Chapter 3
by SBSK
All scriptures are from the New Revised Standard
Version (NRSV) unless otherwise stated.
We have now spent an entire chapter looking at the sod (mystical) meaning of part of the first verse of the Song of Songs and learned something of the creation process, marriage, and the quest of the soul to find unity within itself. And we have seen how Christ is Himself the pinnacle of that unity.
It is possible to write many essays on just each verse, something far beyond the scope of this short book but which, if time allows, might be attempted at another time. A question I know some of you may well be asking is: What has this to do with polygyny? But to answer that question we must probe a little deeper into verse 1.
We have already been given a big clue in the first word SHEER:
which is apparently telling us that the whole text of the Song is perfect from beginning to end, that every one of the Hebrew letters within it is relevent, every one of its verses is an opening to unfathomable beauty and ahavah (love). As such it is a book that may be studied the whole of one's life and will yet yield more and more insight into the mind of our Heavenly Father and tell us more about the mysteries of the Godhead.
Now that we understand the root of the word SHEER we must begin to project this abstract quality into the world of existing forms and actions. SHEER, when lived, appears as a response (or Breath: Sheen - 
) to the Universe (Resh/Raysh - ). Ahavah (love) is a unified principle, the pinnacle of all virtue: "And now emunah (faith), tiqveh (hope), and ahavah (love) abide, these three; and the greatest of these is ahavah (love)" (1 Cor.13:13). It can, and does, however, manifest itself in many, many different ways. The more it manifests, the more glory is given to Yahweh, who is ahavah (love) (1 Jn.4:8,16). The unitary husband (
) is commanded to love his (
) wife as Christ ( loved the Messianic Community/Church (Eph.5:25) (). Alef () is singular whereas Taw () is plural (though it may be singular) - Christ is one and He has a one-to-one relationship with each believer and a plural relationship with all believers. Similarly a man may have a one-to-one relationship with each wife and a plural relationship with many. The principle of polygyny is thus clearly embedded in the sod meaning of the Song of Songs.
We have looked at SHEER but you will also notice that the plural SHEEREEM (or Shirim = Songs) appears in the text of the first verse:
This is not a rehetorical usage by any means but asserts that these Songs are the core or essence of the achievement of all love poems and all the love songs that will be ever sung. These poems simply cannot be bettered! Therefore if you want to know about marital love in both its exoteric and esoteric forms you need go no further than the Song of Songs - Yahweh here promises that all lovers need to know is to be found here...in the Davar Elohim (Word of God). If we are therefore seeking godly marriages rich in love and passion we will find all we need to be happy and content here. What a promise! But, like all good things, you must be prepared to do some digging, for that which is precious does not reveal itself to any but those willing to intest time and effort into the quest to find it.
Next we find the Hebrew word ESHER:
Perhaps the most well-known use of this word is in Exodus 3:14 where Elohim (God) announces the Name by which He is to be known:
"'I AM WHO I AM'" (Ex.3:14, RSV)
which is rendered in the Hebrew as EHIEH-ESHER-EHIEH:
Hé () is the number 5 and represents the sign of Chayim (Life). We can thus translate the Name of Elohim (God) from the equation 1.5.10.5-1.300.200-1.5.10.5 which means:
In essence, then, Elohim (God) is alive both in the physical universe as well as in His own [spiritual] sphere. He is both separate from His Creation as well as a part of it. The physical world is alive because of the presence of the Qadosh (Holy, Set-apart) Ruach/Breath () or Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) (female) which comes from the male Father (). The Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) or Mother, operating in our dimension, thus becomes the revelation of the concealed Father.
ESHER, which follows SHEER HA-SHEEREEM in v.1, develops its explanation which reference to the two 's and the three 's. Yod/ written three times is a very alive partner to the so far unmentioned . ESHER introduces it and shows its action upon , thus explaining how the came to life, and completing the picture. But how were the two lives of and generated? This is revealed in the last word of v.1, LESHALOMOH (30.300.30.40.5):
We have here two organic emanations (30 and 40): one for and one for encompassing a that has recovered its unity (note: sheen is composed of a base like an upturned 3 and three 's). Their joint action on the biosphere (Mem/) is alive with Hé/.
LESHALOMOH means in idiomatic Hebrew "for her peace" ('Solomon' literally means "peaceful", being derived from Shalom meaning "peace"), a prophetic name given by Yahweh which could have been fulfilled had he not fallen, for he would have received peace in his godly wives, of which the Shulamite was an ideal. We as humans may only receive our peace by the presence of the (feminine) Holy Spirit in our physical container (body) - She must bathe our psyche, our mind, and our body. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid" (Jn.14:27). Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we find an inner harmomny and peace. We become, as it were, SHEER HA-SHEEREEM, a Song of Songs. Could this be the new song which is sung before the throne of God (Rev.14:3)?
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth" (Rev.5:9-10, NIV)
I leave that for my readers to decide for themselves.
We have looked in some considerable depth the first verse of the Song of Songs and learned, I hope, much. I shall not be examining the other verses in anywhere as near depth otherwise we could end with a book of several hundred pages long! But I hope this will be the stimulus for further investigation.
