The Song of Songs: Life in the Harem of God

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A look at the typology of the Song of Songs.

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.

Substitutes for God’s name in the New Testament

When reading an English Bible there is a little bit of Jewish history that is needed to understand a few things and this is one of them. When Messiah walked the earth, it had become the habit of the Jewish people to avoid God’s name. This is because they feared the pagans they had lived among  since the deportation to Babylon might start saying God’s name and therefore violate in the commandment.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD/YHWH your God in vain; for the LORD/YHWH will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Ex. 20:7 

The Jews had become very creative in their work arounds for this problem. Most English readers of the Bible have no idea what is going on. The average Christian doesn’t even know that God has a personal name. (His name is YHWH.) This habit of not using substitutes for God’s name was so universal that His personal name is never used is in the New Testament.

The Lord or Master

This one is so prevalent that it is on almost every page of every English Bible. The English Bibles uses this very same Jewish tradition of not speaking the name of the Lord “YHWH” but substitutes Adoni which means lord or master. The English has left a clue that they have done this by capitalizing all the letters in the LORD when the original Hebrew is YHWH. (See Also: God? What’s in a name?)

The Name

Ha Shem is Hebrew for “the Name” and is occasionally substituted for YHWH.

And those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Mark 11:9

And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. John 17:11

Heaven

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, Mark 4:26 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”  Luke 20:4

The question was not whether John was some kind of angelic being but whether he was sent by God. This is why sometimes it is the kingdom of God and others it is the kingdom of heaven.

Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; Matt. 13:24 

In this parable the son admits that he has sinned against God.

I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; Luke 15:18 

This use of Heaven as a substitute for God or YHWH has lead many to misunderstand “heaven.” Heaven strictly speaking is not the place where God lives. God is Omnipresent, and as such is everywhere throughout time and space at all times. Calling Him “Heaven” is to say that He is above and beyond what we can perceive. (See Also: What Happens When We Die? and God is Omnipresent)

The Power

And Jesus said, “I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:62 

This is a quote from the Psalms, where we can see the right hand belongs to the LORD or in Hebrew YHWH.

The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.” Psa. 110:1 

FYI: They also called the temple in Jerusalem, “The Place” or “The Holy Place.”

For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; it is called the Holy Place. Heb. 9:2

Jezreel is The Valley of Decision

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:14 

The valley of decision is not a literal place, just as Armageddon is not literal (see the Battle of Armageddon). The valley of Jezreel in Israel represents a state of mind or rather the nations religious beliefs.

At the western end of the valley of Jezreel stands Mount Carmel where Elijah called down fire from heaven [1Kings 18]. This is where Elijah had challenged the priest of Baal to a kind of duel between his God and theirs.

Aerial view of Tel Megiddo by AVRAM GRAICER

The sight was chosen to make Elijah’s point. If you stand on top of mount Carmel and look east toward Mount Tabor you would have seen the city of Megiddo on the north side of the valley and the city of Jezreel on the south.  Megiddo means “the place of cutting”.  The priests of Baal had come from city of Megiddo for that is where their cult center was. Cutting themselves was a central part in the worship of Baal.

 

Jezreel- 24 December 2005, picture by Ori~

Whereas Jezreel mean “God sows”.   This is what Elijah was referring to,

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 1Kings 18:21 

Make your choice, which city do you belong to?

At the time of Elijah these two cities no longer stood in contrast to each other. Ahab and Jezebel lived in and had corrupted Jezreel. For which they and their children paid a terrible price. Not one survived.

” He said,  “Take them alive.” And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them. 2 Kings 10:1-14 

The lesson or principle here is that we are to have nothing further to do with the false church. The false preachers, priests, and teachers who have compromised with paganism from the beginning.

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues. Rev. 18:4   

This is what happens to those who conspire against God and His purposes, and those who associate themselves with them. Like the kinsmen of Ahaziah the neighboring kingdom, you should have nothing to do with the apostates. [2 Kings 10]

But God is able to restore us to a right relationship with Him. But we must stop the Baal and Ashtaroth worship.  We must stop mixing the pagan with the divine. Stop standing in the middle of the valley, get yourself into Jezreel.

 “And in that day, says the LORD, I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth;  and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel;  and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I will have pity on Not pitied, and I will say to Not my people,  ‘You are my people’; and he shall say ‘Thou art my God.’” Hos. 2:21-23

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Eph. 6:14

For a complete understanding of what is Babylon see: The Two Babylons, or The Papal Worship Proved to be The Worship of Nimrod and His Wife by Alexander Hislop.

