King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. – 1 Kings 11:1-2

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 31, 2019): 1 Kings 11

One hundred and fifty. It is the number of people, approximately, that you can know by face and name without any kind of further prompt or clue. A few more faces can be connected with a name if we are given a clue as to who it is that the picture represents. If you have ever been surfing on one of the many web news sites and come across one of those quizzes where you have to identify various people, you know that reality. Given just a picture of a person, you might be able to tell me their name. But given a photo and a short list of names, you can probably correctly pair the picture with the correct name for a few more. (Personally, I have to admit that I forgot the name of my wife on our first date – I promise, I haven’t forgotten it since – and sometimes go blank on the names of some of my closest friends. So maybe my number is a little lower.)

We can know about one hundred and fifty people. Solomon married seven hundred women and added three hundred concubines. We only know the name of one of his wives, Naamah the Ammonite, the mother of Rehoboam. But then, you have to think that part of the problem was that even Solomon didn’t know all of their names. I can imagine Solomon having an unexpected meeting with one of his wives, asking her the question “Did I marry you? What is your name?”

According to the author of 1 Kings, Solomon loved them all. Yet, there is a real question whether Solomon had ever really fallen in love. Marrying a thousand women would seem to be more about lust and ego than love. Solomon doesn’t seem to understand the definition of love.  I know, John tells us to love one another, and that someone who does not love does not know God. But I don’t think John intended that we would marry all of the women or people that we love. The wise king of Israel was quickly becoming transactional, serving only his own wants and desires. He lusted after women, justified it by calling lust love, and then welcomed them into his ever-expanding family. And that became the real problem of the thousand wives and concubines of King Solomon.

In truth, the thousand women of Solomon presented the wise king with a problem that you would have thought that wisdom could have avoided. The women, just as was predicted, led Solomon into sin. The influence of gods other than the God of Israel began to hold sway over the royal court. As a result, Israel began to slip into sin, and the inferior beliefs and ways of the nations of the wives of Solomon started to be followed throughout the country, and not just in the Royal Palace of Solomon. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 1

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country. – 2 Chronicles 9:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 30, 2019): 2 Chronicles 9

His name was Menelik I, the legendary king of Ethiopia. According to tradition, Menelik was the son of Queen Makeda. And when Menelik took the throne after his mother’s death, he began a dynasty that would rule over Ethiopia almost uninterrupted for close to the next three millennia. The dynasty of Menelik finally ended in 1974 with the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie. Selassie died (or was assassinated depending on you are listening to) a year later in prison.

For most, the names are probably unknown - except that you do know them. Queen Makeda might be better known to most of us by another title – she was the biblical Queen of Sheba. And Menelik I, if he did exist, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel. And the dynasty that Menelik started was known as Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia.

Credible records from this period are scarce. History has become shrouded, but the possibility of the legend actually being true is admittedly tantalizing. If there was a union between Solomon and Makeda, the Bible says that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, so such a relationship is not out of the question, then many questions would be answered – like why the Queen showered Solomon with so many expensive gifts with little traded in return. These were love gifts for her husband, or maybe, more importantly, these were gifts given to the father of her child. And there is the suggestion that what Sheba wanted the most from Solomon was to be the mother of his child. And “King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for.” But we also need to acknowledge that while Solomon may have had a relationship with a thousand or more women, the only named wife of Solomon in the Bible was Naamah the Ammonite, the mother of Rehoboam, the son which would eventually succeed Solomon as King over Israel. Thus, the actual status of the Queen of Sheba remains a mystery.

There are even rumors that Solomon built a replica of the Ark of the Covenant and sent it to his son in Ethiopia, along with some the crown princes to help with the rule. It is a romantic idea – but maybe?

If Makeda is numbered among the wives of Solomon, eventually the time came for her to return home, and when she left she took her son with her. There was another kingdom to rule, and her hope was that the son that she shared with Solomon would possess the same wisdom as the King who was his father. Because, her Kingdom needed that kind of wisdom if it was going to survive.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 11

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents … – 1 Kings 10:14

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 29, 2019): 1 Kings 10

Numbers. We use them throughout life. The ability to understand numbers is incredibly important if we want to be able to pay our bills or buy a quantity of something from a store. A Facebook post argued that it was the greed of the wealthy that was the root cause of poverty. The post was unequivocally wrong. Nothing forces us to buy the products that make others rich. The root cause of poverty, at least in developed nations, is either our inability or lack of desire to count. Everyone has within them, at least in the world that I live, the ability to become millionaires. But that means sacrifice and a lifetime devotion to counting.

But it is not just for counting that numbers are essential. Sometimes numbers mean power. How many seats are needed to win an election? Of course, counting is involved, but for the winner there is so much more than just a number that is being reported. How the government responds to crisis is all tied up in that final count of numbers.

