Faith, Works, and The Stone of Stumbling

"Israel, although pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to the law. For what reason? Because he pursued it, not by faith, but as works. They stumbled on the 'stone of stumbling*.'"-Romans 9:31-32

All throughout the book of Judges, the Israelites would do what was right as long as someone was there leading them in the right direction. During the reigns of the Kings of Judah from Jerusalem, the same thing happened. Israel just could not follow the law, no matter what happened. At some point, they would fail. The is why God brought the destruction of Judah to the Babylonians. It was punishment for their constant rebellion.

After the return from the exile, the Jews never committed idolatry again. However, they had other problems. They were lax in completing the temple, "the house of Jehovah", and then they were lacking in giving the best of their possessions to God. They would only give him the poorest of their things for their sacrifice, their "polluted bread", "blind animal", "lame animal or a sick one". (Haggai 1:2, 4; Malachi 1:7-8, 13) Their actions showed that their hearts were not complete towards their God.-1 Kings 8:61

Going along with that thought, if the Israelites hearts had been complete towards God, God would have helped them. But it wasn't just their heart that needed to be changed, but their thought pattern. The Israelites would tell themselves, "This and this and this is allowed, but that and that and that is forbidden." Can you see the problem in that? They looked at the Law of Moses as a list of prohibitions and when it became to difficult for them, they stopped following it. They were relying on their own strength. What they should have done is walk by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7) If they had walked by faith they would have realized that they could not do it on their own, they would have seen that they needed God's guidance, and prayed for help accordingly. Their Almighty God, Jehovah, wanted to help them.-Isaiah 41:13

Christians today are in the same boat. We cannot stay on The Way without the help of God's spirit. (Galatians 5:16) What we need to do so that we will not stumble on the "stone of stumbling" is pray for this spirit and also pray for wisdom. God will give us both. (Luke 11:13; James 1:5) So, may we never fall into the same trap as the Israelites, thinking that we can accomplish our walk with God without His help.

*The "stone of stumbling" is a reference to Isaiah 28:16, which is prophetic of Christ Jesus.-Isaiah 8:14; Matthew 21:42; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-7

The Atonement Day and Jesus Christ

Perhaps the most important day in ancient Israel was Atonement Day. On Atonement Day, the High Priest was to sacrifice animals for himself and all Israel. Then he was supposed to take two goats and stand before the Tent of Meeting. By lots, he was to choose one goat to be slaughtered and then the other goat would be sent off into the wilderness to carry the sins of the Israelites away. He was then to sacrifice a bull to cleanse himself. After this, he was supposed to take a fire holder full of burning coals along with handfuls of fine, perfumed incense and bring them inside the curtain. Thus, the High Priest entered into the Holy Place.-Leviticus 16:2-12

From there, the High Priest was to put the fire holder before Jehovah and put the incense upon the Ark of the Covenant. He would then take some of the blood of the bull and spatter it with his finger on the cover a specific number of times. Then he would do the same with the goat which he slaughtered. In this way, he must make atonement for the sins of the entire Israelite nation.-Leviticus 16:13-16

The High Priest was to then come out and spatter some of the blood of the bull and goat on the altar seven times, then put his hands on the other live goat and confess the sins of Israel over it. That is when the goat was to be sent away into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:18-22) Although the ritual continues, this is about the gist of it. One question that may arise is why the need for so much blood? Because the power of atonement was in the blood for the reason that the life was in the blood. If there was no blood, there would be no life.-Levitucs 17:11

What did all this mean? All of this pointed to Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. In Hebrews 5:10 Jesus is said to be a High Priest. In Hebrews 9:11-28, Paul gives us an in depth description of the meaning of the Atonement Day. Atonement Day happened once a year, ever year, again and again because the effect of the blood of the bulls and goats could only cleanse temporarily. That is why Christ had to appear. His sacrifice was everlasting.