Renew or Repair your Mind

The Greek word for renew is anakainosis, it means to make new, to renew, to repair so that it is superior.

True ladies of the Harem renew their minds. It is our work.

In the letter to the Gentile churches believers are called on to renew their minds, spirits, and knowledge.

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Rom. 12:2

. . . he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5

. . . and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Col. 3:10

. . . and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, Eph. 4:23

The Hebrew equivalent in the Old Testament is chadash, and is most often used in the cleansing of the temple. The temple was constantly being corrupted by pagan idols and practices. Just as our temples of the Holy Spirit are continually subject to the temptation of these same pagan concepts.

Then Samuel said to the people,  “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” 1Sam. 11:14

When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD. 2Chr. 15:8 

After this Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD. 2Chr. 24:4

It is the Spirit of God that is the agent of renewal.

. . . thou dost renew thy witnesses against me, and increase thy vexation toward me; thou dost bring fresh hosts against me. Job 10:17

When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground. Psa. 104:30

Restore us to thyself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old! Lam. 5:21

We must return to learning Messiah and the only way to do that is to read the Bible.

17   Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds;  18 they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart;  19 they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.  20 You did not so learn Christ! —  21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.  22 Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,  23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,  24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4:17-24

Ezek. 23:1-4 Oholah and Oholibah

1   The word of the LORD came to me:  2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;  3 they played the harlot in Egypt; they played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled.  4 Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.  Ezek. 23:1-4

Ezekiel who’s name means God strengthens, was taken to Babylon with other hostages in 597 B.C. He had been resettled by the river Chebar, or in Babylonian Naru Kabari, which was a large irrigation canal, in what is now southern Iraq. Ezekiel 23 was written long after the Northern Kingdom of Israel , (called here Samaria) was gone from the stage of history. (See Also: The Ten Lost Tribes)

The Southern kingdom of Judah survived, and at the time of his writing most of the upper classes have been deported to Babylon. The Temple still stood, but that was soon to change. Chapter 24 explains that the Babylonian army is about to destroy Jerusalem. At the same time God is also going to take Ezekiel’s wife, “the delight of your eyes” and he is not to mourn. This is to show the people that God Himself does not mourn as His people and city are destroyed.

Oholah means “her tent”, and Oholibah means “my tent is in her”. Calling them tents seem odd even strange. Why tent? Every synagogue service start by singing the Ma Tovu, which is a quote from the oracle of Balaam,

. . . how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Num. 24:5 

They had been sojourners from the time of their father Abraham, they were a people of tents. But they have not kept their tents pure. As we shall see they are corrupt, unclean, and full of abominations. From Egypt they brought the false gods. As they traveled in the wilderness they picked up or married into the paganism from their contact with the people around them.

There were two tents in the wilderness, the Tabernacle of God, and the tent of Moloch. Moloch was a bull faced god, to whom child sacrifice was most acceptable. He is also know by the name Kronos, and Saturn. (Saturn being the star referred to as Rephan.)

And you took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of the god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship; and I will remove you beyond Babylon.’ Acts 7:43

The LORD complains that from the very start his people were not faithful. That is what is meant by “Their breast were pressed and their nipples handled.” They have entertained other lovers, and have not been true to their God. God views His people as wanton whores. The first lover to show up will be quickly embraced.  The inherited Churches are always quick to point out that this is about the Jews. They were unfaithful, they were wicked, they were a disgrace. Teaching that Gentile believers are somehow superior.  They think that, we don’t do what the Jews did. However we are just as quick to adopt and pass on any repugnant abomination from our Gentile pagan past. But unlike the descendants of Abraham, we now conceal our guilt by disguising and renaming them. Saturnalia has become Christmas, Weeping for Tammuz has become Lent, and many more. If God punished the Jews with 70 years in Babylon, how much more severe will the punishment be for the Church, who have a greater light?

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Rom. 11:21

The Rape of Tamar, 2 Samuel 13

1 Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her.  2 And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.  3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shime-ah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very crafty man.  4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”  5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed, and pretend to be ill; and when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand.’”  6 So Amnon lay down, and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Pray let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” 

7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”  8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.  9 And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out every one from me.” So every one went out from him.  10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.  11 But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”  12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this wanton folly.  13 As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the wanton fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.”  14 But he would not listen to her; and being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her. 