And, sometimes, numbers carry meaning. Matthew 1 contains an unusual genealogy of the lineage of Jesus. It is strange, at least according to modern understanding, because it is wrong. There have been kings purposefully left out, and probably others that we cannot as easily verify that have been omitted from the list, all so that Matthew can make this statement; “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah” (Matthew 1:17). The reason is that “fourteen” is a powerful number. It is two times seven, and seven is a perfect number; it is also the number of God. So our modern interpretation of Matthew 1:17 might run something like this. “God placed Abraham in a place of influence in Canaan. And when the time was right, David, Abraham’s child was placed by God in that same seat of influence. And when the time was right, the exile took the people of Israel to Babylon. And then, when the time was right, Jesus the Messiah was born. All of this took place with the perfect understanding of God” (Matthew 1:17, my paraphrase.) The meaning is in the numbers

Another number that has significant meaning to Christians is 666. Six is the number of the human race, and three sixes have long been associated with the end times dictator that we sometimes call “the Antichrist.” I have friends that have refused to take license plates that contained the offending three sixes. My treasurer once considered shorting an expense claim I submitted because the amount came to $666.00. (No, the number was not exact, some cents were involved that I don’t remember now. But the dollars were 666.)

And 666, according to John’s Revelation, is the number of a man. And that man might have been Solomon. Why? He is the only other person in the Bible associated with the number 666. Maybe it is arbitrary; it is just a weight that is presented in this verse. But numbers in the Bible often mean something. Solomon was a King that started good and ended bad. And some believe that attributing the number 666 to the Antichrist, might mean that this person, too, will start good, but somewhere along the line become corrupted by wants and desires and become bad.

And if you think you might have heard this story before, you probably have. In the Star Wars Saga, this is essentially the story of Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker started good but became corrupted by desire. He is an excellent illustration of the predicted Antichrist. Who knew that “Star Wars” was so biblical?

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 9

But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit. – Song of Songs 8:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 28, 2019): Song of Songs 8

Comedian Steve Martin once commented that “I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy.” The idea that all sex is, at its most basic function, an economic transaction is an ancient concept. The question is not whether or not sex can be bought, but rather, what is the price? In our culture, the price for sex, even within the church, has been dropping over the past few decades. Can sex be gained for the price of a dinner, or maybe three good dates? Perhaps it is a time period, being in an exclusive relationship for a year, or six months, or even a month. Whatever the price was in the past, that price is much lower now. Even with the rise of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that threaten our lives and ability to have sex in the future, we still seem to value it less. The idea of saving that first sexual experience for the wedding night almost seems archaic, as if sex is maybe not worth that much.

Sometimes it seems that the biblical experts, maybe especially Christian experts, often try to travel through the Song of Songs without really mentioning the actual subject matter of the book; sex. As I read the literature, there is often symbolic connections between the book and the Christian Church that is found in King Solomon’s words.

And yet, the subject matter here is sex. So let’s talk about sex. The bride has, at various times, been self-deprecating in her dialogue. She all too clearly sees her faults. Her skin is too dark, a result of her many hours working in the sun. While her beloved sees only her beauty, the woman is all too aware of her imperfections. Humbly she wonders why the king would choose her.

And yet, here, she also recognizes the immense value of her body. She has steadfastly refused to give it to anyone all through her life. And at this moment, she is glad. Because now she has found the one who is worthy of this valuable gift that only she has to offer. Her beloved is the one who is willing to pay the price and make her his wife. All of the offers that came before pale when compared to what the king offers her now. There is no doubt that her beloved has imperfections as well. But still, he is the right one, the one worthy of her gift.

Sexual desire is powerful, but there is a sexual lesson that we need to hear from the story of the King and his bride. In a culture that seems to want to devalue the gift of sex that we have to give, we need to be careful about what we are willing to take to give it away. A fun night after a meal might seem appropriate. But the truth is that the time will come when we will wonder why we gave it away for so little.

The last clause of this verse has caused some trouble in interpretation, but for me, the intent of the statement is that the bride recognizes that others had helped her protect her body as she grew up. Her father and her brothers, and maybe other close relatives were important to the process. These are the ones who tended “her vineyard” so that the bride could give this valuable gift to her husband on this day. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 10

How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist’s hands. – Song of Songs 7:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 27, 2019): Song of Songs 7

Titles can be important to some people. And sometimes they fill the one who has to bear the title with stress. After her divorce, Princess Diana was able to keep the title “princess” because she was the mother of a future king. But there was a discussion over whether or not she could keep the style with which she was to be addressed; “Her Royal Highness.” According to the rumors heard outside of Buckingham Palace, the family was split on the issue. Queen Elizabeth wanted Diana to keep the style. Prince Charles was insistent that Diana lose the style. And a very young Prince William promised to return the style to his mom, “when he became King.” But Diana’s mom fell out of favor with her daughter when she revealed that in private discussions she had had with her daughter, Diana told her that she was happy to let her style go. She just didn’t want to bother with all of the ceremony that came with it. It is a bother that most of us will never have to experience.

