第九週•週五

w09d05-ch

晨興餧養

歌四3『你的脣好像一條朱紅線，你的嘴也秀美。你的兩腮在帕子內，如同一塊石榴。』

    13『你所種的萌芽，成了石榴園，有佳美的果子、鳳仙花與哪噠樹。』

兩腮是顯出人美的地方。所有我們向外的表現，（卽喜怒哀樂等，）都是從腮表明出來的。

『在帕子內，如同一塊石榴。』這石榴不是一個整的，乃是已經開的。石榴…的子最多，每一粒子都充滿甜汁和紅色，是又甜又美的。意卽信徒這些外表的美麗，是從他充滿了主的生命而來的。但一切都得從世界的眼睛遮蔽起來，這是在帕子內的意思。換句話說，能知道我們的美麗的，惟獨是主。雖然在外人中間該有好見證，光該照在人前，但是，這不是爲着彰顯。我們彰顯的地方，只有在主面前。在幔子裏，關上門，這永遠是信徒生活的原則。（歌中的歌，六九頁。）

信息選讀

〔雅歌四章十二節說，『我妹子，我新婦，乃是關鎖的園，禁閉的井，封閉的泉。』〕花園的思想，在聖經中，乃是神最初的思想。所以我們看見神創造天、地…之後，神就立一個花園。花園，不像普通的地是爲着普通的栽種，也不像田地特別爲着耕種，乃是專一的爲着美麗並爲着享受而有的。…它所注重的，乃是花卉。所取於花卉的，乃是美麗。所以栽種花卉，乃是爲着怡悅。到了這裏，我們看見女子如何達到一個叫基督得着滿足的地位。現在她知道她的存在，並不是爲着自己，乃是爲着她的良人的。但是，這裏的意思還不只是一個花園，乃是一個關鎖的花園，連其中的井和泉源也都是禁閉、封閉的。這意思就是說，她是專一爲着她的良人喜悅的。她雖然是一個花園，但是她並不是一個公園。她是一個關鎖的花園，所以裏面一切的美麗，不是每一個的眼睛都得以看見的。她所有的一切，只求良人的喜悅，不求人的喜悅。

這個園，雖然是花園，但是並非缺少果子的。〔13 ～ 14。〕…主在聖經中有好幾次稱她爲芽，意卽充滿了生命的能力，是勝過死亡而有復活的能力的。（如亞倫的杖發芽。）她這一種生命的能力，是像石榴的果園一樣。石榴的意思，是果子眾多。意卽這女子充滿了復活的能力，而且是充滿復活的果子。…上文…用石榴來比她的兩腮。所以我們知道石榴的用處，不只是爲着果子，也是爲着美麗的。這裏是一個石榴的果園；就是說，這花園不光是美麗，並且是美麗和結果。

底下這些花木，若不是注重它的顏色，就是注重它的香氣。並且到了末了，還說一切的乳香木和一切的香品，就是說到一個信徒能叫基督滿足的，是種種的、諸多的、不一的。（林後九8，西一9 ～ 11。）

井水和泉源，都是在花園裏的。〔歌四15。〕伊甸園有四道河，都是爲着滋潤園子的。新耶路撒冷有一道生命水的河；新耶路撒冷是一個園的城，水都是爲着灌溉花園的。這是聖靈的職事。這一種的職事，是爲着叫花園顯出更好更美的來。這一種的職事，並不是花園裏所固有的，乃是從利巴嫩山流下來的。所以，沒有基督的升天，就沒有聖靈的降臨。…（約十六7。）今日所有屬靈的灌溉，都是因爲祂爲我們顯現在父的面前。（歌中的歌，八四至八七頁。）

參讀：歌中的歌，第三段。

WEEK 9 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

S. S. 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely; your cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate behind your veil.

         13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with choicest fruit; henna with spikenard.

Cheeks are the place where beauty is displayed. All our outward expressions (joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, and so forth) are seen through the cheeks.

“Your cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate / Behind your veil.” This is not a whole pomegranate, but an open one…Pomegranates are full of seeds, and every seed is juicy, red, sweet, and beautiful. This means that the outward beauty of the believers comes from an overflow of the Lord’s life. Still, everything must be veiled from the world’s eyes. This is the significance of the pomegranate being within…the veil. In other words, the only One who is aware of our beauty is the Lord. Although we should have a good testimony from those outside, and although our light should shine before men, such acts are not for our exhibition. Our expression is only before the Lord. The principle of a believer’s living is forever one of being within the veil
and behind closed doors. (CWWN, vol. 23, “The Song of Songs,” pp. 60-61)

Today’s Reading

Song of Songs 4:12 says, “A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride, / A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”…God’s first thought in the Bible was that of a garden. After God created the heavens and the earth, we see Him immediately creating a garden. A garden is not ordinary ground; it is not for ordinary planting. Nor is it a field, which is for tilling. It is specially designed for beauty and enjoyment…Its attention is on the flowers; the flowers are there for beauty and for pleasing the eyes. At this point, we see that the maiden has satisfied Christ. She realizes that her existence is not for herself, but for her beloved. This, however, is not just a garden, but a garden enclosed; even the spring is shut up and the fountain sealed. This means that she is exclusively for her beloved’s pleasure. Although she is a garden, she is not an open garden, but a garden enclosed. The beauty within is not seen by every eye. All that she has is for the beloved’s delight and for no one else.

Although this is a garden, it is not lacking in fruit [cf. vv. 13-14]. The Bible calls the believers “shoots” in a few instances…It means to be filled with the power of life, to overcome death, and to have the power of resurrection (e.g., the budding of Aaron’s rod). This power of life is like an orchard of pomegranates. Pomegranates signify the abundance of fruit. This means that the maiden is full of the power of resurrection and filled with the fruit of resurrection. In the previous verses, pomegranates were used to describe her two cheeks. Pomegranates are not just for fruit-bearing, they are also for beauty. Verse 13 speaks of “an orchard of pomegranates,” which means that this garden is not just beautiful, but fruitful as well.

The flowers and plants that follow are noted either for their color or for their fragrance. In the end, there are also trees of frankincense and all the chief spices. This means that a variety of things is needed in the believers to satisfy Christ (2 Cor. 9:8; Col. 1:9-11).

Both the well and the fountain are in the garden [S. S. 4:15]. In Eden there were four rivers which watered the garden. In the New Jerusalem, there is one river of water of life. The New Jerusalem is a garden-city, and the water there is for the irrigation of the garden. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This ministry brings forth better and finer gardens. This ministry does not have the garden as its source, but flows from the hills of Lebanon. Therefore, without Christ’s ascension, there is no descension of the Holy Spirit [cf. John 16:7]…All the spiritual watering that comes to us today is a result of Christ’s appearing before the Father on our behalf. (CWWN, vol. 23, “The Song of Songs,” pp. 72-74)

Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 23, “The Song of Songs,” section 3