"However, when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come to pass, through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered, no, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time into the holy place and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us. For if the blood of goats and of bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled sanctifies to the extent of cleanness of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works that we may render sacred service to the living God?"-Hebrews 9:11-14

Christ, being a High Priest, did not have to enter into the literal tabernacle or temple to atone for us. He did that when he was resurrected. Even more, his own blood was sufficient to obtain an everlasting deliverance for us. Since the blood of bulls and goats had atoning properties, the blood of a perfect man do much more for us. Yes, only because Christ was "without blemish" could we obtain deliverance through him.

Now, all of this was a fulfillment of a very important prophecy in Isaiah 53. "Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5) The healing by his wounds is a spiritual healing. You see, we are all captives of sin. It rules over us as a king, making us unwilling slaves.-Romans 5:12, 21; 6:6; 7:21-25

Sin is a very powerful enemy. There is nothing that we can do about it. Sin can be likened to a disease that all men that have ever lived (besides Jesus Christ) have caught. The death rate is 100%. If anyone tries to convince us that they are sinless, then they are liars. (1 John 1:8-10) As said above, the only man to ever be sinless was the Lord Jesus. (1 Peter 2:22) Again, because of this and his sacrifice, Jesus is the only name on which we can be forgiven of our sins. (Acts 4:12) Why is this of such importance?

In the beginning, God created Adam a perfect man. There was only one thing that Adam could not do and that was eat from a certain tree in the center of the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, Adam chose to disobey and became a sinner. After this, mankind needed a redeemer. Since Adam was a perfect man then there had to be a perfect man who could gain back what Adam lost. That man was Jesus. The Bible tells us, "For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive."-1 Corinthians 15:22

As we know, one Atonement Day was not enough for humans. Without Christ, the same ritual would have had to be repeated for all eternity. However, that changed upon his death and resurrection. Before discussing that, though, it is important to mention that in Israel, the slaughtering of the Atonement Day bull and goat was not enough. The blood had to be offered by the High Priest. Likewise, the same was true of Christ. "For Christ entered, not into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the person of God for us."-Hebrews 9:24

If the blood of Christ had not had to be offered to God, he would have not had to be resurrected. His death would have been sufficient. However, someone--the High Priest--had to offer the blood to God. Since the High Priest was Jesus, he would have to be resurrected to approach God and offer his own blood. That is why Christ's resurrection was so important. His death alone was not enough. And, since he was the High Priest, only he could offer the shed blood.

When the Messiah offered the blood, another physical prophecy was fulfilled. When the human High Priest in Israel went to offer the blood, he would have to enter the Holy Place. This place was so holy that the priest could only enter once a year and then only when he had performed special rituals and when he was wearing special clothing. The place that Christ entered into was much better. The holy place made with hands on earth was only a copy of the real thing. Christ had to literally enter in front of God to offer his blood. The human priest only stood before the Ark of the Covenant, which was a symbol of God with Israel.

"Neither is it in order that he should offer himself often, as indeed the high priest enters into the holy place from year to year with blood not his own. Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the founding of the world."-Hebrews 9:25-26

This Atonement Day occurred once a year, every year. As noted above, once was not enough because the blood offered was not perfect, human blood. But Christ, a perfect man, was able to enter only once. If not, as Paul says, Jesus would have had to suffer often from the founding of the world.

That was the first time Christ came. Next time he comes, none of this will be necessary. What will happen then? For some, his return will be a joyous time, for others, a grievous time. To be in the former group, we have to follow the command of the Apostle Peter who said, "Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit." (Acts 2:38) It is paramount that we put our trust in this sacrifice. Only by accepting this sacrifice can we be forgiven. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Even more, and this is the part that people seem to forget, more is required then just accepting this sacrifice. We have to have good works and follow Jesus. (John 3:36; James 2:26) After that, we have to stop sinning. We cannot continue to sin after learning the truth.-Romans 6:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8; Hebrews 10:26-31

