Verse 6:1 says, "Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee." After hearing her testimony, it is natural that the daughters of Jerusalem would want to pursue after Him. Here we see a person in the new creation, who is being filled with the freshness of the new creation. The Christ she knows is very different from the Christ that others have preached according to their own ideas. It is no wonder that there is power and attraction, and no wonder that they still consider her as the fairest among women and join her in seeking after Him. Since He is so lovely, where is He now? This is what the questions imply. The repeated question which they pose, "Whither is thy beloved turned aside?", implies that a barrier exists between the maiden and her Beloved and that this is the reason He has turned aside. Since she knew of His loveliness in the past, and since they are ready to seek Him, she should be able to tell them where He is now. This is the implication of their words. They have a sense that when she speaks of her Beloved, it is different from when others speak about their beloved.
Verse 2 says, "My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies." Originally, the maiden sought help from the immature women, hoping that their beseeching would lead her to the place of her beloved. But after she presents her own testimony and after her attempt to help others, she suddenly receives light and the location of her beloved becomes clear. She can now say, "My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies." The garden, which belongs to Him, is just herself (4:16—5:1). She suddenly becomes clear that He has never left. She does not need to ascend to heaven or descend to Hades. The Lord is near her, even in her mouth and in her heart. Although He seemed to have turned away when she delayed in her obedience, actually He only retreated from her feelings; He is only showing her the pain of the withdrawal of His countenance. In reality He is still within her. There is no need for her to be in a state of panic. All that she has to do is to open herself to her Beloved, on the one hand, and confess her own failures and ask for forgiveness, on the other hand. As to the feeling of His lost presence, she should hold onto God's word with a calm mind, and she should believe that He is still within His garden and prepared to reveal Himself at the proper time once again. Although there is still a sense of rebellion and apparent estrangement, she should nevertheless rest on God's word and immerse herself in such a word. She should realize that God's faithfulness is surer than her own faithfulness. No fleshly pursuit will bring about her recovery. Many times, it will only bring more confusion. The inactivity of the believers often causes them great harm. Yet their fleshly pursuit often leaves behind large scars as well. Therefore, the way to recovery does not lie in these ways.
The way to the maiden's recovery is first her testimony. She does not stop testifying faithfully for the Lord just because she thinks that she is not faithful. Without realizing it, she is attracted by God to turn away from herself. Therefore, she can say such things about the Lord. This is her way of "looking away unto Jesus" (Heb. 12:2a). In thinking about His person, grace, work, faithfulness, and love, she subconsciously recovers the light she had lost.
While she is near the point of despair, she tries her best to help others. Although she feels that she has lost the fellowship herself, she hopes that others would know His preciousness and fellowship with Him. Although she speaks of her past revelation, does not the Lord quietly hearken when the saints speak one to another concerning Him? Naturally, the Lord will reveal Himself to her at these times. Although she is hungry, others are hungrier than she is, and when she satisfies others, she spontaneously is satisfied herself. Here we see how she is being delivered from herself. Her sickness lies in her spiritual darkness and depression. After she is attracted to turn away from herself, her symptoms go away.
After she is enlightened, she realizes that she is actually speaking to herself when she is speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem. Although she senses the estrangement in her feeling, she discovers that during the long period of estrangement, He was still in His garden. The garden is singular in number, which means that it signifies herself. The gardens that are subsequently spoken of are plural, which signify the saints. She says that He is in her heart, as well as in all the saints' hearts. The word "beds" is also plural, which means the same thing that we previously mentioned. When the expression "bed of spices" was used before, it referred to the two cheeks. This means that the Lord is eating His excellent fruits in His garden, and He is also enjoying the beauty of His believers. He is shepherding the believers within their heart. He is gathering the lilies, that is, the pure joy which is of Himself and for Himself.
Verse 3 says, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." When she sees this, she realizes that although everything has changed, the covenant between her and the Lord has not changed. Now she can say, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." When her experience was shallower, she said at the height of her desire for fellowship, "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16). She was filled with a sense of sweetness, and she could not help but proclaim that the Lord was hers. But this is different from what was spoken earlier. The feelings are not as strong; on the contrary, there are even some insubordinate feelings. Yet she still believes deeply that the Lord is in His own garden. Therefore, she can say, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." The previous basis for her speaking was her feeling, whereas the present basis is her faith. Her heart has spontaneously turned from herself to the Lord.
He still "feedeth among the lilies" (2:16). Just as He fed the flock before, He is feeding the flock now. In the past, He fed the flock among the lilies; now He is feeding the flock in the same place. She has learned to look to the ever unchanging Lord instead of her fluctuating feelings. She does not follow these feelings at ordinary times, but even during times of her own failure, she no longer follows these feelings.