The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls! – Song of Songs 5:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 19, 2016): Song of Songs 5

The Christian Church has a lot for which we need to apologize. The Crusades were not our finest hour. While I believe that the popes of the last few decades have been, for the most part, amazing, there have also been popes who have let us down. More recently, we have committed a sin when we have equated being Christian with conforming to a Western, and often white, lifestyle. We have sinned against people of color, against other religions and cultures whose actions are not in accordance with our own. We have spoken words of condemnation in times when we should have spoken words of encouragement. We have not been the prime examples of the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – that we have been instructed to be. We have failed. And for that we are sorry. This is on us, and as Christians, we need to understand that, and we need to begin to make amends.

Scholars are divided as to whether or not Solomon’s bride is still in a dream state, or whether she has awoken from her sleep. But either way, she walks outside of the doors of her house to search for her beloved. But this time, she is found by the watchmen and abused and beaten. She is hurt by the very people whose job it is to warn of outside dangers that might be coming against the city.

The traditional Hebrew allegorical understanding of this text is that it is speaking of the Babylonian Captivity. If this is indeed written by Solomon, then this would be a prophecy of the time to come when Israel would be beaten by outside forces and then abused and taken into captivity. The Christian understanding is that this is an allegory that has to do with the various persecutions that the church has gone through. But the important outcome is that Shulamite bride, the Jewish people, and the Christian Church have never, even in times of persecution, stopped chasing after the one that we love, and who loves us with an affection that is much more than we deserve.

I have a problem with the interpretation. The abusers in Solomon’s love story are the watchmen on the walls. They are the very ones charged with protecting the people. So, that being true, then the allegory cannot be about the Assyrians and Babylonians who beat Israel, and it cannot be about the forces of persecution that have hit the church throughout its history. If we are to keep in step with the story, then this is a defeat that comes from within. The allegory points to Hebrew Kings who spoke about God but never had a real relationship with him. It is about Christian organizations who have been structured around greed and power rather than around the Fruit of the Spirit and the concept of making a difference in the world for the goodness for all humanity. It is an admission that we have failed, and that we need to change our way.

It is about the Christian Church’s need to say “I’m sorry.” Can we say it together?   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 6