Insolomonsporch's Blog

©Sandra Gilloth 2010

Chapter Four

“The Bride is Like ‘A Dance at Mahanaim’”

“…and now I have become two companies.”Gen 32:10

We have been looking at the Bride of Christ from many angles, from how she is becoming perfected and Christ-like through brokenness, to how she is becoming un-offendable in Christ.  We have also looked at the mind-set conducive to becoming the Bride, and Scriptures which draw us to focusing on the Bride.  Here we will focus on a passage from Song of Songs which provides a glimpse into the true attractiveness of the Bride and her magnetism, and the reasons for it.  We begin by looking at our primary text, Song of Songs 6:13.

What is there for you to see?

First from the Amplified text:

“[I began to flee, but they called to me] Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon you!  [I replied] What is there for you to see in the [poor little] Shulammite? [And they answered] As upon a dance before two armies or a dance of Mahanaim.”

Now from the New King James Version:

“Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you!  What would you see in the Shulamite – As it were, the dance of the two camps?”

I acknowledge right off the bat, there are difficulties to working with Song of Songs: the rendering is a bit uncertain; you don’t always know exactly who is speaking; and meanings can be a bit obscure because of its allegorical nature. Yet, I believe that this particular passage holds great insight for us about the Bride and is worth mining it even given the issues of clarity.  So with that caveat, let us begin.

Meaning of Mahanaim

The word “Mahanaim” is literally translated as two armies or two encampments in the Hebrew.  Strongs #4266 is dual of #4264 encampment – thus double camp.  Strongs #4264 is an encampment (of travelers or troops) hence an army, whether lit. (of soldiers) or fig. (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars, or even the sacred courts – army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents.

What can we observe initially, then, about the Shulamite?  There is a dance of some sort, or movement of two camps or armies.  This will hopefully become clearer as we progress.  It is interesting to note, also, that in Song of Songs 6 verses 4 and 10, the Shulamite is described as “comely as Jerusalem, [but you are] as terrible as a bannered host.”  In verse 10 she is also complemented: “…Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear and pure as the sun, and terrible as a bannered host?”  These are provocative descriptions which move us to pursue further what they are saying, and what are they intending as their meaning?

First Mention of Mahanaim

The rule of first mention assists us again here as we look for where the name, “Mahanaim,” was first applied.  Genesis 32:2 is the text where it’s first used.  Jacob has just left his Uncle Laban – they have just reconciled.  Jacob has gone on his way when a band of God’s angels meets him.  As he sees the angels he declares, “This is God’s army!” He names the location Mahanaim [two armies].  Implicit in this encounter is that he has his own company with him, (which is borne out in later verses). Thus, the designation of two armies:  one is his, the other is God’s.

As Chapter 32 progresses, we see Jacob receive word from his scouts that his brother, Esau, is approaching with 400 men.  Remembering that Jacob cheated his brother, you can understand — Jacob is afraid.  He divides his assets: people, flocks, herds, and camels into two groups.  He reasons: if Esau attacks one group, the other can escape and will survive.  It is here we begin to get our first glimpse of the underlying meaning.  Two companies are present.  One is intended to be offered as a sacrifice so the other can survive.  Jacob intends to appease his brother with a present of the first company if possible. If not, then he will use it as a shield so that the second company may escape.

Through various passages of Scripture from Joshua, 2Samuel, and 1Chronicles we see additional references to the city of Mahanaim.  First, it becomes the possession of the tribe of Gad.  Then it is assigned status as a city of refuge.  In 2Samuel, it becomes the place where the armies of King David and King Saul (Ish-bosheth) clash to the death over who will truly reign in Israel.  The concept of two armies is strong in the history of this city, but to fully understand the significance of a “dance before two armies” we must now visit the Book of Exodus.

A Dance

The nation of Israel has just crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, and the Lord has delivered them from the pursuing Egyptian army.  That army has been swallowed up in the waters of the Red Sea – not one individual has survived of the Egyptian force.  It says in Exodus 14:30, “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.”  Exodus 15:19 expounds, “For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the Israelites walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.”

It is at this point that Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, takes a timbrel and she and the Hebrew women dance at the edge of the Red Sea to celebrate the victory.  She declares, “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.” (Ex 15:21)  This, then, is the picture of a dance before two armies! One army is the victor, the other is completely defeated. One army has been put to death in the water of the Red Sea, the other army arises out of the waters to a  new life forever free from the hold and captivity of the one destroyed.

