dancingbride

The Dancing Bride

Jane Clark

formerly at: http://www.etpv.org/1998/bridance.html

I believe God is raising up the creative arts as part of the full expression of the soul and spirit towards God in these last days. I want to show from the Song of Solomon, and other scriptures, just how important dance is in these days. I believe it is key in many areas, but this article is about the dancing bride.

Spontaneous dance can be said to be full expression of the soul in movement. We do it at weddings, when victory came in the Second World War there was dancing in the streets. We dance for joy; we dance when words are not enough to express what we are feeling.

These are the days when God is preparing a bride for Jesus, and we are getting ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is a time to learn how to dance. When we contemplate God and His grace in love it should be enough to set us dancing.

"The Message" (M) version of the Bible, psalm 89 v 15- 18 says.

"Blessed are the people who know the password of praise, who shout on parade in the high presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do--- they can't keep it quiet!

"Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us you've been so good to us! We're walking on air! All we are and we have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!"

This is a time of cleansing and restoration, not only in the spiritual realm, but in the realm of the soul, so that we can see the King in His glory and be able to give free expression of this in a creative way. Christ says he will restore our souls Ps 23 v 3.

I believe that it is only with the restored soul that we are able to enter fully into the joy of our love relationship with Jesus. And it is only when we are with Him in the secret place, communing with Him, that the full restoration takes place. Like all true lovers, He is the one who takes the initiative, wooing us as only He knows how. Only he has the key to our innermost places, only He knows the treasures He has placed within us, treasures that delight and satisfy His soul.

We can then reach the level of Mary who was able to respond to her Lord's request in full assurance that all He would ask of her was good for her. " Behold, the maidservant of the Lord, let it be unto me according to your word. Then with the help of the Spirit, and the full cooperation of her soul, she was able to say "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" .

The key scripture I want to concentrate on is in Song of Solomon Chapter 6

In chapter 6 v 4-12 is the beloved's description of the one he loves. He, the Beloved, is overcome by her beauty, and says "Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me" Ch6 v 5 NKJV.

Then follows v 8&9

"There is no one like her on earth, never has been, never will be.

She's a woman beyond compare. My dove is perfection.

Pure and innocent on the day she was born, and cradled in joy by her mother.

Everyone who came by to see her exclaimed and admired her-

All the fathers and mothers, the neighbors and friends blessed and praised her."(M)

"Return, return oh Shulamite:

Return, return, that we may look on you!

What would you see in the Shulamite.

As it were the dance of the double camp" (Mahanaim) (NKJV) New King James v 13

"Dance, dance, dear Shulamite, Angel-Princess!

Dance, and we'll feast our eyes on your grace!

Everyone wants to see the Shulamite dance her victory dances of love and peace"

(M) The Message (Modern translation) v 13

The above speaks to me of Christ's love for the bride of Christ. The wooing of the bride, the Shulamite has taken place. Again and again He speaks to her as my sister, my friend, my fair one my love, my dove, my perfect one. He tells about what he sees smells, and how he is affected, yea overwhelmed by the experience. This is truly a loved one, a desired one, desired body and soul to be his possession. He longs for the consummation of the love that He might find rest and the fullness of His desires satisfied.

Then after this paen of praise, and her return, He wants to show her off to all watching, "Return that we may look on you" And then she dances. He is proud of her, this princess, this bride. His graceful one, his beautiful one.

"Return, return oh Shulamite: Return, return, that we may look on you!

What would you see in the Shulamite. As it were the dance of the double camp" (Mahanaim) NKJV "Dance, dance, dear Shulamite, Angel-Princess! Dance, and we'll feast our eyes on your grace! Everyone wants to see the Shulamite dance her victory dances of love and peace" (M) She dances a bridal dance, a dance of restoration, displaying her beauty for her Lord's pleasure. Our response to our Saviours extravagant love .

Just as the Shulamite, who was reluctant to open up herself to the beloved, so are we hesitant about responding fully to the intimate relationship that Christ longs to have with us. The parallels are so close.

The Shulamite, after tasting the presence of her loved one, grew hungry in His absence, and that hunger grew to a lust that had to be satisfied, and to a state where she would never leave Him again. "I held him and I would not let Him go" Ch 3v 4. And then to a security that said " I am my beloved's and His desire is towards me" Ch 7 v 10, to a place of leaning on the beloved Ch 8 v 5. She went from the poverty of a worker in the field to a position as princess in the eyes of her beloved, one who was made beautiful by His love. It was then that she danced the dance.

