The Creation of God, Jacob Hartmann [e manga reader TXT] 📗

Meaning—Christ setteth forth the graces of the church.

Verse 8: “Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,” etc.

Meaning—He showeth his love to her.

Verse 16: “Awake O north wind; and come thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits.”

Meaning—The church prayeth to be made fit for his presence.

Chapter v, verse 1: “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk; eat O friends; drink ye, drink abundantly, O beloved.”

Meaning—Christ awaketh his church with his calling.

Verse 2: “I sleep, but my heart waketh, it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undented; for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.”

Meaning—The church having a taste of Christ’s love, is sick of love.

Verse 9: “What is my beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?”

Meaning—A description of Christ and his graces.

Chapter vi, verse 1: “Whither is my beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is my beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with them.”

Meaning—The church professeth her faith in Christ.

Verse 4: “Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.”

Meaning—Christ showeth the grace of the church.

Verse 10: “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?”

Meaning—And his love towards her.

Chapter vii, verse 1: “How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.”

Meaning—A further description of the church’s graces.

Verse 10: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is towards me.”

Meaning—“The church professeth her faith and desire.”

Chapter viii, verse 1: “O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.”

Meaning—The love of the church to Christ.

Verse 6: “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm, for love is as strong as death; jealousy as cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”

Meaning—The vehemency of love.

Verse 8: “We have a little sister; and she hath no breasts; what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?”

Meaning—The calling of the Gentiles.

Verse 14: “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountain of spices.”

Meaning—The church prayeth for Christ’s coming.

These are the verses specifically interpreted and marked for Christian worshipers. It must be remembered that the most decent were selected. To say the interpretations are absurd, is putting it very mildly. Solomon had no more idea of Christ than he had of the laws of gravitation.

He was describing and writing about that which was constantly occupying his mind and his time. He portrays a love-sick swain, with all the details that are pleasing both to his eye and to his fancy. He gloats and feeds upon his passions, thus:

“His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me” (viii, 4).

“How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights” (vii, 6).

“There are threescore queens and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number” (vi, 8).

“His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved,” etc. (v, 16).

“Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under thy tongue” (iv, 11).

“Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it,” etc. (iii, 7).

“His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me” (ii, 6).

“Behold thou art fair, my love, behold thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes” (i, 15).

It is an outrage on decency even to attempt to construe the intent of these songs. The man sang about his woman, like any other swain who delights in his love. Solomon enjoyed nude beauties, as many men do in our day, and he represented the various parts of the female anatomy most accurately. He reveled in the luxurious contemplation of them. Pull down the curtain of hypocrisy and falsehood and let’s have the truth—as it was, as it is.

Solomon died at a pretty fair old age, having lived ninety-four years. The country had been harassed by robbers, the factions began to be restless, conspiracies were forming, and the people were nervously yet patiently waiting for a chance to revolt. No sooner was he dead than the nation split into two kingdoms. Henceforth this people as a nation is doomed. It soon disappears from the family of nations.

But—where is Jehova all this while?

Note.—“Solomon’s wickedness became intolerable, fully confirming my former observations, that his wickedness began early and continued very long” (Josephus, Bk. viii, Chapter vii).