Baptism

Of course, you may recognize the picture of Baptism here.  Israel’s experience at the Red Sea stands as a foretaste of the Baptism the Lord establishes for you and me in His death at the Cross.  It is worth exploring that event further as it has strong application for our investigation.

For us, just like for the people of Israel, the Lord’s way in delivering His people is through the sea (Ps77:19).  For the Israelites, it was through the Red Sea – where their enemy (the Egyptians) was subdued by the waters which overcome them.  For believers today, our deliverance — accomplished at the Cross – is appropriated by faith as we enter the “sea” of the baptismal waters.  We are baptized into Christ’s death (through water) where we leave our old sin nature (buried in the likeness of death). We are raised in the likeness of Christ when we come up out of the water – now to a new life in Him.  The picture is complete when we understand that nation of Egypt was considered a picture of sin, so as the Egyptians died in the Red Sea – so did the old sin nature of the nation of Israel.  Unfortunately, if you don’t know you are free from that old sin nature – you don’t live like you are free. To cement this understanding, let us turn to Colossians 2:11-13.

Colossians describes what is accomplished for us during baptism and the victory we now have over our old enemy – the sin nature and the flesh:

“In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts).  [Thus you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead.  And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions, …” (Col 2:11-13)

Having been baptized into Christ, you and I can freely celebrate the death of our enemy (sin and flesh), just as Miriam and the Israelites did, and just as the Shulamite exemplifies before the king’s retinue.  Listen to this:  “Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear and pure as the sun, and terrible as a bannered host) (SoS 6:10).  She carries the banner of the victory dance over the flesh within her – even without fully comprehending its fascination and mystery for others.  For that reason, she is a curiosity to look upon and stirs the interest of the crowd.  Such glory of the presence of God within her is hard to not notice.  There is the humbleness of her defeated flesh (one army) covered by the glory of God radiating from her spirit (the victorious army).  Remember — flesh can have no part in nor can it inherit the kingdom of God, nor ever share in His glory.

The Application

So what is the application for you and me out of this portrayal?  It is this: to walk in full victory over the flesh we must appropriate the work the Lord did for us at the Cross – by faith in baptism.  Romans 8:10 tells us that if Christ lives in us – then our natural body is dead by virtue of sin and guilt.  So as we are saved by Christ, our old self –our flesh is judged and made ineffective for evil.  Then when we follow Christ in water baptism – He performs a spiritual circumcision which strips off our corrupt and carnal nature.  Thus, we walk out victory day to day, not by living according to the flesh but instead by agreeing that our flesh is dead, and living by the spirit of Christ.  When the flesh rears its head and tries to make demands – we remind it that it was put to death by baptism with Christ.  This is a strategic empowerment that being baptized into Christ’s death affords us!  Even though our old self was nailed to the cross with Christ, prior to your baptism you cannot remind your flesh that it is dead with quite the same force, nor can you have the full victory over that old flesh (army) because the flesh is not stripped away by Jesus until you undergo baptism.

To finalize this understanding, let’s go to 2 Cor10:2-5.  Paul is revealing this truth of our lower nature’s death, and the great superiority of the new redeemed nature in Christ.  He also validates the posture of victory for the Shulamite:

He says: “I entreat you when I do come [to you] that I may not [be driven to such] boldness as I intend to show toward those few who suspect us of acting according to the flesh [on the low level of worldly motives and if invested with only human powers].  For although we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.  For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),”

The Victory!

From the above passage it is important to note:  we are in warfare; but we have weapons to overthrow every stronghold!  These strongholds can be of the world – but most certainly the first ones we should deal with – are the ones which reside within our own fleshly nature and thinking! Because of what Christ has done – at the cross and by our spiritual circumcision, we can fight from His victory – to victory!

This is the victory that we can walk out today.  This is the victory that was portrayed so vividly by the Shulamite!  The Shulamite (the Bride) is like a Dance before two armies (Mahaniam).  She celebrates the victory of the army of God (His higher life in us – the redemptive nature of Christ), over that of the natural army (the lower nature of sin and flesh).  Like Jacob’s two encampments spoken of in Genesis 32, where one was offered (surrendered) so that the other could live, Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for us to take every penalty for us, so that we might now live in Him.  The victory, first established at the Cross, requires that we recognize and receive His sacrifice, and then join with Christ in baptism as a declaration that we have died with Him (if One died for all then all have died).  We have this victory today – just like the Shulamite – nothing more is required to be done!  So dance for the victory that has been completed by and ushers forth from Christ!  Dance!