The dance of the double camp, Mahanaim;

This is a dance of returning, restoration, rejoicing and the consummation of God's grace and love over us. Mahanaim was the name given by Jacob to the place where God met with him when he was on the way home to face Esau, on the way home to face his destiny. He went out with just a staff and came back with so much that he divided the company into 2 camps, so fruitful had the Lord made him. Here Jacob received his new name Israel, Prince with God, and God's name was joined to Jacob's. A time of great weakness, and impartation of strength.

Mahanaim magnified grace and truth by contrasting the unworthy smallness of Jacob in his departure from the land (Amos 7 v 2,5) with his massive fruitful return. Back to the land and the promised inheritance.

The bride of Christ is called to respond in exactly the same way, for we dance the dance of the double camp too, for we are to have our engagement to Him consummated, our name linked with Him, an entry to a place of fruitfulness , the blessings of a land. As we dance the dance down here, people will see our love for Him, how proud He is of us. It is a dance of returning, a dance of union and communion with Him.

"Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside usyou've been so good to us! We're walking on air! All we are and we have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!"

Above all it is a response, a spontaneous response to coming close to him. I believe not one is excluded from this dance, all who are the bride have a calling to dance the dance of Mahanaim. When they see us dance people will see the Lord and become hungry for Him, believers and unbelievers, long to know the one we love, who has set us free to dance. There should be no room for shame: He has set us free!! We proclaim the liberty of belonging to Him in His kingdom of love.

This gift of dance is for the bride, and for the groom that He may behold the beauty of His loved one.

Returning to Mahanaim!

How to we reach this place of the double camp, this place of fruitfulness and weakness where we can dance for all God is and has done for us? Dance before Him and feel His pleasure? Two other place names in the Bible point the way. The first is Ziklag, the second Abel-Meholah

Ziklag means "despair of searching for". It was the place of refuge that David was given among the Amorites, his enemies. 1 Sam 27 v 6. It was painful among his people, he had been promised the kingdom, but he was being hounded by Saul, his life in danger. He eventually sought help and refuge in the only place knew he would not be pursued; among the enemies of God "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" Proverbs 13 v 12. It was safe for a while, but then it became a place of destruction: 1 Sam 30 v 1. How often have some of us felt like that about our fellowships and churches, and have withdrawn into the seeming safety of non-attendance. I am talking about those who have a hope and a vision that God will do what he promised, but our brothers and sisters appear to be treating us worse than our enemies will. Take our eyes of God and His power to keep safe and fulfil His promises, and we end up in Ziklag! God is gracious and can rescue us as He rescued David, He knows our hearts and our weaknesses, and He will fulfil that He had promised to do.

When he received the fulfillment of the promises of God, he was irrepressible;

Psalm 30

"For His anger is but for a moment, but His favour is for life.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." v 5

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing, You have put off my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory ( soul) may sing praise to you and not be silent. O Lord my God I will give thanks to You forever" v 11,12

Abel- Meholah is the meadow of dancing, the place where the Israelites used to go to celebrate victories. It was the place where Elisha was born 1 Kings 19 v 16. He signifies the type of the double portion ministry. This is a ministry that is associated with the restoration of Israel from her sinful state. Is 61 v 7 "Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double. Everlasting joy shall be theirs."

It was a place used to provide food for King Solomon's table 1 Kings 4 v 12.

We feed and grow strong in the place of praise and celebration.

Gideon and his army of 300 drove their enemies to border of this place Judges 7 v 22. Gideon vanquished a huge army by blowing the 300 trumpets, and driving them to the field of dancing, the field of celebration of victory ! From a place of depression and outright defeat, the Lord drove His enemies to their defeat!

When attending conferences which have really felt the touch of the Spirit, my husband and I have witnessed the out breaking of spontaneous dance again and again. It is when the people loose their self-consciousness and are lost in Him. Vashti lost her part in the kingdom because she refused to dance for the pleasure of her husband and king. When we leave ourselves and get lost in Him we will feel His pleasure and be strengthened in love and worship to Him.

We, the Bride look down

At our white wedding gown,

So dearly bought

By the love poured down.

And up again to be lost in His face,

Losing all sense of time and place.

We forget ourself,

Get lost in His wealth

Get lost in His longing, welcoming eyes;

We sigh:

How long must we be apart

It is breaking our heart.

His gaze looks right back

And keeps us on track, as we

Journey through time

To the moment sublime

When the ecstasy of unity

Will follow the wedding dance.

Jane Clark April 1998