In Song of Solomon, we see the Shulamite woman, whose journey of intimacy and spiritual growth mirrors our own, dancing the dance of the two camps, as she grows into the fulness of her oneness with her Beloved.
Come back, come back, Shulammite!
Come back, come back, that we may look at you!
How you gaze at the Shulammite,
as you look at the dance of the two camps!
-Song of Solomon 6:13, CSB
The phrase translated “dance of the two camps” is the Hebrew word “Mahanaim.” Manhanaim is an actual geographical location, though its precise location is uncertain. It is first mentioned in the Bible when Jacob leaves his father-in-law, Laban, and is on his way back home.
So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.”
And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
-Genesis 32:1-2, NKJV
Obviously, Jacob named the place of his angelic encounter Mahanaim (two camps) because it was the intersection of God’s camp and his own. Jacob continues the dance of the two camps as his story unfolds. After his encounter at Mahanaim, he sends a peace offering to his estranged brother, Esau, in hopes of appeasing his anger. He divides his family and belongings into two companies, so that at least one could escape should Esau choose to attack. He sends his family on ahead… and waits, uncertain of what the next day will bring.
Then Jacob was left alone;
and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him,
He touched the socket of his hip;
and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”
But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”
And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;
for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”
And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?”
And He blessed him there.
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel:
“For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him,
and he limped on his hip.
-Genesis 32: 24-31, NKJV
The word “prevail” in this passage means, “to overcome; to prevail over; to be the victor; to have ability, strength or power.” So, in this passage, Jacob literally overcomes God! And what’s even more amazing is that God seems pretty happy about it! In fact, He is so pleased that He pronounces a blessing over Jacob, changing his name from “trickster” to “prince with God.”
If God is sovereign (and He is), how does Jacob have such power? Because God gave it to him! God is the “Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), but because He desires voluntary lovers rather than puppets or slaves, He allows (and requires) us to choose Him… or not. He fully empowers His lovers. God gave Adam enough power to choose wrongly. And He gave the Israelites enough power to limit Him!
Again and again they limited God, preventing him from blessing them…
-Psalm 78:41, TPT
In Matthew 8 and Luke 7, we see the Roman Centurion dancing the dance of the two camps, too. He understood not only the dimension-defying power of Yeshua, but he also understood that mankind is both under God’s authority and is in a position of authority. God works “according to” (in proportion to) the power that works IN US!
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…
-Ephesians 3:20, NKJV
God is sovereign. His power is limitless and available to all by His grace, but it is a spiritual law that God works in the earth realm through us. Many are disillusioned with God because they do not understand this spiritual law and expect God to do for them what He desires to do with them. We see clearly from Scripture that God intends for man to walk in authority and dominion over the earth.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air,
and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
-Genesis 1:28, NKJV
The heaven of heavens is for God, but he put us in charge of the earth.
-Psalm 115:16, MSG
Hebrews 11 is a chapter dedicated to God’s great heroes of the faith throughout history. Verse 2 states that “This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for.” We see from their lives that spiritual reality manifests in this earth realm through us by faith. We are His gates of heaven upon the earth!
Almost every time Jesus worked a miracle of healing, He said something like “It is your faith that has saved you.” He emphasized our part in the Divine equation to move us from victim to overcomer, by letting us know how powerful we have been created to be. As mature sons, God wants us to know how powerful we are, and He wants us to understand the mechanics of the spiritual realm.
He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel.
-Psalm 103:7, MSG
Adam was given dominion over all of creation, but he forfeited it. So, your old nature, which is of the DNA of Adam, no longer possesses that dominion. The second Adam, Jesus Christ, now possesses all authority in heaven and earth, and in Him, you do, too, if you are born again. But that authority is realized in your life when you operate out of your oneness with Him, not when you are operating as an orphan, under the influence of the nature of Adam.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
-Romans 7:18, NLT
The dance of the two camps is the delicate balance between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. It is the dance of heaven and earth, the wheel within the wheel… God let Jacob win his wrestling dance, so that He could do what He wanted to do all along: bless him. But He also left him with a limp as a perpetual reminder of what Frederick Buechner calls “the magnificent defeat of the human soul at the hands of God.” We see from Jacob’s story that the dance of the two camps is painful, messy…necessary. In the same way, your dance will reveal that you actually have far greater authority (and responsibility) than you imagined. It will also remind you that your flesh is incapable of manifesting your miracle. Co-creating with God cannot be a work of the flesh. Christ living through you must be the One to do that, just as He created with the Father “in the beginning.”
In the very beginning the Living Expression was already there.
And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God.
They were together—face-to-face, in the very beginning.
And through his creative inspirationthis Living Expression made all things, for nothing has existence apart from him!
Life came into being because of him, for his life is light for all humanity.
And this Living Expression is the Light that bursts through gloom—
the Light that darkness could not diminish!
-John 1:1-5, TPT
Your natural life has limitations, so when you choose to be your own life source, whether out of fear or out of habit, you are embracing impossibility. But the life of Jesus Christ flowing through you cannot help but be miraculous.
May this be the season of YOUR manifested miracle… as you dance the dance of the two camps!
Thanks for being part of this amazing journey. I am grateful for you. Don’t forget to check out virginiakillingsworth.com, where you will find years of blog posts, lots of music and FREE stuff galore. Enjoy!