On a more personal note, I do have a princess in my family. As I write this, she is seven years old, and she claimed the heart of her grandfather the day that she was born. I know she is not a real princess, although there is possibly a little (minuscule) amount of royal blood flowing through her veins, but that does not make her any less of a princess in my eyes. She is, and always will be, an honorary princess in the family. And it would take an extraordinary marriage to change that.

Solomon calls his bride a “prince’s daughter” as he begins another lengthy section extolling her beauty by focusing on various parts of her body. But while his description of her body probably reflects the way that he views her, his description of her as a “Prince’s daughter” is perhaps more honorary rather than literal. Oh, she is a princess, but like Diana, it has nothing to with who her father is and everything to do with who it is that she has married. Lloyd Carr makes this comment; the use of Prince’s daughter “is not necessarily that the girl is of royal birth, but rather that she is of gracious and noble character and person.” Solomon might spend a lot of time describing the physical characteristics of his new bride, but he is acutely aware that her inner character matches her outward appearance. And both are important to Solomon.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 8

Friends - Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, that we may gaze on you! He - Why would you gaze on the Shulammite as on the dance of Mahanaim? – Song of Songs 6:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 26, 2019): Song of Songs 6

L. M. Montgomery, in her classic book “Anne of Green Gables,” comments that “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage” (Capitals hers). Of course, the book that contains the comment she is referring to is William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” And it might be that both Shakespeare and Montgomery are correct. From Shakespeare’s point of view, it is the flower that is fragrant and not the name. We understand the word rose only because that is the name that we have connected to the flower. If I told you that the flower that we know of us a “rose” was really called a “red cup” (let’s stay away from skunk cabbage), it would not change the fragrance of the flower.

But we think in a specific language. For me, I think in English. It is English concepts that I understand, and so Anne is also right. Even if you have never smelled a skunk cabbage, you would not be expecting something that smelled pretty with a name like that because you know that “skunk” is the English name for an animal that has the potential to smell very bad. The building blocks that we use to think start with a language, and continues with our cultural understanding.

And that includes the idea of names. It wasn’t that long ago that a woman would take the man’s name without even considering not doing so. It was a connection that in our language and culture was proper. But, not everyone feels that way. I have some friends who happen to be brothers, and each member of the family has a different family name. The family originated from a place of war and making it hard to identify siblings was an essential consideration in the naming of the brothers, and the reason why none of them share a family name. And under those circumstances, the wife does not take the husband's name.

Today, as I counsel couples preparing for marriage, the post-marriage name is more of a conversation that needs to be had than it might have been in the past. Many women still choose to change their name and take the name of their new husbands. Some want to marry but to also keep their own names and identity. One couple decided at the end of our conversation that the man would take the woman’s name.   

This is the only place in the “Song of Songs” where the bride is called “the Shulammite.” And in using this name, the bride is being identified with Solomon. Shulammite is the feminine form of Solomon, much like Donna is the female form of Don or Donald in English. Here she is identifying herself with her husband by taking his name. The use of “Shulammite” indicates the strong unity that existed between the couple.

Just as a further note, it is crucial to understand that the “He,” “She,” and “Friends” listed at the beginning of each section in the Song of Songs is actually entirely arbitrary. Sometimes the speaker is obvious. But sometimes it is a stretch. And maybe sometimes, we get it wrong. The NIV places the words at the tail end of this verse into the mouth of Solomon, but it might be that it was meant to be that the voice of “the Shulammite” that is heard here. The context is hard to understand, but it makes sense that, as the friend's clamor for her to return, she would respond in great humility, wondering why they would want to look at her. After all, all that she is, in her mind, is summed up in her relationship with the king. The Shulammite is nothing without Solomon. We might not always understand that sentiment in our culture, but it would have been very appropriate in the culture of the Shulammite. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 7

He - I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Friends - Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love. – Songs of Songs 5:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 25, 2019): Song of Songs 5

On October 15, 2019, The Atlantic ran an article entitled “Trump Betrayed the Kurds. He Couldn’t Help Himself.” The opinion piece, written by Peter Wehner, argues that betrayal is the one constant in the life of Donald Trump. If there is one thing that is a certainty, it is this; that Donald Trump will betray whoever it is that places their trust in him. Wehner writes;

Think of how he cheated on his wives. Think of the infant child of a nephew who had crucial medical benefits withdrawn by Trump because of Trump’s retaliation against his nephew over an inheritance dispute. Think of those who enrolled at Trump University and were defrauded. Think about the contractors whom Trump has stiffed. Think of Jeff Sessions, the first prominent Republican to endorse Trump, whom Trump viciously turned against because Sessions had properly recused himself from overseeing the investigation into whether Russia had intervened in the 2016 election. Think about those who served in Trump’s administration—Rex Tillerson, John Bolton, Don McGahn, Reince Priebus, Gary Cohn, James Mattis, and many more—who were unceremoniously dumped and, in some cases, mocked on their way out the door.

