God gave us the gift of a love song. However, because He gave it with a great deal of erotic content the Church has sought over the centuries to discourage believers from even peeking at their gift. However, there comes a time when a believer is mature enough to handle the information contained in this little package. Don’t let the overpious keep you from tearing the wrappings off your divine package.
He meant for this sensual book to bring us into a deeper and more authentic relationship with Him, as we come to realize that we are meant to be God’s lovers. We begin to realize that His omnipresence allows for all of us individually to be His one and only, His favorite! if you will. He uses the literal harem of Solomon as a springboard to explain the intimate relationship He wants with His people.
This is not a normal teaching from your normal church. Some experiences cannot be shared by the congregation.
This blog is not for the immature or new believer. It is for the believer who sits up one days and says “I want more, in my relationship with God. I want to be closer to my God, my King, my Redeemer, and my Beloved.”
The Song of Songsteaches that we are all in God’s harem. We are all brides of Messiah, individually. For purposes of the blog I have substituted Harem where one would normally write congregation, church, or believers. The great love poem was left for us to understand that the relationship with out Lord is to be as intimate as any passionate encounter.
Daniel found himself at the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years in Exile. Like most of us he wanted to know what was to come next.
This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jer. 25:11
Daniel 9
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasu-erus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans — 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years which, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
Like most people of faith, Daniel now turns to God for further instructions. He repents, both for himself and his nation.
As we now live at the end of the prophecies of Daniel 2 and 8 and those judgements are about to fall upon these nations. Forget the nonsense that is the Rapture. Judgment is coming. It is time for us to follow Daniel’s example and repent for our selves and our nations. Just substitute your nation and capital city, for Judah and Jerusalem, unless of course you live in modern Israel, then pray the prayer.
FYI: I personally think that the Judgment of the Nations is eminent, so this call to repentance is rather urgent. However everyone in church history has thought this for centuries. So, even if I am wrong in this, we must remember that everyone faces the Judgment at their death, and death can be very unexpected.
Daniel’s Prayer
3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and terrible God, who keepest covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from thy commandments and ordinances; 6 we have not listened to thy servants the prophets, who spoke in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To thee, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us confusion of face, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those that are near and those that are far away, in all the lands to which thou hast driven them, because of the treachery which they have committed against thee. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness; because we have rebelled against him, 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed thy law and turned aside, refusing to obey thy voice. And the curse and oath which are written in the law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done the like of what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us, yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and giving heed to thy truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who didst bring thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast made thee a name, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 O Lord, according to all thy righteous acts, let thy anger and thy wrath turn away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy hill; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people have become a byword among all who are round about us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, hearken to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplications, and for thy own sake, O Lord, cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline thy ear and hear; open thy eyes and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name; for we do not present our supplications before thee on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of thy great mercy. 19 O LORD, hear; O LORD, forgive; O LORD, give heed and act; delay not, for thy own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”
Daniel’s Answer
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God; 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He came and he said to me, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications a word went forth, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
After this prayer Daniel is told one of the greatest prophecies in all the Bible, that the Messiah will come in 490 years, a subject we have already cover in, Daniel 9: Proof that Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:1-4
The problem with understanding this passage is that the dispensational churches have taught that the Kingdom is delayed. This causes confusion with all the teachings of John the Baptist and Messiah. Because, John the Baptist and Messiah Himself taught that the Kingdom was at hand.
This is not the only time this kind question was asked
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Matt 20:20-21
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”Mark 10:35-38
The disciples did not understand the nature of the kingdom. They like most of the post-modern church were thinking of earthly kingdoms with one ruler and lots of satraps, senators, ministers etc. The idea that we would not need someone in charge is foreign to most peoples thinking. We don’t see that the Kingdom is not temporal. But we all covet the possibility of power, wealth, pomp, and ceremony. We want to be like any other kingdom of this world. We all look at the crown and not the cross. They wanted to be prime ministers, presidents, kings etc.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 1Sam. 8:6-7
However Messiah told us to become as children. Those who are not in charge of anything. In order to enter the Kingdom we must put aside our pride, ambition and love of honor and dominion. A small child doesn’t deserve to be in charge. They stamp their little feet and say, “NO” and we laugh at them, and step over them pick them up and put them out of the way. They are not in charge.
They do not know where the food shelter and clothes come from. Children care for nothing. They just assume they will be provided with shelter, and food and clothed. Children know no prejudice until they are taught it. They will play with whatever children are available, regardless of wealth, color, or religion. Their only job is to learn.
Without becoming like a child we cannot enter the Kingdom. He did not tell us to ask Him into our hearts, He did not prescribe that we say the sinners prayer, only that we must become like a child.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:3
This seems to come out of the blue. What exactly is the poor in spirit? However our Messiah is quoting Isaiah.