Christ is coming back one more time. "The second time that [Christ] appears it will be apart from sin and to those earnestly looking for him for their salvation." (Hebrews 9:28) Christ is returning to save those of us who have put our faith in him. May all who the Father is drawing be part of that group.-John 6:44

Christ in the Law and the Prophets

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve."-1 Corinthians 15:3-5

Everyone is aware of the prophecies that are directly associated with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there is more then just such as "He is guarding all the bones of that one; not one of them has been broken" (Psalm 34:20) and "Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble--riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey's colt."-Zechariah 9:9

Prophecies like these are easily identified by their New Testament fulfillments. However, there are other prophecies in the Bible that are more obscure in that people don't realize they are prophecies. What are they?

The Sign of Jonah
When some Scribes and Pharisees wanted to test Jesus once again, they approached him and said, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." Jesus, knowing that they had seen many signs already, was not about to give another one to them, so he said, "A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."-Matthew 12:38-40

Going back to the Old Testament book of Jonah, we read Jonah's small, autobiographical account. "Then they lifted up Jonah and hurled him into the sea; and the sea began to halt from its raging. At that the men bgan to fear Jehovah greatly, and so they offered a sacrifice to Jehovah and made vows. Now Jehovah appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah so that Jonah came to be in the inward parts of the fish three days and three nights...In time, Jehovah commanded the fish, so that it vomited out Jonah onto the dry land."-Jonah 1:16-17; 2:10

Jonah's being in the fish has an exact parallel to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Without it being an explicit prophecy, Jonah's being in the fish for three days and nights was prophetically pointing to the Lord Jesus.

The Mosaic Law
At another time, Jesus Christ was speaking to the crowds in his great Sermon on the Mount. At one point near the beginning of his Sermon he said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17) Unknown to most is that many aspects of the Mosaic Law were prophectic of the Christ. Let us look at a few of them but first let us see what is said of these in the New Testament.

In his letter to the congregation in Colossae, Paul said, "Let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for these things are a shadow of the things to come but the reality belongs to the Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17) Further he said in Hebrews, "For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come, but not the very substance of the things..." (Hebrews 10:1) While the commands and regulations in the Law were not all prophectic to Christ, we will look at a few things that were.

The Passover Festival
Jesus Christ died on Nisan 14, 33 C.E. (or A.D.) in Israel. Was this any regular day? No. This was the anniversary of the Passover festival, one of the most important festivals in Israel. Was his death on this day coincidence? Again, we have a no.

Nisan 14, or Passover, was a celebration of the day that the angel flew over Egypt, killing the firstborn. So important was this event that God told the nation of Israel: "This is the statute of the passover...In one house it is to be eaten. You must not take any of the flesh out of the house to some place outside. And you must not break a bone in it [prophetic of none of Christ's bones being broken]. All the assembly of Israel are to celebrate it." (Exodus 12:43, 46-47) How does all of this point to Jesus Christ?

Well, it is known that Christ is constantly referred to as a lamb. (John 1:29; Revelation 7:9) Moreover, his death, being on Nisan 14, the exact day of the Passover, was fitting in that he is the passover lamb. Paul wrote, "For Christ our passover has been sacrificed."-1 Corinthians 5:7

The Festival of Unfermented Cakes
Another festival celebrated by the Israelites was the Festival of Unfermented Cakes. This festival had a special significance in that it was prophetic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What was this festival?

On Nisan 16 (the day Jesus was resurrected) Israelites brought a sheaf of firstfruits of the barley harvest for the priest to wave before Yahweh. (Leviticus 23:6-14) What was special about the barley harvest?

The barley harvest was the first type of crop to grow each year in Israel. This is prophetic in that Jesus Christ was the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death." (1 Corinthians 15:20) The question arises: How can Jesus be the firstfruits of those who have died if billions of people lived and died before him? In that he is the first person to be resurrected, never to die again. The fact that this festival and the resurrection of Christ happened on the same day was not coincidence.

