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 Think of the infant child of a nephew who had crucial medical benefits withdrawn by Trump because of Trump’s retaliation against his nephew over an inheritance dispute.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