The Holy Bible consists of 66 books, 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. Out of these 66 books, 6 books are in poetical language, or books in poetic form. All these 6 books of poetry are found in the Old Testament. Job, Psalms, Parables, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations. These books are composed entirely of poems, songs, and words of wisdom as the ancient Jews and later Christians made wise decisions and worshiped God. Five of these books are grouped together in the middle of the Old Testament. The books of poetry come after a long collection of books that tell the story of the exile of the Israelites from their promised land, and they immediately precede the books of prophecy. (Lamentations being the only exception.) This little book of songs is tucked away next to Jeremiah in the prophecy section. Our thought today is from the fifth book of poetry, Song of Songs. Song of Songs is a very special book than the other five poetry books. That is why this book is called song of songs. This book is a collection of love poems spoken alternately by a man and a woman. Among Orthodox Jews, we can see the old tradition that men under 30 should not sing this song. At the same time, the Jews regarded this book as the most sacred and held it in high regard accordingly. Song of Songs has received various interpretations. The interpretation among the Jews regards this book as an allegory of God's love for the Israelites, with whom God has made a holy covenant. Among Christians, this book is interpreted as describing Christ's covenantal love for his church
If we look at the background of the song, after 430 years of living in Egypt, the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses crossed the Red Sea and Jordan, figuratively speaking, the land of Canan, which flows with milk and honey, or the land of abundance, was captured by Joshua. Joshua divides Canan among the 12 tribes. A small village called Shulam, or Shunem on the land received by the tribe of Issachar, the son of Jacob and Leah. A small village looking after sheep, full of shepherds, full of shepherd huts, not much culture, not education, not civilized. After Saul, the first king of Israel, after the reign of King David, Solomon, who was born to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, who later became the wife of David, and King Solomon, began his reign as the third king of all Israel at a young age. About 20 years old.
Solomon, the wise of the wise, is ruling over Israel. Solomon, the young king who had assumed the weight of the kingdom, made a tour of all Israel. To know the welfare of the people. So Solomon enters Shulam, which is full of shepherds' huts belonging to Israel. The villagers of Shulam welcomed the King to the best of their ability, just as the locals give a welcome to these Mayors and other political figures when they return victorious. Among the girls who came to meet this King Solomon. King Solomon noticed a girl in particular. Her name was not written, but Shulamite women. She is the only daughter of her mother and the darling of her Father. The virgins shall see her and call her blessed; Queens and concubines will also praise her. In the midst of the great rush, the king found that extremely beautiful, all-round beautiful girl. The king's imagination suddenly went wild. Who among his wives/concubines is so beautiful? There is no one. In 1 Kings 11 we see that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines from various groups including the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. But when this event takes place, Solomon (6:8) may think that there are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and countless virgins.
Distraught, the king stopped his tour and returned to the palace. When the king came to the palace, he had no appetite and sleeplessness. The king summoned his chiefs. He told them that in the village we just visited called Shulam, there is a very beautiful girl. I want to go to that girl's house and bring her as my wife. The king's messengers went to Shulam, a village, and searched the house of the most beautiful woman there. As the people know that Miss USA are said, the messengers went to the village and rushed to the girl's house. The girl's family felt surprise, happiness and sadness alternately. They were speechless with joy. Finally called Shulamite and told her the matter. The girl did not accept it. Is this the point? I don't want King Solomon. I won't go, she turned away. The king's messengers returned to the palace and reported to King Solomon. It didn't matter what the king told his messengers, the girl didn't know who King Solomon was, what the palace was, what the palace retinue, the food, the clothes were. So you should go back and take her by force. When she comes here and sees the splendor of this place and so on, after one or two months she will be fine. And they will never be told to go back to her country, home. According to the king's command, they went and took this girl by force and brought her to the palace. He was brought not to the palace in Jerusalem, but to the palace at Lebanon, his summer residence. This is the beginning of Song of Songs.
Let's read Song of Songs 6:10 "Who is bright as the dawn, beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, awesome as an army with banners"? Why didn't this girl show her heart to become King Solomon's wife? A shepherd boy, all handsome, has entered her mind. They exchanged hearts. This poor girl is saying when she sees this shepherd in her mind, 1,000 Solomons will not come near my beloved with whom I made a covenant. Before him this King Solomon was nothing, nothing. But Shulamite is in the palace of Lebanon by royal authority. What will the poor shepherd boy do when he learns this information? Song of Songs 2:8-9 Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice." The shepherd boy came in pain and came outside the palace wall and shouted. 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions’ dens and the mountain haunts of leopards. My beloved, you are mine. You and I have agreed to get married. My love therefore you must leave this Labanon. It is a place of peaks, lions and leopards. Not the right place for us. You must leave all this and come with me. This world is not worthy of us. The princes of King Solomon's court chased this shepherd away.