There is one other aspect of the Mosaic Law that is perhaps the most important prophetic parallel with the death of Christ. The Atonement Day, which will be discussed further in this two part discussion.

Top 10 Most Popular Bible Verses

10. John 11:35-"Jesus Wept" (KJV)

9. Proverbs 3:5, 6-"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (NIV)

8. Genesis 1:1-"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (NIV)

7. Isaiah 53:5-"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (NIV)

6. James 2:26-"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (KJV)

5. Ephesians 2:8, 9-"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." (NIV)

4. Jeremiah 29:11-"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)

3. Psalm 23:1-"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." (KJV)

2. Joshua 24:15-"But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (KJV)

1. John 3:16-"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV)

Nebo-Sarsekim--Existence Verified

"Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon."-Jeremiah 39:3

Again, Archaeology proves the authenticity of the Bible. A relatively unknown, unimportant man, mentioned once in the Bible as visiting Jerusalem during its siege, has been proved to have actually existed. How? A receipt was found. A receipt! This receipt bore his name as having donated 0.75kg of gold to a temple in Babylon.

Links:
Ancient Document Confirms Existence of Biblical Figure
Nebo-Sarsekim Tablet

Christians Can Learn from King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34-35)

"Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and walked in the ways of David his father, and didn't turn aside to the right hand or to the left."-2 Chronicles 34:1-2, World English Bible

King Josiah was one of the few kings who did what was right in the eyes of God. He remained faithful all of his days, unlike his father King Amon and grandfather, King Manasseh. The Bible tells us that it wasn't until King Josiah was sixteen that he started to search for his God. He instantly started destroying all the high places, sacred poles, images and statues that his father Amon must have put up, for Manasseh had taken them down after his conversion. (2 Chronicles 33:12-13, 15; 34:3-5) Josiah even went even further, going into the northern kingdom of Israel, eradicating Baal worship from a country that wasn't even his.-2 Chronicles 34:6-7

Did all of this prove to be enough for Josiah, the sixteen year old king? No. Ten years later, after false worship was no longer in the land, Josiah set out to do repair work on the temple. Being led by three men, Shaphan, Maaseiah, and Joah, repairs were started. While all of this was going on, something truly magnificent was found! The original book of the Law written by the hand of Moses! (2 Chronicles 34:8-14) The book of the Law was read to King Josiah. How did he react?-2 Chronicles 34:18

The Bible says that Josiah "tore his clothes". (2 Chronicles 34:19) In those times, tearing ones clothes was a sign of extreme distress. A faithful man named Jephthah tore his clothes when he realized that he had to give his daughter to Jehovah's service after making a vow. He did this because this was his only child--a sad time indeed for this man. (Judges 11:30-31, 34-35) What was in the book of the Law that tore at Josiah's heart?

We do not know what King Josiah heard that touched him so deeply. He did, though, immediately send people to pray to God on his behalf about the sins of the people. His words were "Go you, inquire of Yahweh for me...for great is the wrath of Yahweh that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Yahweh, to do according to all that is written in this book." (2 Chronicles 34:21, WEB) What was Jehovah's answer to this? He told them of the coming "calamity" that was to befall Judah--the fall of the country to Babylon--that was to come later. God was going to spare the country now because of the faith of Josiah and his repentance for not keeping the entire Law.-2 Chronicles 34:24, 27-28

After this, Josiah made a Covenant to follow Jehovah all the days of his life. He would keep all of his commandments, testimonies, and regulations. He then turned his attention towards the peoples of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. He charged them to repent, which they did, and then removed all of the detestable things out of the rest of Israel.-2 Chronicles 34:32-33

Josiah then proceeded to hold a Passover on Nisan 14, the anniversary of the day the angel of death flew over Egypt, killing the firstborn, and of the Exodus. They sacrificed thousands of animals to God being contributed from all sorts of people. This turned out to be the biggest Passover in hundreds of years! (2 Chronicles 35:1, 7-9, 17-18) What faith King Josiah had! What lesson is there for us today?-Romans 15:4

If you were one of few people who followed the true God today, the rest were scattered and few, and you followed the commandments in the Bible--go to church, preach, etc. (Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 28:19-20) and then found out there was more then just that, would you do it? Remember, you are one of the only people in your area that worships God. Would you perhaps feel that maybe you were already doing enough? If you found out that God required more, could you get the attitude that perhaps since you were the only one serving God, that was enough?

