Ethan Mahoney: Verse seven.
Ethan Mahoney: It says let us be glad, rejoice and give him glory, because the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has prepared herself.
Ethan Mahoney: She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure, for the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
Ethan Mahoney: Then he said to me write blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.
Ethan Mahoney: He also said to me these words of God are true.
Ethan Mahoney: Flip back to Song of Solomon, chapter 3, verse 11.
Ethan Mahoney: Song of Solomon, chapter 3, verse 11.
Ethan Mahoney: It says go out, young women, young women, young women of Zion, and gaze and gaze.
Ethan Mahoney: Go out, young women of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon wearing the crown his mother placed on his head, on on him on the day of his wedding, the day of his heart's, rejoicing Amen.
Ethan Mahoney: So straight out the jump.
Ethan Mahoney: I just want to show you how, in some ways, the book of Song of Solomon can be viewed allegorically and eschatologically, and tonight, for the sake of time, I will mostly discuss what we can learn from and about this amazing book.
Ethan Mahoney: It is important that people know always the truth.
Ethan Mahoney: Yahweh be with us now, amen, all right, so now hold chapter one of Song of Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: Hold chapter one of Song of Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: Whole chapter one is Song of Solomon and if you want, you can go to 1 Kings, chapter four.
Ethan Mahoney: 1 Kings, chapter four.
Ethan Mahoney: I hope you guys greased up your Bibles because we're going to be looking at a lot of different parts of the Bible to cover this amazing, historic, inspired word of God.
Ethan Mahoney: So look at 1 Kings chapter four, verse 31.
Ethan Mahoney: Now, speaking of Solomon, the verse says he was wiser.
Ethan Mahoney: And listen to the first person that they mentioned he was wiser than he was wiser than anyone, wiser than Ethan the Ezra.
Ethan Mahoney: Right now, you really got to be real wise If you're wiser than Ethan, I just want to put that out there and Haman and Cole and Dora and sons of Maol.
Ethan Mahoney: His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations.
Ethan Mahoney: Solomon spoke 3000 proverbs and his songs, his songs, his songs numbered 1005, 1005 songs.
Ethan Mahoney: So now go to Songs of Solomon, chapter 1.
Ethan Mahoney: So Solomon is a prolific writer who takes after his father, david, who is also called the sweet psalmist of Israel.
Ethan Mahoney: Solomon is also writing, as we look in Songs of Solomon, chapter 1, verse 1, which opens, opens by stating the song of songs, which is Solomon's.
Ethan Mahoney: Now, of course, before we jump in, we have to look at this declaration and what it actually entails.
Ethan Mahoney: So Solomon is, from the onset, declaring that this is the greatest of all his songs, or the greatest of all songs in general, and if you agree with the former, you wouldn't be wrong, since this is perhaps the most profoundly dramatic artistic forms of writing that we have of Salomon.
Ethan Mahoney: As it states, he wrote 1,005 songs, but this one we're reading now is his apex in grandiosity.
Ethan Mahoney: Now is his apex in grandiosity the Song of Songs.
Ethan Mahoney: It is an appropriate title for sublime language from this human author inspired by the Holy Spirit to give us this.
Ethan Mahoney: The Song of Songs actually gives us a clue as to its interpretation.
Ethan Mahoney: It is one song out of many songs and this is a superlative.
Ethan Mahoney: So you have titles such as god of gods and lord of lords or holy of holies, right?
Ethan Mahoney: So yahweh is the god above all gods, he's the lord above all lords, he is king above all kings, and this is the song above all songs.
Ethan Mahoney: It's a superlative.
Ethan Mahoney: So, as he writes 1005 songs, this one song we do have in in our bibles today.
Ethan Mahoney: It would be interesting to hear all the other songs that he must have written.
Ethan Mahoney: But, uh, why did the holy spirit move solomon to write that as an opening title heading to declare this book the Song of Songs.
Ethan Mahoney: And I think because, maybe because, in terms of human possession, in terms of human possession, there's maybe nothing more valuable than genuine and godly romantic love which one man and his one wife can possess freely between the two of them, yet at the same time cannot afford even though they have it.
Ethan Mahoney: This is the Song of Songs.
Ethan Mahoney: So verse one continues in chapter one.
Ethan Mahoney: Verse one, the woman says, oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your caresses are more delightful than wine.
Ethan Mahoney: The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating.
Ethan Mahoney: Your name is perfume poured out.
