and then He adds, “let me hear it” i.e. “be drawn to Me.”
They were both fulfilled in her life.

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 37

VI. THE BRIDE’S FINAL INTERCESSION FOR HIS COMING (8:14)

Make haste, My beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of
spices. (8:14)

A. She instantly responds to SONG 8:13 command with worship and intercession.
“Come to me, and then come for me! Come to me now with your Presence being
manifested, then come for me at the Second Coming.” She immediately obeys
the exhortation to let Him hear her voice as she offers this final intercessory cry
for Jesus to come quickly.

B. The Bride's worship

MAKE HASTE, MY BELOVED, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the

mountains of spices. (8:14)

1. “My beloved”- Divine love is her full source of motivation and strength.

2. She says, “My beloved” - Divine love is still her sense of motivation and
strength. It is that love is her final cry to Christ Jesus, “is the one that I
love, my beloved.

3. She says, “You want to hear my voice? Make haste my Beloved. Come to
me! I love You!”

4. We see the urgency and the longing of her heart to be with Jesus in bridal
intimacy. “Oh the One I love, you want to hear my voice? I love you!
Come quickly!”

C. She breaks out in intercession

MAKE HASTE, My beloved, and BE LIKE A GAZELLE OR A YOUNG STAG

on the mountains of spices. (8:14)

D. “Make haste” – she immediately responds with intercession for His visitation to
all the church and then for His Second Coming. We are waiting for the time
when Jesus will be marveled at by all the saints (2 Thess. 1:8).

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1. We see the urgency and longing of her heart to be with Jesus in full bridal
intimacy. She says, “Make haste, quickly come, be like a gazelle or a
young stag on the mountains.”

2. The cry “maranatha, come quickly, Lord, make haste. Please come for me
quickly. You are my beloved.” There is urgency and a longing in her
heart. “Come quickly,” she offers the prayer that we find in the book of
Rev. 22.

3. This is the same prayer as “maranatha,” which means, “come quickly

Lord” (1 Cor. 16:22). This is similar to the cry in Rev. 22:17, “And the
Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ And also Rev. 22:20. “Amen. Even so,
come, Lord Jesus!” Make haste! Now, come to me in Your Presence, and
then come for me in the Second Coming.”

4. Paul spoke of this same longing, “All of creation groans waiting for the
manifestation of the sons of God.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the
revealing of the sons of God…For we know that the whole creation
groans and labors with birth pangs together until now…but we also
…groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body. (Rom. 8:20-23)

5. In her last words, she ends the song like she began it. “Draw me and let us
run.” She is ending it in the same principle. “Come to me, the One I love,
and let us go away to the mountain of spices.” She is restating her
commitment to 1:4, where both elements again are expressed. First,
“Make haste, My beloved,” in which she is saying, ‘Come to me in
intimate fellowship.’

6. These are her last words in the book. She ends the Song like she began it,
with “draw me and let us run.” What started for a cry for a kiss, and the
receiving of a seal, ends in the same urgent cry for His return. She is
crying, “Come to me, Lord Jesus!” This is a similar prayer to 2:17
although she alters the prayer in a significant way. In 2:17, she said, “flee
and go to the mountains.” Here in 8:14, she says, “Come quickly to me.”

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SESSION 20 – The Bride’s Final Intercession and Revelation SONG 8:8-14 Page 39

7. She wants Jesus to fulfill the final harvest of this age (Rev. 14:14-16), but
she also wants the wilderness of this fallen age to end, that she will have a
permanent, unbroken communion with Jesus in the eternal city. This is
the cry of the Spirit in every fervent believer. Paul said, “to all who have
loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). This cry for His coming keeps us
focused. This is the hope, which is the anchor of our souls (Heb. 6:19).