Sadly, that is the view of many today. They think that going to church and talking about God, while good, is enough. God requires more.

Our conduct has to be that befitting Christians. (1 Peter 2:12) Many people feel that after we turn around, we can continue doing what we want to do. That is not the way that it is. Paul wrote: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2) Can we continue to sin just because we are saved? Absolutely not! We have to learn to walk by spirit. If we do, we will carry out no fleshly desire at all. (Galatians 5:16) Continuing to sin willfully after repentance will mean that we are "trampl[ing] upon the Son of God", viewing as "ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which [we were] sanctified", and "insult[ing] the spirit."-Hebrews 10:26, 29

There are certain things that a Christian cannot do. Practice homosexuality, murder, be deceitful, malicious, slanderers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, disobedient to parents, without understanding, be closed to any agreement, merciless, fornicators, greedy, extortioners, idolaters. We cannot practice spiritism, the occult, witchcraft, be superstitious, be jealous, have fits of anger, divide, get drunk, have wild parties, and things like these. (Romans 1:26-31; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; Galatians 5:20-21) When we find out that there is more things that God requires of us then just going to church and preaching, we need to be like King Josiah and do it. He had already done a lot in service to God but when he found more was needed, he did it.

Another important thing to do is watch our appearance. Both Paul and Peter speak of how a Christian's appearance should be. Paul says, "Likewise, I desire the women (and all Christians, men and women) to adorn themselves in well-arranged dress, with modesty and soundness of mind, not with styles of hair braiding and gold or pearls or very expensive garb." Peter says, "Do not let your adornment be that of the external braiding of the hair and of the putting on of gold ornaments or the wearing of outer garments." (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3) Why would they say all of this?

Paul and Peter are telling us that looking good is not what is important for a Christian. We shouldn't use our outward appearances to impress people. Appearances sure do not impress God. (1 Samuel 16:7) What is important is what type of people Christians are on the inside. Paul and Peter conclude by telling us to adorn ourselves "in the way that befits women [and all Christians] professing to reverence God, namely, through good works." Peter concludes his thought with: "Let it be the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit." (1 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 3:4) Who we are on the inside and the way we conduct ourselves is what should impress people who are not Christian. That is what is truly important. That is what we need to groom.

Last, when doing more, we should follow the advice in the Bible to do all we can for other people. (Galatians 6:2) We are supposed to help other people, Christians and non-Christians alike.-Galatians 6:10

The most important point, though, is how we care for a certain temple today. We cannot do repair work on the actual temple like Josiah did. However, we do have a temple that we can constantly "repair", as it were. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 talks of the temple of your body. This is one temple that needs to be taken constant care of. Jesus said, "Not what enters into his mouth defiles a man; but it is what proceeds out of his mouth that defiles him." (Matthew 15:11) We are to be careful of how we talk because we do not want to "defile" God's temple. Being called a temple shows the importance of our Christian Way.

There is much embodied in the Christian way of life. When we learn what God truly expects of a Christian, we should strive to do it. Remember, God put the account of King Josiah in the Bible for a reason. We need to learn from it, use it in our lives. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Then we can truly be a holy temple.

The Song of Solomon

Many people look at the Song of Solomon in disgust. They claim that it is too erotic. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, took this book out of his Bible, claiming that it was not inspired because of how erotic it was. Is this the case? Is a book that many claim is erotic capable of being inspired of God? Is a book that many claim is erotic capable of being inspired of God? In the words of one Mormon, "The Song of Solomon talks about breasts! How can a book that talks about breasts be inspired?"

