Skip to main content

Day 142: Daughters of Zion (SoS 3:11b)

 Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And see King Solomon with the crown With which his mother crowned him On the day of his wedding, The day of the gladness of his heart. (Song of Songs 3:11)

In the previous lesson, we said this verse was the Bride's invitation to the people of her town (in our case fellow believers) to see the king's beauty. The invitation was not directed to foreign nations (unbelievers) because the basic criteria for recognizing the King and His provisions for His Bride is to be a daughter of Zion.

This is the only place in SoS where the daughters are called daughters of Zion and not Jerusalem. Let's look at the significance of this.

The first mention of Zion in the Bible was in 2 Samuel 5:7. The Bible says David captured Zion, an ancient Jebusite fortress located in Jerusalem and it became the city of David. Many years later Solomon built the temple on Mount Zion a high hill in Jerusalem where David instructed him to do. Since then, Zion has been called not just the city of David but also the city of God (God's dwelling place).

In the prophetic books of the Bible, however, Zion carries a deeper meaning. Zion was used to refer to Israel as the people of God and God's dwelling place in the Old Testament. But it was also used prophetically to refer to the church of Christ. Peter in 1 Peter 2:6 makes that connection. Zion is a spiritual location and is synonymous with the term heavenly Jerusalem used in Hebrews 12:22.

Isaiah 33:17 says the eyes of the righteous will behold the king in His beauty. So no matter a man's tribe, race, or ethnicity, the moment he believes in Jesus and confesses Him as Lord, he becomes an inhabitant of Zion and is made righteous. So only those who are redeemed can and are invited to behold King Jesus in all His glory and splendor.

Why does it mention Zion here and not Jerusalem even though their natural meaning is the same?

When God descended on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19 and 20 to meet with Israel, He came in all splendor and power. This is because He wanted all of His people to honor and know Him. Exodus 20:18 says the people were afraid so they withdrew from God. They told Moses in Exodus 20:19:

...You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

Verse 20-21 says:

...Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

God revealed Himself not to terrify His Israel but to fill their hearts with awe and reverence for Him. Only Moses responded rightly. We see the result of Moses' right response in Exodus 34.

In Exodus 33, Moses who was willing to draw near to God was not satisfied by the same experience that terrified Israel. He asked for a deeper experience of God. He asked to see God's glory and God heeded His request.

In Exodus 34, when Moses came down from the mountain, verses 29-35 say that Moses' face shone because He had seen God. Aaron and all of Israel once again were afraid to come near him so Moses began to put a veil over his face whenever He was with the people but removed the veil in God's presence.

Israel was not just afraid to see God, they were afraid to behold His reflected glory. Despite all God did for them, how much of His love and goodness He showed them, their hearts remained calloused so it was veiled.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul used this to explain how all those who come to the Lord do not have to fear anymore because the barriers and weaknesses of the sin nature are taken away when we accept Jesus (when we become daughters of Zion). He insinuated in this chapter that Israel did not see God's true glory but only that which Moses reflected yet they were afraid.

Paul said in verses 16 and 18:

Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away ...we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

In essence, by our faith in Christ, the veil over our hearts that prevents us from seeing Him as He is is removed. When that veil is removed, as we behold Him we do not just reflect His glory like Moses did, we are transformed to be like Him.

Beholding and knowing Jesus is a privilege of salvation. It's the only way to become as He is. This is the truest and most critical aspect of Christianity.

We must behold Jesus without fear or reservations by spending time with Him in the word and prayer so we may reflect Him for others saved and unsaved to see.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, open my eyes to behold You as I spend time with You in worship and Your word. Let my heart be filled with awe of You and let me reflect Your beauty all the days of my life as I am transformed into Your very image. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • Do you take advantage of the privilege you have as a daughter of Zion, redeemed by the Lord to behold His face so you may reflect Him? It is only in doing so that our lives are beautified for His glory.
  • How much time do you spend fellowshipping with the Lord through worship and in His word? How can you do that more?

Comments

Post a Comment

What do you think about today's lesson? Please share something you learnt.

Popular posts from this blog

Day 152: To the Mountain of Myrrh (SoS 4:6)

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. (Song of Songs 4:6) In the previous lesson, we began to examine the Bride's response to the Beloved's seven-fold compliment. We discussed how she finally gave a positive reply to a request he had previously tendered in SoS 2:17. We examined a part of her response, and now let's explore the next part: ...I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. We have mentioned a couple of times in this series that myrrh is a burial spice. Its mention in the Bible often signifies death and sacrifice. It was one of the spices presented to Jesus at His birth and was also used to prepare Him for burial. In the same way that Jesus embraced death on the cross, the Bride goes to the mountain of myrrh embracing death to self. She knows resolute obedience will cost her that. Jesus said in Luke 14:27: ...whoever does not bear his cr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 53: The Unforced Rhythms of Grace (SoS 1:7a)

“ Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions? Song of Songs 1:7 Aft er the Bride's experience of being overworked, she didn't seek her Beloved in His chambers, nor did she seek Him in a place of leisure. Rather, she sought Him at His workplace. When we find ourselves in a spiritual crisis, especially when we're overworked or burnt out by activities, we must realize that oftentimes, the problem is not how much or what we're doing but how we are doing it. There is only so much the human flesh and mind can handle when it comes to physical work talk less spiritual. Paul did express in 1 Corinthians 15:58 in the Amplified version that we are to labor in our work for the Lord to the point of exhaustion . I believe it's why Paul in praying for the Ephesian church prayed for them to be strengthened with might by God's Spirit in their inner man . Thin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 149: Virtues of the Maturing Bride 6 (SoS 4:4)

Your neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armory, On which hang a thousand bucklers, All shields of mighty men. (Song of Songs 4:4) In Lesson 63, we examined the meaning of the neck as used in the scriptures. We spoke about how the neck represents our will. We also spoke about how a stiff neck in scripture often refers to a stubborn, proud, and unyielding heart before God. However, it is beautified by our submission to Jesus. In SoS 1:10, the Bride's neck was beautified because of her submission to Christ. In this verse, her neck is said to be like a tower. Let's look at that. There isn't any record of a tower of David in the scriptures but Nehemiah 3:25 gives a hint. It mentions a '...tower which projects from the king’s upper house...' Towers are long upright structures built to withstand assaults. They are also often higher than other structures so watchmen were posted there as part of the defense of a city. The Bride's neck like a tower allu...
Post a Comment
Read more