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the LORD. But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. Is. 66:2
The Isaiah passage is about those who are unworthy of entering the throne room. With the exception of those who are poor in spirit.
The unworthy were committing great sins and then offering large sacrifices but with no shame, no repentance, no remorse. Our Lord looks for the humble in spirit. Those that tremble at His Word, and dread His justice and wrath. The humble in spirit are those that realize that there is no bargaining with God. There is nothing one can do to gain God’s favor. There is no sacrifice we can make. There is only acknowledging that He made all sacrifice unnecessary. A sacrifice that we are unworthy of.
God’s grace is free, not cheap, it cost God’s Son, His life.
The Kingdom belongs to the humble. That is why the arrogant cannot see it.
5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Luke 10:5-6
The context of this verse, is the sending out of the seventy. They were going to Jewish communities to announce the Kingdom. Something that the Jews were expecting any day. They all knew of Daniels Seventy Weeks Prophecy, and new the time was fulfilled. This is not about general evangelism to people who know nothing of God’s plans and purposes.
The passage is also in a culture of hospitality. There were no hotels, campgrounds, or other accommodations for travelers. Towns and individuals were expected to be hospitable, taking travelers in and providing food and shelter.
The “son of peace,” is a Hebrew idiom, meaning a hospitable person.
To be a “son of something,” means to be in the group of what ever the something is. We see this usage in 2Kings.
And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; hold your peace.” 2Kings 2:3
Shalom has many meanings; completeness, contentment, friendship, quiet, safety, soundness, tranquility, welfare, and of course lack of conflict. However these are people looking for the Sar Shalom i.e. the Prince of Peace.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6
Messiah is instructing the seventy to go where they are welcomed and wanted. Where there are people who know the Kingdom is coming and are seeking to understand that Kingdom.
Some of you may have grown up in a church that sang this song, and some of you like me may have never heard of it, let alone some place called Beulah Land.
This is largely because I use the Revised Standard Version most of the time. Which we explain in, (Which Bible Translation?)
Both translations make some since however if one is transliterating a proper noun, should they not have transliterated all the proper nouns? The KJV did not transliterate Forsaken which would be ‘azavbah. One must admit that is a bit of a mouth twister for an English speaker. The next noun is Desolate and that would be shemamah in Hebrew.
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Is 62:4 KJV
You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My delight is in her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. Is. 62:4 RSV
In the end, the meaning is that those who follow God will not live in the land of Old Maids, Divorcees, or Widows. They have been living in a barren foreign land in a desolate condition. But our Lover sees in us His delight, and we shall no longer be forsaken but rather be married, crossing into the land of Married for our King delights in us.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; Rev. 19:7
The answer is elusive and largely depends on whether ones wants to make an argument for monogamy or polygamy. And then, of course,e there are those who want to argue about interracial marriage.
The only name we have for Moses’ wife is Zipporah, her name meaning bird.
A Midian
And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. Ex. 2:21
This is the wife we are all familiar with. She was even in “The Ten Commandments.” Because ‘sons’ is in the plural and not the dual in Ex. 4:20 we know they had a least three sons, two of which are named Gershom and Eliezer, in Ex 16.
A Cushite
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman; Num. 12:1
And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad; and they went and settled with the people. Judg. 1:16
Jethro/Reuel
Either Moses has a lot of fathers-in-law or the same guy has a lot of names.
Jethro/Jether – meaning wealthy or gift, Ex. 3:1. One time in the Masoretic or Hebrew Text his name is spelled or misspelled as Jether in Ex. 4:18.
Reuel/Ruel –meaning friend of God [ Ex. 2:15-21]
Habab – meaning beautiful or ornamented [Num. 10:29; Judg. 4:11]
The Text clearly states that Jethro is the priest of Midian. [Ex.3:1] However, it never says that he is in fact a Midianite. Many have suggested that He was in fact a Kenite, making Zipporah the Kenite wife.
Who were the Kenites? The first time they are mentioned is in Gen 15:19, where they are the people whose land God is giving too Abraham in the Vatar Covenant. They continued to be allied with Judah and are last mentioned in Jer. 35 as descendants of Rechab.
Could Zipporah have been also the Cushite wife? Possibly, we are not told where the Kenites came from. They do not appear in the “Table of Nations“ in Gen 9. They could very easily have been Cushites.
Lesson
Though we may be curious about details. The Bible does not provide an explanation to many things that are not pertinent to its goal of the reconciliation of man to God. Its prime message is one of salvation, regeneration, and sanctification.
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them. Lev. 20:13
I must admit that I have never really paid attention to this verse. However, there are some out there that are teaching that the Hebrew is about pedophilia. Having heard this idea of pedophilia I just couldn’t let it go.