First, let us look at all of the books of the Bible that talk about breasts.

In the book of Proverbs, there is a section that speaks of how we should view our wives. We should find our delight only in her. There should be no thoughts of other women at all. That is what the following Scripture is speaking of. In Proverbs 5, we find, "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love."-Proverbs 5:18-19

While Proverbs is not full of references to breasts, as some may argue, neither is Song of Solomon. In fact, the word breasts only appears 8 times throughout the entire book, although this is more then any other book. (Song of Solomon 1:13; 4:5; 7:3, 7-8; 8:1, 8, 10) The usage of the word is also not in a derogatory manner. Other books that mention breasts in a non-derogatory way are Job, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Nahum.-Job 3:12; Isaiah 60:16; 66:11; Hosea 2:2; 9:14; Nahum 2:7

One Scripture that many point to when arguing against the Song of Solomon is this one. "I found the one whom my soul has loved. I grabbed hold of him, and I would not let go of him, until I had brought him into my mother’s house and into the interior room of her that had been pregnant with me." (Song of Solomon 3:4) At this point, the Shulammite is dreaming of searching for her beloved. (Song of Solomon 3:1) She makes this statement after finding him. However, dreams tell us many things about the desires of a person. The Shulammite wants to bring the Shepherd boy into her mother's tent. Does this here mean that she wants to commit immorality?

No. In the ancient Middle East, marriage ceremonies went on for days. On the third day of the ceremony, the two newlyweds would enter into the tent of the mother of one of them. They would have intercourse, which would seal the marriage. Biblical evidence of this is found at Genesis 24:67 where we read: "After that Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother. Thus he took Rebekah and she became his wife."

A Bible commentary confirms this by saying, "The women in the East have all separate apartments, into which no person ever attempts to enter except the husband. We find Isaac bringing Rebecca into his mother's tent, when he made her his wife, Genesis 24:67. What is here related appears to refer to the third night of the nuptials." [1] People's ignorance of ancient customs has caused many misunderstandings throughout the world's history, some of them being deadly. How sad it would be if some ignorant person concluded that the Song of Solomon was mistakenly inserted into the Biblical canon and so chose to ignore this inspired book! Yes, research is important.

In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 23 is probably the most sexually explicit chapters in the entire Bible. This chapter says things like, "They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed." "She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her." "Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her." "There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled."-Ezekiel 23:3, 8, 17, 20-21, see also Ezekiel 16:1-9

Should the book of Ezekiel be excluded from the Bible due to this? Not at all. There are many gems in this book that are well worth our attention. Song of Solomon is no different. When people read this book, they can only see the sexual statements in it. These need to open their minds and look at it in the light of its inspiration. What is God trying to tell us here?

The second thing that people need to understand when reading the Song of Solomon is the context of this book. Not the internal context but the external. When was it written? Where was it written? Why was it written?

Song of Solomon was written in the Middle East over three thousand years ago. The culture then was different then it is today. The people and their beliefs were different. The way they looked at a womans breasts was most different, too. Today breasts are looked at in more of a sexual manner. In Solomon's day, breasts were seen as no different then any other part of the body; they were not seen as overly sexual. There are other things in this short book that we cannot imagine saying--things that are not of a sexual nature.

Many of the times that the word "breasts" is used in this book, it is in describing the physical features of the Shulammite. Someone says of her in at least one instance: "Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle." (Song of Solomon 7:3) If you continue reading that chapter, you find that the entire thing is about how beautiful she looks to the speaker. Yes, today few of us would be caught dead saying to a woman the above, but he says other things that are downright silly to use. Things like: "Your hair is like a flock of goats" "Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn" "You waist is a mound of wheat" "Your neck is like an ivory tower".-Song of Solomon 4:1-2; 7:2, 4

Third, when we are mature enough to ignore the sexual statements in the book, what can we find that is beneficial on a spiritual level? Trust me, there are some.