Also think of how Trump has disparaged his own country while making excuses for strongmen (Peter Wehner, “Trump Betrayed the Kurds. He Couldn’t Help Himself, The Atlantic, October 15, 2019).

Wehner’s underlying belief is that Trump will eventually betray even his closest political friends and his country. The Republican Party (GOP) needs to hear this message, because if the past holds true, then Donald Trump will use up everything that is good that exists in this conservative political party, and then throw away an empty husk that is useless to anyone. Because, in the end, Donald Trump is only loyal to Donald Trump. (Mitch McConnell, can you hear me?) Unfortunately, those likely to be burned in the future are deaf to the warnings.

To our ears, Solomon’s insistence on calling his new bride his “sister” sounds strange. Here he is writing a sexual treatise about his new bride, and he continues to refer to her as “my sister, my bride.” A proper relationship with a sister is non-sexual. I have one sister. I have several women in my life who might refer to me as “like a brother,” but these relationships are platonic (a close relationship between two people that is not sexual). So Solomon’s use of the term here and in this way is, at the very least, strange, and maybe even offensive to contemporary ears.

But there is a proper reason for Solomon’s insistence on calling his bride, his sister. A relationship with a sister is lifelong and permanent. Cheri is my sister, and she will always be my sister. Nothing can change that relationship. Solomon, in calling his new bride, his sister, is insisting that there is nothing that can change his relationship with her. In the mind of the King, this is a permanent relationship that will not change.

And an assurance of the permanence of Solomon’s commitment to his new bride is probably more important and needed than any other profession of love that Solomon might make to her. She needs to know that she will always be important to him.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 6

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. – Song of Songs 4:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 24, 2019): Song of Songs 4

Marilyn Monroe once commented that “All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't.” While I understand what the actress was trying to argue, I might adjust her words a little bit. I think that “every little girl should be told that she is a princess, even if she isn’t of royal blood.” My problem with Monroe’s comment is that I have never met a little girl that was not pretty. And I have never met a little boy who was not handsome. Oh, there are some unfortunate pictures of little kids that cast the child in an unflattering light, but they are just pictures. Once you get to spend some time with any child, you will know that they are all beautiful in their own way.

The other problem with our concept of beauty or “prettiness” is that it is so changeable. What society seems to consider to be beautiful in the culture in which I live, I have to admit that I don’t really understand. To me, what we find to be attractive seems to be so artificial and not all that healthy. Something inside of me seems to argue that when we have to plump here and thin there, then we are destroying the natural beauty that is hidden inside each of us, and part of what made us beautiful as children. And we have all seen the pictures of plastic surgery that has gone horribly wrong. But it wasn’t that long ago that a plump woman was considered eminently beautiful, and not the rail-thin models that we see today. Any picture of Bathsheba, Solomon’s lovely mother, painted more than a hundred years ago, is likely to portray a plump woman who might not be considered beautiful in our culture.

And for all of those women who have had collagen pumped into their lips to fatten them and enhance their beauty, during Solomon’s time, the reverse was true. He describes his bride as having lips that were like “scarlet ribbons.” Her lips were thin and delicate, and a deep color of red, and this was considered to be part of her beauty. And so Solomon praises this delicate feature of his bride, relishing her beauty in a way that a contemporary audience would likely miss.

Of course, tomorrow, what we consider to be beautiful is likely to change once again.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 5

Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel, all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night. – Song of Songs 3:7-8

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 23, 2019): Song of Songs 3

Gothic author Poppy Z. Brite writes that “the night is the hardest time to be alive and 4am knows all my secrets.” The truth that none of us want to admit is that you don’t have to believe in ghosts to hear them breathing in the darkness. Every creak of the house is evidence that there is someone present where the light is absent. The darkness hides all of the shadowy secrets that we don’t want the world to know. Four a.m. knows more about us than we want it to understand.

In truth, our fear of the dark is a holdover from ancient times. Oh, in our modern world, there are still places where I would not advise you to go when the sun surrenders its time on the surface of our planet to the lesser lights in the sky. But we have worked hard to destroy the night, sometimes to the point where the moon is almost the only light that reigns in our night sky. And yet that effort to drive back the night still has not taken away our fear.

It wasn’t that long ago that our world was a lot darker, and even more dangerous. During the era of Solomon, criminals routinely used the night as a cover to hide their actions. They routinely attacked night travelers, taking what they could and then disappearing once again into the darkness. And a wedding caravan was even more vulnerable because the robbers might assume that they could gain jewels or they might even decide to hold the couple the couple and gain a heavy ransom from the friends of the Bride and Groom.