I was expecting it to say that “an ish should not lie with an ish”. However, the Hebrew says an ish is not to lie with a zakar. As in our paper, Three Kinds of Men explains ish is translated man or husband, zakar is male and an is most commonly paired with neqevah which is female they are used of both people and animals.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Gen. 6:19
Other Hebrew Words
If pedophilia were meant than one of these words would have been used.
The Hebrew for boy is na’ar, na’arah is a girl. There is also yelad which is young man or youth, often means one not old enough to grow a beard, paired with yalada which is girl, damsel, or marriageable girl.
If pedophilia were meant than one of these words would have been used.
The puzzling story of Jephthah’s daughter falls into two opinions among scholars. Most of the Christian commentators feel that Jephthah killed his daughter, where most of the Jewish commentators say that she lived out her life serving in the tabernacle.
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand,31 then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the LORDs, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering.” Judg. 11:29-31
He won the war.
34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.35 And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me; for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.”36 And she said to him, “My father, if you have opened your mouth to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone forth from your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.”37 And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.”38 And he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.39 And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had made. She had never known a man. And it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. Judg. 11:34-40
The Daughter of Jephthah 1876 by Edouard Bernard Debat-Ponsan 1847 – 1913
Those that feel Jephthah killed her, stress that she told him to do according to what he vowed.
Those who think she lived out her life in the tabernacle, stress that her companions bewailed her virginity and not her life. This period of lamenting did not continue, nor are we informed when it stopped. It seems to have been a very localized custom as it is not mentioned during the time of the kings or when they return from Babylon.
Some point out that women were not allowed in the temple. That is true of the second temple. But they seemed to have been allowed in the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple, e.g., Hannah seems to have been in the outer court of the tabernacle. [1Sam. 1:9 -11] The Alamoth were singing in the tabernacle or temple. (See Also: Psalms 46, According to the Alamoth)
Precedence
According to the Torah, humans could be living sacrifices.
. . . and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of the LORD. Num. 8:11
And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. Num. 8:21
It seems unlikely that the daughter of Jephthah was a burnt offering sacrifice. More likely she served in the tabernacle for the rest of her life. But the Text is unclear.
So why are the Scriptures vague in some instances? Well, the main point of the Bible is that the Creator wants a personal intimate relationship with each and every human. (which is also the whole point of this blog). If something is not really pertinent to that essential point it is often left out because it is inconsequential to that end. The point of the tail of Jephthah’s daughter is to stress that one should not make hasty vows to God without full consideration of the consequences.
Later in Jewish tradition, vows were not made without a written contract. This gave the vower time to consider.
The Bible makes it quite clear that from the time of the judges (Late Bronze Age ca. 1550BC) through the kings till the Babylonian exile (586BC) the children of Israel were a polytheistic people. It is not till after the exile that they became a monotheistic nation.
Image on pithos sherd found at Kuntillet Ajrud below the inscription, Utterance of Ashyaw the king: Say to Yehallel and to Yaw’asah and to… I bless you by Yahweh of Samaria and his asherah.
Astarte/Ashtart is Canaanite/Phoenician name for the universal mother goddess, and also where we get our word Easter. There is some disagreement among scholars as to whether she was predominantly a warrior goddess or a fertility/sexual goddess. However s, he is often represented in the nude, or nursing children, which makes one think more of fertility/sexual than warrior. The warrior idea seems based on a quote from the Keret Epic where she is summoned to smash an enemies skull.
The Romans and Greeks matched her with Juno, Demeter, Venus or Aphrodite,the Egyptians with Hathor, and in India she is Kali. The Bible represents her as the consort of Baal, there is however a Hebrew carving showing her as the consort of Yahweh.
Ashtoreth, Ashtaroth
In Hebrew, she is called Ashtoreth/Ashtaroth. There is a difference in these spellings. Ashtoreth is how the Hebrew pronounced her name. Ashtaroth is an example of Paronomasia, as the Hebrew word for “shame “i.e. boshet has been incorporated into Astarte. This very similar to the say we have changed alcoholic to any kind of addiction such as chocoholic.
In 1Kings 11 we see that Solomon due to his taking of foreign women allowed the worship of Astarte among others, into Jerusalem. Because of this, after his reign, the kingdom was divided. These cult places seem to have lasted till the reign of Josiah, when the high priest Hilkiah led a revival and removed all these high places. [1King 22-23]
The Queen of Heaven
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. Jer. 7:18
There is some question as to whether or not Astarte is the Queen of Heaven. This could also refer to Asherah. [cf. Jer. 44:17-25] However there is little difference between the two. They are both the mother goddess. Where Astarte is Canaanite and Asherah is Akkadian. So right up till they were exile to Babylon the Jews continued in their syncretism. These sweet cake are still with us, as we now call them hot crossed buns, and are served on the same day as they were in ancient times, Easter
The Song of Songs 