Ethan Mahoney: No wonder young women adore you.
Ethan Mahoney: In these first few verses we already learn so much when it comes to godly romantic relationships and what they involve.
Ethan Mahoney: First, biblical, human romantic love is sensual.
Ethan Mahoney: It's sensual In the Song of Solomon, the senses are often highlighted.
Ethan Mahoney: I don't know if you noticed it as we read those verses, and so I see some shaking heads.
Ethan Mahoney: Yes.
Ethan Mahoney: So what are the five senses?
Ethan Mahoney: Touch, taste, smell, hear, hearing and sight, right.
Ethan Mahoney: So if you look at it again with me, from verse one, it says, oh, that he would kiss.
Ethan Mahoney: Right, he kissed me with the kisses of his mouth.
Ethan Mahoney: That's touch.
Ethan Mahoney: Your caresses, that's touch, are more delightful than wine.
Ethan Mahoney: That's taste.
Ethan Mahoney: The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating.
Ethan Mahoney: That smell, your name is perfume poured out.
Ethan Mahoney: That's hearing and seeing, since the mention of Solomon is like a Pavlov's dogs experiment, where the dogs would hear the sound of a bell and salivate even if no food was present.
Ethan Mahoney: Right, but for these women, in Song of Solomon, just hearing Solomon's name is entrancing and ravishing.
Ethan Mahoney: And that covers the sense of hearing, hearing his name.
Ethan Mahoney: But the name also covers the sense of sight, since in the Bible, a person's name can represent or mean their character, which is seen by both man and God.
Ethan Mahoney: That is why the women say your, your name is perfume poured out.
Ethan Mahoney: No wonder young women, young women, young women adore you.
Ethan Mahoney: So do you remember what we read earlier in chapter 3, verse 11, when it says, in chapter 3, verse 11, the young women adore Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: He says In chapter 3, verse 11, the young women adore Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: He says go out, young women, young women of Zion, and gaze and gaze at King Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: That sight.
Ethan Mahoney: And again, if you look at chapter 2, in chapter 2, verse 6, may his left hand be under my head and his right arm embrace me, that's touch.
Ethan Mahoney: In chapter 2, verse 12.
Ethan Mahoney: The blossoms appear in the cart yard.
Ethan Mahoney: That's appear.
Ethan Mahoney: That's sight.
Ethan Mahoney: The time of singing has come.
Ethan Mahoney: That's hearing.
Ethan Mahoney: The turtle dove cooing is heard.
Ethan Mahoney: That's hearing the fig tree ripens its figs.
Ethan Mahoney: That's taste.
Ethan Mahoney: The blossoming vines give off their fragrance.
Ethan Mahoney: That smell.
Ethan Mahoney: Also, notice the mention of time in verse 10 and verse 11.
Ethan Mahoney: In verse 11, it says winter has passed and in autumn, from March to May, rain, rains are over.
Ethan Mahoney: In verse 12, flowers bloom in the spring.
Ethan Mahoney: In verse 13, the fig tree blossoms in the summer, and so on.
Ethan Mahoney: So when you study this book, you'd be amazed at the uses of the senses and time, almost like it's intentional, at the uses of the senses and time, almost like it's intentional, in fact, since the Song of Solomon is so heavily sensual.
Ethan Mahoney: This discredits the notion that only the spiritual is good and that sensuality between a godly couple is wrong or evil or shouldn't be spoken about, or sensuality in a godly context is sinful.
Ethan Mahoney: So, song of Solomon, thus is the answer in advance to the Corinthian comment made to Paul in 1 Corinthians, chapter 7.
Ethan Mahoney: And for the sake of the children, I will quote the KJV, 1 Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 1.
Ethan Mahoney: Now, concerning the things thereof.
Ethan Mahoney: He wrote unto me it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Ethan Mahoney: So it seems like the Corinthians had a misunderstanding regarding intimacy.
Ethan Mahoney: So Paul addresses them in 1 Corinthians, chapter 7, and maybe he does so in Hebrews, when scripture says in Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 4, marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Ethan Mahoney: So do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time, as Song of Solomon says three times in chapter two, verse seven, chapter three, verse five, and chapter eight, verse four.
Ethan Mahoney: Thus the Song of Solomon affirms human love, including intimacy, sensuality, within the biblical context of divine grace and purpose.
Ethan Mahoney: We also learn from the Song of Solomon that a godly relationship should not only be based on physical appearance alone.
