Study questions

Life-Study of Song of Songs

1. An Introductory Word and Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (1)

  1. How is the history of King Solomon with the Shulammite, a girl of the countryside, a picture of the relationship between God and man, between Christ and the believers? In addition, what does Song of Songs stress and what does it not stress? Why is this significant?
  2. How does Song of Songs chapter 1 reveal Christ's lover being attracted to pursue after Christ and being led to enter into the church life?

2. Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (2)

  1. Does Song of Songs chapter 1 reveal the lover being remade by the transformation of the Spirit in the church life?
  2. How do Song of Songs chapters 1 and 2 reveal Christ's lover being satisfied with the rest and enjoyment in Christ?

3. Called to be Delivered from the Self Through the Oneness with the Cross

 

 

  1. What are three critical words related to the second stage of Song of Songs? Please elaborate on these three words and how we can see them portrayed in the text.
  2. How does Christ encourage His lover to rise up from her introspection? In addition, what does it mean for the objective cross to become our subjective experience?

4. Called to Live in Ascension as the New Creation in Resurrection

  1. How is living in ascension related to our spirit and our discerning the spirit from the soul?
  2. How does Song of Songs chapters 3 and 4 reveal Christ's lover having become a new creation by her complete union with Christ, and how does it reveal her being called to live in ascension?

5. Living in Ascension by Discerning the Spirit from the Soul

  1. What is the spiritual significance of the terms "Lebanon," "Amana," "Senir," "Hermon," "the lions dens," and "the leopards' mountains"?
  2. Why is it crucial for us to discern our spirit from our soul?

6. Called More Strongly to Live Within the Veil Through the Cross After Resurrection (1)

  1. Why does Song of Songs 5:2—6:3 indicate that the lover still needs to deal with the flesh even after the experience of living in ascension? Why is this crucial?
  2. In this section of Song of Songs, what was the lover's failure? How was she recovered? Describe the revelation of Christ presented in this passage.

7. Called More Strongly to Live Within the Veil Through the Cross After Resurrection (2)

  1. What does it mean to live within the veil?
  2. What are the aspects of Christ's lover revealed in this portion? How does this indicate her maturity in life for God's building? Why is reaching the maturity in life so important?

8. Sharing in the Work of the Lord

  1. What is the significance of the name "Shulammite"?
  2. How do we see Christ's lover working together with her Beloved for the Body in Song of Songs chapter 7?

9. Hoping to be Raptured

  1. What are the crucial points revealed in Song of Songs chapter 8 concerning the lover's hoping to be raptured?
  2. Describe in brief the typological significance of Song of Songs, referring in particular to the lover's progress with its stages as a landmark to us in the course of our pursuing of Christ.

10. The Four Stages of Spiritual Experience in Song of Songs

  1. Describe the first and second stages of Song of Songs.
  2. Describe the third and fourth stages of Song of Songs.