Who can work with the Lord for the Body? In Song of Songs we see that if we would work with the Lord for the Body we need to become the Shulammite, one who is qualified to work with the Beloved (see Song of Songs 6:13; 7:1-13).
In other words, for us to work with the Lord for His Body we need to become Christ – we need to become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead.
The Shulammite is the female version of Solomon, one who passed through a long process and now has been matured to become qualified to work with Solomon in his many vineyards. As we grow in life and go through the stages of the experience of life, we are being matured and we become qualified to work with Christ for His Body!
Becoming Christ’s duplication
In the book of the Song of Songs we see Solomon falling in love with a country girl, and this girl passes through various stages of transformation to eventually become the Shulammite, Solomon’s duplication.
In chapter 6 we see that she fully matches Solomon, becoming the same as he is in life, nature, expression, and function – just as Eve was to Adam (Gen. 2:20-23).
As the Shulammite she goes out into the villages and fields to work in the vineyards together with her Beloved. This shows us that we as Christ’s lovers need to become the same as He is that we may work together with Him for His Body (in the vineyards).
We need to grow in life and pass through the various stages of transformation as Christ’s lovers, so that we may become the same as Christ is in life, nature, expression, and even in function – but not in the Godhead (see 2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29).
Eventually, we as the many lovers of Christ who are transformed and matured need to share in the work of the Lord together with Him as His co-workers (1 Cor. 15:58; 16:10; Eph. 4:12).
We don’t work “for the Lord” having Him as our Master and our Boss; we work with the Lord by being one with Him and by even becoming Him! Christ is the most qualified One to work for the Body – we need to become Christ to be qualified to work with Him for His Body!
Working with the Lord, our Beloved, for the Body
Our relationship with the Lord is not only in life (He is our life and we are His living) but also in love – we love the Lord Jesus, and He is our Beloved! As we love the Lord and as we go on in the divine romance daily with our Beloved, we become His lovers and we are being transformed and matured to match Him.
In this process we are being equipped with all the attributes of the divine life, and we are qualified to work with Him for His Body. To work with the Lord we need to be one with the Lord and our work must be for His Body.
Christ is Solomon and we are the Shulammite – we need to become one with the Lord, even to become Him, to work with Him.
Our Lord is our Beloved, and in our love relationship with Him we are being matured and perfected to work together with Him for His Body. We don’t work FOR THE LORD but WITH THE LORD (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1).
We work with the Lord by being one with Him, by being organically joined to Him and by becoming Him. Just as with Paul, for us to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21), and we are joined to the Lord as one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).
Also, our field is not just the church in your city but the whole Body. The Beloved in Song of Songs wants to go to the fields and take care of the vineyards (Song of Songs 8:11) – we don’t focus ONLY on the local church but our work is for the Body.
Loving the Lord and being matured in life
We need to give ourselves to love the Lord and grow in life daily. Every day we have to advance in the divine life and we need to love the Lord much more.
As we love the Lord and pursue Him, as we follow the Lord wherever He goes, and as we just forget everything else but focus only on Him, He has a way to transform us, renew us, perfect us, and equip us to work with Him for His Body.
In this process, we are being matured in life, and we become qualified to work with the Lord by being one with Him for His Body. To enter into God’s New Testament economy requires that we all grow in life and mature in the life of God (1 Cor. 2:6; Col. 1:28).
Lord Jesus, grow in us. We just want to give ourselves to love You. Make us Your Shulammite, Your duplication, by transforming in us and by growing in us day by day. Keep us in this process of transformation, Lord, that we may be matured in life and we would be qualified to work with You for the Body. The field is Yours and the vineyards are Yours – let us go forth into the fields; let us lodge in the villages!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from, Life-study of Song of Songs (Witness Lee, msg. 8), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Lead as Elders and Responsible Ones, week 8.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Give yourself to love the Lord. No other way is so prevailing.
# As we become the same as Christ / In life, nature, expression, and function, / We are qualified to work with Him / For His Body.
# The voice of my Beloved, / Behold, He quickly comes. - Picture source: My Beloved (song of songs).
amen! praise the Lord!