In order for this girl to change her mind and become Solomon's wife, many learned women, the daughters of Jerusalem, were appointed to minister to her. They gave this Shulamite good food, the king's food, the expensive and fine clothes of the palace, education, the things needed to increase the beauty of the girl, and they are praising the king by saying the glories of King Solomon in order to change her mind.
The daughters of Jerusalem stood around day and night and said to her, Who is like Solomon? That power, that glory, that life, brainwashes her. Months passed. The girl comes well and very beautiful. But mind alone is not changed. This girl has no love or interest for Solomon. She kept saying over and over again, My dear shepherd, he is so beautiful. The daughters of Jerusalem are tired. They changed their mind and start asking . 5:9 O fairest of women, what distinguisheth thy beloved from other lovers? What is special about your lover over other lovers that you should swear to us like this? Little one, since you came, what is the reason for saying that you don't need a king, that shepherd is enough for your soulmate? What is its secret? Immediately Shulamite said to the daughters of Jerusalem 5:10 My beloved, he who is red and scarlet, is the best among ten thousand.
In the spiritual sense this Shepherd is the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. This Shulamite gave the blood of the Lord as a ransom, the church, the faithful bride, who bought the ransom with his soul. Solomon, the palace, and the daughters of Jerusalem are the world, the flesh, and the devil. This Shepherd boy is still calling My dear, leave Lebanon. It will break you. The concentration and purity with your lover will make this Lebanon without. You live in this world. The whole world is under the control of the evil one. But I am preparing a place for you. So leave Lebanon, leave the peaks, the leopards and the lions. This world will attract you and destroy you, so don't stay here.
What is special about this shepherd boy. 5:10-16 "My beloved is red and ruddy, the greatest of ten thousand. His head is pure gold; his tresses are curled and black as ravens. His eyes are like doves beside the tears; they will be washed with milk and besmeared. His lips are like the lotus; it pours out myrrh; his hands are veins of gold studded with onyx; his belly is made of ivory set with blue jewels. His thigh is a bronze pillar set on a golden base; his form is as noble as the cedars of Lebanon. His mouth is the sweetest; he is the most beautiful. Daughters of Jerusalem, this is my beloved; This is my friend." When the daughters of Jerusalem heard this, they were stunned. They understood that there was no point in saying anything about the king and his jewels with her. They went to Solomon and told him. By Lord, we have caught the secret of the Shulamite-carrying king's refusal. There is no way. That girl's mind doesn't change. Because You are the best among ten thousand names. But her lover, who is silver and red, is the greatest of ten thousand nobles. His head is the finest gold; His tresses are curled and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves on the edge of their eyelids; His cheek is like a bed of spices and a bed of brambles, and his lips are like a lily; It pours forth myrrh; His hands are golden veins studded with onyx; His belly is made of ivory studded with blue jewels. A bronze pillar rested on his thigh; His form is as beautiful as the cedars of Lebanon. His mouth is sweetest; He is all beautiful. When Solomon heard this, he was generous and let the girl go.
The description of the Shepherd is the description of Jesus Christ. Our beloved Lord is beautiful. This Jesus Christ is hastening to join his children, to join his wife. Our desire is to shine as the bride of that bridegroom. That is what we are waiting for. If this beloved is to accept you, if the marriage is to take place, you and I must have the qualifications of this Shulamite girl. 2:2 Like a lotus among thorns, my beloved sits among virgins. Thorns are all around but my darling is a beautiful lotus in the middle. She who does not prick anyone with a thorn. 2:14 Let me see your face, my dove, who sits in the cleft of the rock and in the shadow of the spear; Let me hear your voice; Your voice is sweet and your face is beautiful. Must be a spotless dove. The tone should be pleasant. 4:7 My love, you are all beautiful; There is no weakness in you. A flawless beauty. 4:12 A fenced garden, a dammed fountain, a sealed well. It is a garden that is tied up and closed off to the surrounding world. It is a closed spring and has no dimensions. It is a sealed well. No one can come and take the shovel. Without weakness, he should be beautiful. Because the bridegroom is handsome. Take a look at ourselves, and see what our merit is.
We read about four important qualifications in our scriptures. Let's read it again. 6:10 Who is she, bright as the dawn, fair as the moon, pure as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?