Ethan Mahoney: Where did you see that in the text we read, ethan?
Ethan Mahoney: I'm glad you asked If you look again.
Ethan Mahoney: Look again at chapter one, verse three and the second part.
Ethan Mahoney: It says your name.
Ethan Mahoney: Your name is perfume poured out.
Ethan Mahoney: No wonder young women adore you.
Ethan Mahoney: Godly relationships should not just be based on physical appearance alone, but based on one's character.
Ethan Mahoney: One's character, the mental and moral qualities distinct to an individual.
Ethan Mahoney: One's character is their personality, their reputation and integrity.
Ethan Mahoney: The character of Solomon is not just pleasing but attractive.
Ethan Mahoney: Does your name and character have a sweet fragrance like perfume or cologne poured out?
Ethan Mahoney: The Song of Solomon shows us biblical romance would involve five senses and Dr David Jeremiah says and I'm going to paraphrase his quote that the Song of Solomon teaches biblical human love is a full body experience.
Ethan Mahoney: End quote In Song of Solomon, chapter five, when illustriously describing Solomon, his bride compliments his skin complexion in chapter 5, verse 10,.
Ethan Mahoney: His head and hair in verse 11, eyes in verse 12, cheek and lips in verse 13,.
Ethan Mahoney: His arms and build in 14, legs in 15, and mouth in 16.
Ethan Mahoney: Then Solomon celebrates her in chapters 4, 6, and 7 when he describes her from bottom to top.
Ethan Mahoney: When he starts in chapter 7, verse 1 about her feet and legs, then her stomach and waist in chapter 7, verse 2.
Ethan Mahoney: Her upper torso in verse 3.
Ethan Mahoney: Neck, eyes and nose in verse 4.
Ethan Mahoney: Her head and hair in verse 5.
Ethan Mahoney: Then her overall physique with her paps and a poetic reference to her labia in verses 6 to 8.
Ethan Mahoney: Reference to her labia in verses 6 to 8.
Ethan Mahoney: And perhaps the only place I believe you will find something that is written in the style of a benediction or prayer is in chapter 7, verse 8 to 9.
Ethan Mahoney: You can turn there with me if you want to talk about it.
Ethan Mahoney: I'm not saying that this is a prayer or a benediction.
Ethan Mahoney: I'm just saying perhaps it is written in the style of a benediction and prayer In chapter 7, verse 8, when Solomon says I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruits.
Ethan Mahoney: That's the poetic reference I was making mention of.
Ethan Mahoney: Now pay attention to the next statement, when he says may your breasts be like clusters of grapes and the fragrance of your breath like apricots.
Ethan Mahoney: And in the Hebrew he says your palate like wine.
Ethan Mahoney: May your breasts be like clusters of grapes and the fragrance of your breath like apricots and your palate like wine.
Ethan Mahoney: Almost sounds like spoken like a benediction.
Ethan Mahoney: Like Yahweh, bless thee and keep thee.
Ethan Mahoney: Yahweh, cause his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.
Ethan Mahoney: Yahweh, lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee shalom.
Ethan Mahoney: Or like what all the people that were in the gate and the elders in Ruth, chapter 4, verse 11, say we are witnesses.
Ethan Mahoney: Yahweh, make the woman that has come into thine.
Ethan Mahoney: These are Old Testament examples of what, to me, solomon styles his statements which almost sound like a prayer.
Ethan Mahoney: His statements, which almost sound like a prayer.
Ethan Mahoney: But notice something interesting within Song of Solomon, chapter 7, verse 9 in our CSB's version.
Ethan Mahoney: Let's look at it again.
Ethan Mahoney: Song of Solomon, chapter 7, verse 9 in the CSB.
Ethan Mahoney: So in the beginning of the verse the part A section Solomon is speaking.
Ethan Mahoney: But pay close attention to the second half of the verse, in part B, as we read from the beginning of Song of Solomon, chapter 7, verse 9, which Solomon starts by saying your mouth is like fine wine.
Ethan Mahoney: Then the woman says flowing smoothly for my love, gliding past my lips and teeth.
Ethan Mahoney: Did you catch it?
Ethan Mahoney: Before Solomon can finish his statement, the wife knows what he's going to say.
Ethan Mahoney: Isn't that romantic when couples and spouses can finish each other's sentences.