15 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone.”  16 But she said to him, “No, my brother; for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other which you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.  17 He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence, and bolt the door after her.”  18 Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves; for thus were the virgin daughters of the king clad of old. So his servant put her out, and bolted the door after her.  19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent the long robe which she wore; and she laid her hand on her head, and went away, crying aloud as she went. 

20 And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar dwelt, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.  21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.  22 But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. 

23 After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.  24 And Absalom came to the king, and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers; pray let the king and his servants go with your servant.”  25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing.  26 Then Absalom said, “If not, pray let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”  27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.  28 Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.”  29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled. 

30 While they were on the way, tidings came to David, “Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.”  31 Then the king arose, and rent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants who were standing by rent their garments.  32 But Jonadab the son of Shime-ah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead, for by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he forced his sister Tamar.  33 Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead; for Amnon alone is dead.” 

34 But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the Horonaim road by the side of the mountain.  35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.”  36 And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly. 

37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day.  38 So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.  39 And the spirit of the king longed to go forth to Absalom; for he was comforted about Amnon, seeing he was dead. 2Sam. 13:1-39

Judah and Tamar – Genesis 38

1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.  2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her,  3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.  4 Again she conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.  5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. She was in Chezib when she bore him.  6 And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar.  7 But Er, Judah’s first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.  8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”  9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.  10 And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him also.  11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up” — for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house. 

12  In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died; and when Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.  13 And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”  14 she put off her widow’s garments, and put on a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.  15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot, for she had covered her face.  16 He went over to her at the road side, and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”  17 He answered, “I will send you a kid from the flock.” And she said, “Will you give me a pledge, till you send it?”  18 He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.  19 Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood. 

20 When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he could not find her.  21 And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the harlot who was at Enaim by the wayside?” And they said, “No harlot has been here.”  22 So he returned to Judah, and said, “I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘No harlot has been here.’”  23 And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, lest we be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not find her.” 

24 About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; and moreover she is with child by harlotry.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”  25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Mark, I pray you, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.”  26 Then Judah acknowledged them and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not lie with her again. 

27 When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb.  28 And when she was in labor, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, “This came out first.”  29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out; and she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez.  30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread upon his hand; and his name was called Zerah. Gen. 38:1-30

The Lord of the Harem is Truth

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long. Psa. 25:5

In the post-modern world we look for truth, and fine none, everywhere there is falsehood. Here in Psalm 25 we are told that it takes patients to learn God’s truth. We may have to wait all day long if necessary. This Psalm goes on to say that He is only going to teach the humble. [Psa. 25:9] Humility is also something that our post-modern world no longer values. We like braggarts and boasters. Our heroes in sports, entertainment, politics and religion are full of these showboaters. Truth is not in them.

They tell us the universe is millions of years old, based on assumptions that everything moves, progresses, or deteriorates at the same rate as is presently being observed. This uniformitarianism is undemonstrated and leads to young scientist who feel compelled to tow the established line of thought and not look for truth.

Our entertainers flaunt their sin and immorality, those that idolize them, often follow their lifestyle to their own destruction. They become slaves to a scandalous life which for the famous might make for good publicity, but the end there of is destruction.

The politicians claim that they are helping the poor, when in reality they are making it so that they will never be self sufficient. The people become slaves with only with enough money to have food and shelter, but never build assets. For this they must do as the government says. They must not get married, so all the children are bastards, who’s parents have no assets to set them up for a better life, so now the poverty continues for generations.

The Trinity

Trinity is just a word invented as a shortcut to explain what the discussion/arguement is about. Others have tried to update the word a Triunity. There is no way to define an infinite God with the finite words of man. It all comes down to what the Bible claims.

The Father is God

We do not see God called as Father until quite late in History. Isaiah (740-687 BC) is the first to use the term in this way. Before that He is always referred to as the God of our Fathers.

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 

He shall cry to me, ‘Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ Psa. 89:26

No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. John 1:18

The Lord of the Harem is Merciful and Gracious

Mercy is the action of a Gracious God. Generally it is the Old Testament that uses the word “mercy” and the New Testament that uses “grace”. An easy why to think of it in English is that “mercy” is a verb of action, where “grace” is an adjective a kind of description of the nature behind the action. Because God is gracious He behaves mercifully.

Mercy is often paired with loving-kindness. Mercy is shown to the disobedient, where loving-kindness is showered on the obedient.

. . . for the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not fail you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers which he swore to them. Deut. 4:31

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psa. 103:8

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, Psa. 103:17