1. Bright morning sunlight. The light of the rising sun. Have you seen the sunrise? Those who have seen it know how beautiful it is. What we can see here is the color of the rainbow. Seven colors. A beautiful scene without heat. What are these seven colors? We see that in Acts 2:37-42. What must be done to be saved? Repent, receive Christian baptism, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, listen to divine counsel, observe communion, break bread, and pray. The Church of God is built on these seven pillars.
2. Beauty like the moon.
Poets have compared human beauty to the beauty of the moon. Describing the beauty of the king, says that his face shines like the moon. What is special about the moon? How beautiful it is to see. I feel like I can stand looking like this for as long as I want. It has no light. There is no self-illumination. The moon shines by receiving the light of the sun. The moon does not produce its own light. There is only one source of light in our solar system and that is the Sun. Without the sun, our moon would be completely dark. This earth we live in would also be in darkness. Every second, the Sun converts 600 million tons of hydrogen into helium. This reaction releases a large amount of energy. Most of this energy goes into space, but some of it hits the planets and moons of the solar system. That's why we can see them. "Moonlight" is simply sunlight reflected off the lunar surface. A moon that does not shine by itself. If we are the bride of the Lord, we should not shine ourselves. My family, my qualification, my job, my wealth. My my my. Christ, the Sun of Righteousness spoken of in Malachi 4:2. We should receive light from that righteous sun and spread light in this world. The moon shines at night. When the whole world is in darkness, the moon will come in to spread light in the midst of that darkness. When the whole world is in darkness under the control of the evil one, in the midst of it, those who are called to spread the light of Christ, the Sun of Justice, in the world are the people of Christ. When you go out on a moonlit night and look up, what comfort does your mind get? A warm moon in the midst of darkness. The light coming from this moon has no heat. It won't burn anyone. But the heat of the sun? Can we see the sun at noon? The filament of the eye will be struck. It damages the retina of the eye and causes a serious injury known as solar retinopathy. Bride cannot be like the sun that burns and damages others, we must be able to be the moon that gives warmth to others. Beautiful like the moon.
3. Purity like the sun.
Showing inner purity. It is burning itself. It has been burning itself since the beginning of time. The sun burns to give light to everything else. The Sun which is in a pure state without even a speck of impurity because it is always burning. The state of self-melting to shed light on everything else. Through the ordeal of suffering. We need purity like the sun, just as the face of gold smith melts gold and shines through it, turning into pure, pure gold.
4. Like an army with flags. What is the mystery? In the sixth chapter of the book of 2 Kings, there was a war between the king of Aram and Israel. At that time, the prophet Elisha gave instructions to the king of Israel and saved Israel. For this reason the heart of the king of Aram was most disturbed; He called the seers and said to them: You must tell us who among us is on the side of the king of Israel. One of his servants said: It is not so, my lord the king; Elisha, the prophet of Israel, told the king of Israel the words you speak in the bedroom. When the king learned that the prophet was in Dothan, he sent a powerful army; They went by night and surrounded the city. When the prophet's servant rose in the morning and went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots surrounding the town; Boy: Oh master, what shall we do? And he said: Do not be afraid; He said, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed: Lord, open his eyes so that he may see. Jehovah opened the servent's eyes; He saw the mountain full of fiery horses and chariots around Elisha. God's army in heaven came down like an army with banners, God delivering his servant the prophet. Solomon's handmaids look like an army with banners when they see this Shulamite. Dear friends, what will the world feel when they see us? Do you feel like children of the living God? Can we say that he who is with us is greater than those who are with them?
When the daughters of Jerusalem told King Solomon that this girl had these four qualifications, Solomon let the girl go because he was a magnanimous person.
When this Shulamite girl, who was released from the palace, came to the gate of the palace, she saw the sight of her lover outside the walls looking at her. From there, there is a way for both of them to go. When the natives look 8:5 Who comes from the desert leaning on her beloved? They could see the girl leaning on her lover. The shepherd boy is whispering in her ears. My dear, I saw you first under the lime tree. There your mother gave birth to you; When the wild animals came to carve and bite you when you were in labor, I saved you by holding you to my chest. I saved you with risking my life. you are mine. Do you know what these wild animals are? Satan who sinned against Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our Lord, who sacrificed His life at Calvary for me on the cross of Calvary, for you, in the course of dragging us to eternal hell, from the hand of the enemy. How are we qualified to be this bridegroom’s bride? The Lord calls my pigeon, my innocent. My love, you are the most beautiful; There is no weakness in you. Let me see your face, my dove, who sits in the cleft of the rock and in the shelter of the spear; Let me hear your voice. Can we be called a dove, or should we be called a crow? My love, you are the most beautiful; There is no weakness in you. Bright like the dawn, beautiful like the moon, pure like the sun, and fearsome like an army with flags.