There was reason to fear the night. But not for the Bride. As she watched her betrothed approach, he came with sixty of the best soldiers that Israel had to offer. They were not only carrying weapons as they came, but these men knew how to use their weapons. And the bride knew that at this moment, they did not just come to protect Solomon. They belonged to her as well. It was an expression of the oneness of life and shared existence that should exist between married partners. “She and Solomon were so identified with each other at this state that there was a perfect oneness between them. What was his, was hers. What he enjoyed, she enjoyed. This is union” (Watchman Nee). And not even the night, or the secrets that 4 a.m. might know, could destroy the life that resulted from that union.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 4

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. – Song of Songs 2:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 22, 2019): Song of Songs 2

Do you want to play a game? How about I describe a movie, and you guess what the film might be. I will provide the answers at the end of this post, so just hide the bottom of your screen if you want to play along. Let’s start with this. “A young girl is mysteriously transported to a strange land where she kills the first person that she meets. She then teams up with three other strangers so that she can kill once more.” Have you seen that movie?

Want to try a second one? What about this? “A confused teenage boy tries to fend off his mother's disturbing sexual advances.” Do you know the movie? Maybe one more film? Here is the description. “A group of people of various ages is invited to preview a new amusement park before it officially opens, but their visit is hampered by bad weather and faulty ride management.” Okay, if you haven’t already guessed the answers or scrolled down to find the answers, you can do so now. It’s okay; I’ll wait.

Did you get them right? What makes descriptions like this fun is that, while they are right and correctly sum up a plot of the movie, the descriptions are also misleading. The descriptions sum up the action, but not the intent of the film.

I sometimes wonder what the apple ever did to get our attention. Biblically, the fruit is occasionally good, and sometimes bad, but the apple as we know it was almost totally unknown in biblical times. And yet, if you ask someone what kind of fruit Adam and Eve ate in the garden, a majority of people probably think it was an apple. (Actually, the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden is unnamed and undefined.) Here, the woman describes her man as being like “an apple tree among the trees of the forest.” It is a place where she can find shade and enjoy the sweetness of the fruit. Her lover brings with him a sense of security. The problem is that, at least for literal thinkers like me, I imagine an actual apple tree, maybe like the one that stands in my back yard. But that is unlikely. It is more likely that the tree she has in her mind is either a pomegranate, orange, or maybe even an apricot tree. But if that is true, why not say that instead of using the apple tree in the description.

And I don’t have an answer to that question. And it probably isn’t important, except to me. But we understand what the woman means, even if the details are wrong. And the comparison of her lover to an apple tree is kind of the opposite problem than what is presented by the movie descriptions at the beginning of this post. With the movie descriptions, the details are right, but they are not a good description of the real story. Here, the details might be wrong, but we understand exactly what she means.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 3

Answers to the movies.

1.      The Wizard of Oz

2.      Back to the Future

3.      Jurassic Park

Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect. – Song of Songs 1:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 21, 2019): Song of Songs 1

I recently had an opportunity to watch a fairytale with my grandchildren. The story itself was a variant of a very old story, the same tale on which more familiar stories like Cinderella are based. It was the story of a young girl who is born into an affluent family. With money, comes privilege. And sometimes privilege has a way of changing us, but that was not the case with this girl. She was a nice girl and a friendly girl to everyone around her, no matter what their circumstances might have been. But times have a way of changing. In this version of the standard fairy tale, Dad dies, forcing his daughter to survive in a w1rld from which he had previously protected her. In the case of the story I watched with my grandchildren, the daughter had been sent to a boarding school and pampered by the staff there; until the moment of her father’s death.

When Dad dies, his daughter was forced to transform herself from a “princess” to a “common serving girl.” Amazingly, even though her new life means that she seldom has enough food to eat or sufficient time to get a good night’s sleep, the girl remains unchanged. She is still a friendly, nice little girl who believes that there are still good things that can happen in this world in the future.

Of course, in the end, she is rescued. A business partner of her deceased father returns the money that had been taken from her and restores her to a position of affluence. And we cheer the restoration. But then again, it is what we expect. Because, at least in fairy tales, good people get to live happily ever after.

Sometimes we miss the fairy tale element that is present in the Song of Songs. We recognize that the story is a celebration of sexual love and that it is unusual because there is no mention of God or his justice and righteousness. It is not a story of Israel. On the surface, It is the story of sexual love between Solomon and one of his wives.

But it is also the ending of a fairytale. The woman pleads that, even though she believes that she is lovely, Solomon would not look down on her because of her sun-darkened skin. The problem with her skin is that she has been stained by the sun; she has been forced to work in the sun, something that a woman of affluence would never have to do. She even points to a “fairytale-like” cause for her condition; she was forced by her angry bothers to work in their vineyards. Solomon’s bride is not a princess; she is an ordinary worker in the field.