The Song of Solomon answers questions such as these:

1. How should you appear when before someone of the opposite sex, whether you have a relationship with them or not?
2. How should you view the person you are with in relation to others of the opposite sex?
3. How should you act when it comes to sexual activity outside of marriage?

While these are questions that we should already know the answer to, we need to examine all aspects of God's inspired Word to get an all around picture and also because it is good to have a Godly reminder of such things as these. So:

How should you appear when before someone of the opposite sex, whether you have a relationship with them or not?

In what is possibly a dream, the Shulammite was awakened by a knocking at the door to her bedroom. It is the young man that she loves! He asks her to open the door. (Song of Solomon 5:2) Now, the young woman is naked, or partially so, because she is in bed. What does she do? She really wants to see him. Will she put herself in a position that will possibly cause them to commit immorality because she lets him in while her appearance is inappropriate? No.

"I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet—must I soil them again?" she asks him. (Song of Solomon 5:3) From there the man leaves her and she realizes how much she wants him. She gets up to find him but he is gone. She then goes around the city to find him, with no success. (Song of Solomon 5:4-6) We even find out that she had first put her clothes on because later she is attacked and the "watchmen" take her clothes off her.-Song of Solomon 5:7

So, the Shulammite is a noble example of how a man and a woman should act when they are indecent in appearance. Do not even allow opportunity for you to be alone in a situation like that. Like the Shulammite, no matter if you want to see this person, all efforts must be taken to keep any type of sexual sin from occurring.

Second: How should you view the person you are with in relation to others of the opposite sex?

Again, we can take a lesson from the Shulammite and her boyfriend. The Shulammite and her boyfriend a mutually exclusive towards one another. The thought of either of them being with another person, or even looking at another person, is the last thing in their minds. Throughout the entire Song, they both use words that show that they are exclusive, like "girl companion of mine" and "my dear one." (Song of Solomon 1:15; 4:16) Throughout the entire song, they constantly reaffirm their exclusivity towards one another, saying, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." (Song of Solomon 6:3, Young's Literal Translation) Of her, to prove his exclusive devotion, we read: "I am my beloved's, and on me is his desire."-Song of Solomon 7:10, YLT

The two characters of the Song are wonderful examples on how exclusive two Christians, even if they are only dating, should view one another. If you cannot be exclusive while dating, as these two were, how can you be that way in marriage?

Last: How should you act when it comes to sexual activity outside of marriage?

In the last chapter of the Song, we see a dialouge between the Shulammite and her brothers. They speak of a little sister who has not become fully developed, or mature. They say that if she is a door, they will build a wall in front of her. If she is a wall, they will decorate her with silver. The Shulammite then tells them that she is a wall. (Song of Solomon 8:8-10) They are speaking of sexual activity. If the little sister is a door, "opening up" for just any man, her brothers will be a wall towards her. They will not let her disgrace herself. If she is a wall, barring herself from any sexual immorality, then they will praise her. The Shulammite then tells them that she is a wall. She, happily, has kept herself pure and undefiled, even though there was constant pressure.-Song of Solomon 3:5; 8:4

Surely, there are many precious gems that we can get from this most beautiful of songs. (Song of Solomon 1:1) There is ample internal evidence that this book is indeed an integral part of the divine canon of Scripture. Further, people are aware of the prophetic parallels between the Shulammite and her beloved and Christ and Anointed Christians. (Song of Solomon 2:1) May you not neglect to look to this small yet important book in all of your dealings when it comes to members of the opposite sex. And remember, one of the most important passages at the end of the Song tells us how important love is in marriage--and in general:

"For love is as strong as death is, its jealousy as unyielding as the grave. It burns with a blazing fire, the mighty flame of Yah. Many waters cannot extinguish love nor can rivers wash it away."-Song of Solomon 8:6-7, The Free Bible

References

[1] The Adam Clarke Commentary