E. Urgency for Jesus to come quickly

Make haste, My beloved, and be LIKE A GAZELLE OR A YOUNG STAG on

the mountains of spices. (8:14)

1. “And be like a gazelle” – she asks Him to be like the gazelle who skipped
on mountains in 2:8. The gazelle is very swift. She wants Him to swiftly
come back to her. This is her intercessory cry for Jesus to bring her to
victory in the great end-time harvest. Jesus was revealed as the gazelle in
2:8 and 2:17.

2. “Or a young stag” – She asks Him to be like the stag who conquered the
mountains of opposition in 2:8. This is our intercession for Jesus to bring
us to victory over all the conflicts caused by Satan. Jesus was revealed as
a young stag in 2:8 and 2:17. In other words, she is saying, “be as the
victorious king over all the obstacles of this age.

F. The beauty of the eternal city.

Make haste, My beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag ON THE

MOUNTAINS OF SPICES. (8:14)

1. These mountains are unusual and spectacular. They speak of a place of

unbroken communion with the Lord face to face. This is our great
longing.

2. The mountains of spices speak of the ivory palace of Ps. 45:8-10. He

lives on the mountains of God’s eternal throne. He effortlessly skips over
the mountains here because He is King over the mountains there.

3. Throughout the book, the individual believer is spoken of as like a lily.

Also, Her spices, her fragrances are described that emanate out of her.
Individual believers are spoken of as having all the chief spices as an
individual.

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a. The individual believer is referred to as having all “chief spices” (1:12;

4:10, 14).

b. Then secondly, the corporate church is spoken of as a “garden of

spices” (4:16, 5:1, 6:2). So the individuals have all the spices
emanating out of them but the church is the garden.

c. Thirdly, Now Jesus is referring to the corporate body, all together, in

the full Presence of God, the eternal city called the mountain of spices.
Now Jesus is referring to the “mountains of spices,” which speaks of
much more than the individual believer or the corporate body.

4. The individual believer is referred to as having “chief spices.” The

corporate body is spoken of as a “garden of spices.” Individuals have the
rare spices coming out of their lives. The whole church is a garden or a
bed of spices. Jesus is now referred to as coming from the mountain of
spices, the eternal city. It is more than the individual believer in the
corporate body. This speaks of the eternal city, which is the abundant of
diverse spices beyond anything we can imagine. The “mountains of
spices” ultimately speaks of the fragrance, the pleasure and the beauty of
the eternal city. That is where He is coming from to bring us the fullness
of God whose throne is described as the “mountain of spices.” This speaks
of the eternal city, which is an abundance of diverse spices beyond
anything we can imagine in this age. The eternal city is a mountain filled
with all the spices of God.

5. It speaks of the time when the shadows are all gone (2:17, 4:6).
Remember in 2:17 and 4:6 when she asked, “O until the time when the
shadows flee.” The shadows are all gone; all the compromise is gone.
The dawning of the full day is at hand. She is preparing to stand before
the Lord. She has given her account before people. She has given her
account before the Lord. She is ending her life in the garden. She is full
of intercession and worship. She is speaking her whole life. She has not
retired at all. She is re- fired into the heart of God. She has overcome all
the reasons to quit.

6. There will be the time where there will be no tears, death, sorrow, crying
or pain, for the former things will have passed away (Rev. 21:4). It will
be a time of unspeakable happiness and pleasure for the people of God,
when God answers the longing of the heart for true pleasure, in which
sensuality, pride and greed are only counterfeits in this brief age.

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G. Summary-That is the 3 uses of spices. It speaks of the eternal city, which is an

abundance of diverse spices beyond anything we can imagine in this age. The
gigantic mountain is the eternal city. The eternal city is a mountain filled with all
the spice of God. The mountains of spices speak of the fragrance and pleasure
and beauty of the eternal city.

H. Abraham longed for this eternal city (Heb. 11:14-16). Moses is also looking to
the reward of Christ, in the eternal city (Heb. 11:24). Paul looked for the eternal
city (Phil. 1:21-23). Peter teaches us that the heavens will pass away,
“Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:12-13).

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