And yet, this woman, stained by the sun and rejected by her family, has been lifted up and restored by Solomon because of love. I hope that we all get to know that kind of a fairy tale ending.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 2

The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. – Proverbs 31:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 20, 2019): Proverbs 31

I have a question. Who is the better author, George Orwell or Eric Blair? Likely, unless you are student of British authors your answer is either George Orwell, because you have no idea who Eric Blair might be, and you have at least heard of Orwell, or it is Eric Blair, because you really don’t like Orwell, and does anybody really understand what “Animal Farm” was all about, and anybody would be better than Orwell. But your answer is likely based on the fact that you don’t have any idea who Eric Blair is, or was, or even what the genre might be for which Blair would be known.

Actually, the question itself is wrong. George Orwell is the author. Eric Blair is not; well, not really. George Orwell is the pen name under which Eric Blair wrote. Eric Arthur Blair is George Orwell. Eric Blair decided to write under the name George Orwell taking the name from his favorite character and the Patron Saint of England, Saint George (you might have heard of the tales of St. George and the Dragon) and a river that flows through Suffolk, England that Eric Blair loved to visit – the River Orwell. The names of a Saint and a river give us the name of the author that we know, George Orwell. We have long ago forgotten the name of Eric Blair.

The identity of King Lemuel is a mystery to us. We know of neither him nor his mother. And like Agur, these words seem to be late additions to the book of Proverbs. But unlike Agur, the wisdom spoken here might reach back to the time of Solomon, and indeed, to Solomon himself. The name Lemuel means “belonging to God.” There is no King in either Israel or Judah who bears that name. There is also no pagan King of the nations who were in contact with Israel who is named Lemuel, making this King a real mystery.

What we do have is a tradition. Scholars are quick to note that there are absolutely no facts that support the tradition, but this tradition argues that King Lemuel is a pen name for Solomon. That would mean that the advice comes from Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. And the legend points to a time early in the reign of Solomon, long before this son of David compiled his book of Wisdom; a time when Solomon was following the Egyptian gods of one his wives. Bathsheba pulled Solomon aside and offered the words presented here.

For centuries, the words of Bathsheba were passed down separate from the Proverbs that Solomon had gathered and written down. At some point, likely around the time of Hezekiah, someone joined the Wisdom of Bathsheba with the Wisdom of Solomon, offered to us under the name Lemuel, because the greatest wisdom that any of us can possess is that we “belong to God.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 1

Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know! – Proverbs 30:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 19, 2019): Proverbs 30

Ancient kings often claimed that they were the descendants of the gods. The idea legitimized their reigns and why they, above all others, deserved to rule. The concept is pervasive. Even the Popes of the Catholic Church, while denying that they are the sons of their Christian God, believed that they had a unique relationship with God that was shared by no one else, very similar to a son, and because of that unique relationship they spoke and acted without error. Whatever they spoke, no matter how ridiculous, was the truth of God; a truth of which they would take full advantage.

The Jewish kings were the exception to this rule. They ruled at the discretion of God, but they were not perfect in any way; including in what they knew. It was an image that began with the nation’s greatest King – David. While he is seen historically as a great king, not even David believed that he was perfect and without error. What made David a king after God’s own heart was that he was willing to admit when he was wrong and sought to restore the relationship that he had damaged with his God. So it follows that if David was not perfect, why would we expect Solomon to be? (Just as an aside, in reverse this is the same argument that the Roman Catholic Church uses to exalt Mother Mary. If Jesus was perfect, then Mary must have been as well. What no one has been able to explain to me is how far this needs to go back. After all, following that argument, if Mary was perfect, then shouldn’t her mother be perfect as well?) Solomon possessed a wisdom that Israel believed was a gift from God. But even Solomon didn’t know everything.

Enter Agur, the son of Jakeh. We know nothing about him except what is contained in this inspired utterance. These words were likely added to Proverbs somewhere around the time of King Hezekiah. And Agur asks the question that he believes only God could answer. Who is it that knows both heaven and earth? Who is it that has wrapped the waters in a cloak? The understanding of his day was that water encircled the earth. The sky is blue because it is an ocean that for some reason does not fall on us; except occasionally in the form of rain.

In the same way the oceans maintained their shores. They came so far, but no further. There was no doubt that the oceans could flood all of the earth, as they did in ancient times, and yet something held them back. Who would know that? Who established the ends of the earth? What is the name of this all-powerful God who Israel knew only as “I Am?” And then Agur adds this question; “What is the name of his son? Surely you know!”

To Agur, the question is rhetorical. No one knows the name of God or the name of his son, any more than they understood how the waters that encircled the earth were kept at bay. Solomon was wise and left us with great advice, but some things were beyond even his knowledge. Solomon was not the Son of God.

