Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar;

Song of Songs 1:3: “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.”

It seems many of you have done exhaustive study in the book of Song of Solomon and I doubt I could add very much to your studies or share with you something you don’t already know.

Still, let me give it a shot.  There is something very subtle in this verse that is easily overlooked.  When you take a close look at the words “Shaman” and “ravak”  you find that these words are used  to express “richness” and “poverty in other passages.”   The writer is giving you a remez here.  Maybe this is one of those mysteries that Paul speaks about in  I Corinthians 2:8 that “had the sages known the mysteries of God they would not have crucified Jesus.”

First look at the word “savor” it comes from the same root as “rauch” spirit or wind.  Let’s read this passage using some other English words that these Hebrew words express.

“Because of the Spirit of your prosperity (shaman – KJV ointments) your name (reputation) is made in harmony (tov – KJV good) with poverty (ravak – KJV pour out). Therefore do the virgins love you.   Now if we are viewing this story as a picture of Jesus and His relationship to the church, then in this passage we have a very good picture of the kenosis (Philippians 2:7).

As a result of this empting of Himself, the “virgins love thee.”   The word virgin is “almah” not “betuleah”  Betulah is the word for virgin.  Almah means an unmarried young woman.

Jesus is seen as the bridegroom.  He is available for all the unmarried.  His attraction is not His wealth, but his willing poverty,  His willingness to empty Himself of all his glory and splendor to redeem us from our sins so that we can become His bride. This is  His attraction that causes us to “’ahavah” Him.  The word “ahavah”  is a completed love.  A love that needs to be accepted and returned to be complete.

There is no other god in any world religion who willingly emptied Himself of all his glory and splendor to become a human sacrifice and face a brutal death to redeem the human creature.  We love our God for what He has given us, not what we can get from Him.

Your Friend