Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, August 20, 2020
Shalom *|FNAME|*,
We’re studying the Song of Songs and how it is used by God to give us a picture of how Yeshua’s bride comes to maturity through the power of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. His bride will be His body, described by Scripture as being without spot or wrinkle.
Ephesians 5:25b Messiah also loved His community and gave Himself up for her 26 to make her holy, having cleansed her by immersion in the word. 27 Messiah did this so that He might present to Himself His glorious community—not having stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but in order that she might be holy and blameless.
You should think this is important. This is something we must get right. We are going to learn so much from the experience of the Shulamite. Her name in Hebrew has a 3 letter base “Shin-Lamed-Mem.” These are the same 3 letters in the word “Shalom,” and the name of the city “Yerushalayim” ” (Jerusalem) and Solomon’s name itself (Sh’lomo).
“Shin-Lamed-Mem” is both Shalom (peace) and Shalem (complete wholeness, perfection, lacking nothing). The Exodus fell short. Psalm 95:10 “For forty years I loathed that generation. So I said: ‘It is a people whose heart goes astray, who do not know My ways.’ 11 Therefore I swore in My anger, ‘They shall never enter into My rest.’” In the Shulamite we see the correction from wandering to resting.
Solomon prayed for wisdom and received it. He wrote 1005 songs. 1 Kings 5:12 He also composed 3,000 proverbs and his songs were 1,005. (This verse is from the TLV. It appears as 1 Kings 4:32 in most Christian bibles.) Of all of those songs, this is the one that became a book of the Bible. This is the highest and most excellent of them all.
Solomon also wrote Ecclesiates which is an exposition of the “vanity of vanities.” It is, therefore; the opposite of Song of Songs. Ecclesiastes is about a life of wandering, Song of Songs speaks of rest from wandering.
Rabbi Trail: The human soul is created to long for love. Love is defined as living and moving and having your being in Yeshua. Thats the oneness of John 17:24. We are made in the image of God, for God is love. The 7 longings of the human heart are aspects of that longing for love. From 4/12/20 until 5/30/20 I wrote about them in the RR. You can find those entries here… https://syknox.org/2020/04/page/5/
The reason I bring it up now, is that everyone is living to satisfy some aspects of these longings. Just watch the news and you can see this on every face. But these longings can only be satisfied in a love relationship with our Lord and Savior. Luke 21:27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, stand straight and lift up your heads, because your salvation (Yeshua) is near!” End RT.
There are 3 characters in the song, the Beloved, the Shulamite, and the daughters of Jerusalem. What makes a good song is if we can identify with one of the characters. In this song, we want to identify with the Shulamite who is longing for the Beloved. This study is guaranteed to take us deeper in our love relationship with Yeshua, who is our Beloved. The time is now.
Week 34
Memory Verse: Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
166 8/17 Monday: John 6
167 8/18 Tuesday: Matthew 19:16-30
168 8/19 Wednesday: Luke 15-16
* 169 8/20 Thursday: Luke 17:11-37;18
170 8/21 Friday: Mark 10
Question of the day: The disciples asked Yeshua the question of the day. Luke 17:37a “Where, Lord?”
Answer: Curious question. Yeshua has just described the series of “one will be taken and the other left” along with a warning not to go looking for the kingdom of God because it is all around you. I can think of many, more important questions, such as… When will this happen? Tell us more; to whom will it happen? What do you mean like the days of Sodom and Noah?
And in answer to their question, “Where,” Yeshua answers… Luke 17:37b “Where there is a corpse, there also will the vultures be gathered.” Yeshua is telling them “Wherever there is a dead body, that’s where.” The reason this caught my attention, and I wanted to comment on it, is that we must be pressing in to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 When they are saying, “Shalom and safety,” sudden destruction comes upon them like a woman having birth pains in the womb—there is no way they will escape.
Is there such a thing as a false sense of security? Read this out loud… Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”
So we are left with this admonition… 2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore, come out from among them, and be separate, says Adonai. Touch no unclean thing. Then I will take you in. 18 I will be a father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says Adonai-Tzva’ot.”
In Hebrew we say “Simu Lev” meaning literally “put your heart,” but figuratively meaning “pay attention.” One more time for emphasis, “Simu Lev.”