But as Christians, we see a prophecy in these inspired words of Agur. He did not know the name of the son of God. To Agur, and Solomon, the name of God and God’s son was unknowable. But we know. Like a little child, we know the name of God; it is “Father” or “Dad” (ask any young child, and that is the name by which they know their male parent). And his son? His name is Jesus! Only he has come down from heaven to earth and returned once again to his heavenly home.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. – Proverbs 29:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 18, 2019): Proverbs 29                          

Nineteenth-Century American journalist and civil war veteran Ambrose Bierce said that “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” I know from experience Bierce is right. The things that I regret saying the most, I said while I was angry. In my youth, I would often go off to a secret place. During my teenage years, that place was a tree in the middle of a grove of other trees, and it was there that I would sit, with my back against the tree, while my anger simmered. Only when I felt that I was calm enough, would I allow myself to go back to the situation that had angered me. It is a practice that I slowly lost in my adult years; that loss was to my detriment. Jesus may have caused good things to happen when he got angry at the presence of the money changers in the temple, but that has never been my experience. When I speak while I am angry, I almost immediately regret my words.

Solomon argues that there is another difference between the fool and the wise. The fool gives full vent to their rage. In our culture, this might be the equivalent of those who claim that they “are just being real.” They yell and scream or write posts that never should have been written on social media. There is no consideration of the weight of their words. They cause a stir and then walk away leaving disaster in their wake.

The wise person does things differently. It is not that the wise do not allow their anger to escape their beings. The wise are not the ones who keep everything bottled up inside, damaging their health in the process. But they do consider how to express their anger. They do not go overboard. Their anger is proportional to the situation. And when it is revealed, their anger is spent toward solving a problem.

The reality is that there might be an objective way of telling the difference between a fool and a wise person. Fools vents their anger; they are disruptive and damaging to those around them. The wise judiciously release their concerns in an appropriate manner so that order can be restored and problems identified and solved. “The wise bring calm in the end.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 30

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. – Proverbs 28:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 17, 2019): Proverbs 28                          

We only know him by his codename; Caesar. He was a member of the Syrian army. But then the Assad regime in Syria began its policy of extermination. The bodies were brought into the hospitals where Caesar was assigned with the rest of his company. And Caesar started to take pictures. Early on, Caesar says that he realized what it was that he was documenting; torture committed by the supreme political power of the nation. The victims appeared before Caesar with deep stab wounds, eyes that were gouged out, and broken teeth and jaws. Often they were emaciated, looking as if they had not eaten for weeks. Caesar was horrified. But he was also being watched. And so he did his job, and he took his pictures. And as he created his photographic journal of what the Assad regime was doing to its own people, he could only pray that a tear would not escape his eyes. Compassion for the dead was strictly prohibited and watching eyes were always near. A tear might mean that Caesar would join the unfortunates he was photographing. But it would also mean that his family would become the targets of an out of control political system.

When all of this started, Caesar could have left Syria; he could have taken his family and gotten out of the country. But he didn’t. Caesar stayed so that he could collect his precious photos. But in 2013, Caesar decided that it was time to leave. He escaped from Syria with his pictures. Caesar expected that his photographs would force the world to confront Assad for his crimes. Experts have looked at Caesar’s collection of photos and have admitted that he has presented us with stronger evidence of the crimes committed by Assad and his Syrian government, then exists concerning the genocide in Rwanda or Hitler’s atrocities against the Jews during World War II. And yet the world seems to wait for something else to happen in Syria; a situation that is complicated by the presence of ISIS and support for the Assad regime that comes from Russia and China.

And so Caesar continues to campaign for action. He takes his pictures to anyone who will listen. Caesar appears before governments clad in a blue jacket and with his face covered to hide his identity. He will not let anyone record his voice. He knows, for his safety and the safety of this family, that he cannot allow his identity to be known. It would be safer for him to give up. After all, he is safe. Right now it is his campaign that endangers him. But that would not be what is right.

Solomon says that the wicked flee, and no one even bothers to follow them. But it is the righteous that are bold and stand firm. If so, then Caesar must stand among the righteous. He is doing what is right, even though what is right is dangerous. Solomon hopes that his sons would follow the path that Caesar follows; that they, and we, would be bold in the declaration of what is right; knowing that we are the righteous and that God stands with us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 29

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. – Proverbs 27:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 16, 2019): Proverbs 27                          

“Personally, I say, ‘Out of the frying pan and into the deadly pit filled with sharks who are wielding chainsaws with killer kittens stapled to them.’ However, that one's having a rough time catching on.” The words belong to Brandon Sanderson in “Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones,” and there is good reason for the phrase not to “catch on.” But the temptation underlying the words is genuine. Life is seldom a choice between good and bad. I wish it were a choice between good and better. But too often the is choice between bad and worse. And that is the danger around which each one of us has to learn to navigate.

Solomon argues that the prudent see danger and take refuge, but that the fool or the one who is lacking in wisdom sees the same threat and keeps going anyway, hoping against hope that there will be no penalty to be paid. Sometimes the simple are correct, but that is a rare occasion.

But the deeper problem is that when we lack wisdom, we are more apt to see danger and choose what is an even worse solution. Without wisdom, we are more likely to jump “out of the frying pan and into the deadly pit filled with sharks who are wielding chainsaws with killer kittens stapled to them.” It takes wisdom to see hard times, and yet stay the course, knowing that what is lurking outside of those lines is even worse. The real problem is that wisdom sees refuge in places where the foolish are often blind. The foolish can’t see either the reality of the danger or the places where they might be safe.

As for Sanderson’s chainsaw-wielding sharks with killer kittens, it sounds like a good plot for a Halloween movie. And the good thing about a Halloween movie is that we can shut it off and turn our attention somewhere else. But when real danger lurks around the next corner, we need to be able to discern the right so that we can avoid the “even worse.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 28

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. – Proverbs 26:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 15, 2019): Proverbs 26                          

According to the advertisement, you can get one for about $400 to $600. As with many things, it requires a 25% down payment. But for that investment, you can make a woman infertile, or maybe send a neighbor terrifying nightmares, or even cause that wealthy shop owner, that one who was disrespectful to you, financial problems. Are you in love with someone who is in a relationship with someone else? Not a problem! There is a spell that will cause relationships to end and people to separate. You can even send someone bladder or kidney problems. As long as you are willing to pay the price. Of course, if you pay the down payment but refuse to pay the balance, then the spell can be removed, and new curse can be placed on you. It is a more spiritual form of debt collection. Oh yeah, the curse also comes with a guarantee. There is no way that the spell can be reversed and land on you (as long as the bill gets paid). It is entirely safe, and every spell comes with a lifetime guarantee. All for a $400 to $600 one-time payment.

Have you ever felt like you are cursed? You know, the day that you leave just a little late for work is the day that there is a traffic accident that ties up an intersection and forces you into an unplanned detour. Or maybe a series of unfortunate events that just does not seem to want to stop. Have you ever wondered if there might be a way to stop the curse?

Just as a personal disclaimer, I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to blessings and curses. When that accident happens on the one day that I am running late, I don’t think that someone placed a curse on me. In the same way, when I find that rare parking spot downtown with an hour still left on the meter, I am not quick to praise God for the unexpected blessing or miracle. Both of these are part of living in a city, even if they are rare events. Sometimes rare events happen. As I write this, I am battling an undefined pain in my knee, but I am pretty sure that someone who doesn’t like me has not placed a curse on my knee. I know that, in some deep dark basement, there is not a woman with a crooked nose and long grey hair sticking a pin into a “Garry shaped doll.” 

But you don’t have to take the word of a skeptic like me. Even Solomon makes this promise. If you don’t deserve the curse, then it can’t land on you. It doesn’t matter the expertise of the one sending the curse, or how much someone paid for the spell, no curse will come to rest on those who do not deserve it. That doesn’t mean that you won’t experience some bad luck. But, if you are a child of God and try to live according to what is right, even if at times you fail at that, then the powers of the dark arts cannot affect you. This is a promise.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 27

What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? – Proverbs 25:7b-8

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 14, 2019): Proverbs 25                          

“I certainly like the rumour that I was the father of Elizabeth Hurley's baby. It made me think I could impregnate women in a different way to everyone else. Elizabeth and I were never alone in a room together, so I must be a very powerful man indeed. Actually, I'm thinking of suing the baby!” The words belong to Actor Matthew Perry about the upcoming birth, one can only assume, of Damian Hurley in 2002. At the time, Damian’s father, Steve Bing, was denying that he was the father of Elizabeth’s baby. But later, a paternity test proved that Bing was indeed the father of the child. But as people suggested that Matthew Perry might be the long lost dad, Perry responded with humor, indicating that if he was the father of the child, then that impregnation had happened like none other in the history of the planet.

But then, with his tongue firmly implanted in cheek, he says that he is considering a lawsuit against the baby. After all, with no baby, there would be no accusation? Perry’s comment is intended as humor; it is not a serious charge to take to court. Unfortunately, many real-world accusations that we make contain about as much sense. Too often, things get blown way out of proportion as we build up the supposed crimes that have been committed against us in our minds. We threaten to sue over nothing, and, as a result, the frivolous lawsuits fill our courts.

Solomon’s advice is to slow the process down. Don’t react immediately to the things that we think we see with our eyes, because if we get to court and we are wrong, then the shame will belong to us. And don’t try to profit off of your neighbor by quickly taking advantage of a perceived wrong. Pause and try to work the conflict between you and your neighbor out. Because if we can do this, then everyone will be happier in the end.

This is an important biblical idea. And we know this because it appears across the pages of our Holy Book. Paul agreed with Solomon when it came to this kind of lawsuit – “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters” (1 Corinthians 6:7-8). Paul seems to indicate here that there are times when we should choose to suffer the wrong rather than take our neighbor to court. After all, the time will come when we will, unintentionally, harm them too.

And Jesus also made a similar statement.

Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny (Luke 12:57-59).  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 26