Ethan Mahoney: Me and Shan, my Shulamite, we do this often, and before we finish each other's thoughts, we also have the same usual response bro, get out my head.
Ethan Mahoney: And in Song of Solomon, chapter 7, verse 9.
Ethan Mahoney: There are many lessons here, especially for those who desire, or about to be, or want to be, married.
Ethan Mahoney: Perhaps, then, at least one indicator, that is, that this person you are in Christian courtship with is a good match, would be the questions Do you both think the same in on certain things.
Ethan Mahoney: Do you have the same interests, do you want the same or similar outcomes and do you both plan to strive to achieve them together?
Ethan Mahoney: Do you complement each other with sublime language that's CO, mpl, I MENT and do you complement each other C-O-M-P-L-E-M-E-N-T, complementing, completing that which you lack personally to make you feel whole.
Ethan Mahoney: If the Apostle Paul was your ancient Near Eastern version of Kevin Samuels and Paul was your relationship guru, I guess he would also include do not be unequally yoked.
Ethan Mahoney: So that wasn't my intro, that was just my prequel to my intro.
Ethan Mahoney: So now we're going to get into some facts about the Song of Solomon and I'm going to go now into my introduction, body and conclusion.
Ethan Mahoney: But thank you for listening thus far.
Ethan Mahoney: The Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: Jerome called it the Canticles and he derived that, I believe, from the Septuagint, perhaps to the Latin meaning hymn and or chant Hymn or chant Canticles.
Ethan Mahoney: Egyptian theologian Origen of Alexander called this book an epithelium.
Ethan Mahoney: Say that seven times fast.
Ethan Mahoney: An epithelium, which means a wedding song.
Ethan Mahoney: That's origin.
Ethan Mahoney: Leave it to origin to come up with a word like that.
Ethan Mahoney: In this book we get a biblical definition of what honorable, god-ordained human love between a man and a woman is all about.
Ethan Mahoney: The book is divided into three parts.
Ethan Mahoney: Chapter one to three is the anticipation, which is the courtship section.
Ethan Mahoney: One to three is the anticipation, the courtship section, and then from three to five is the consummation, the wedding, consummation and the wedding.
Ethan Mahoney: And from chapters five to eight is the celebration of marriage and the honeymoon.
Ethan Mahoney: So you have the anticipation, the consummation and the honeymoon.
Ethan Mahoney: So you have the anticipation, the consummation and the celebration.
Ethan Mahoney: Solomon writes this book in his early years reigning as king over Israel, around 970 to 960 BC, and mentions himself a perfect seven times by name.
Ethan Mahoney: He writes during times of peace, after the Holy Spirit gives him the gift of wisdom.
Ethan Mahoney: So I know at least.
Ethan Mahoney: One of the big questions that I have to talk about is of whom is this woman Solomon is referring to?
Ethan Mahoney: Ok, so she is called Shulamite twice, which is a name or title which means peaceful peaceful in the Hebrew feminine, just like Solomon's name in the masculine means peace.
Ethan Mahoney: So some say perhaps the name Shulamite was a pet name of endearment or something like a nickname of sorts, or it was given to her as a way of stating that she belongs to Solomon and Solomon belongs to Shulamite, as stated in Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse 16, chapter 3, verse 6, and 7, verse 10.
Ethan Mahoney: The beloved is mine and I am my beloved.
Ethan Mahoney: John Calvin believed she is the Egyptian princess mentioned in 1 Kings, chapter 3, verse 1.
Ethan Mahoney: That states Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, by marrying Pharaoh's daughter.
Ethan Mahoney: And there might be some evidence to that theory to back it up, such as in Song of Solomon, chapter 1, verse 9, when Solomon says to Shulamite I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.
Ethan Mahoney: Okay, so in Song of Solomon, chapter 1, verse 9, to compare Shulamite to female horses within a group of male horses is cleverly coy.
Ethan Mahoney: You see, in First Kings, chapter 10, verses 26 to 29, it states that Solomon has fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he purchased not from Amazon but from Egypt.
Ethan Mahoney: That's a lot of horses.
Ethan Mahoney: So he's now seeing Shulamite and of course this would be kind of odd in armies in the ancient Near Eastern period to have a female horse.
Ethan Mahoney: But it's believed that maybe this was an ancient war tactic to have one female horse run in front of the male horses.
Ethan Mahoney: So the male horses will pursue the female horse.
Ethan Mahoney: So perhaps, if that is the case, solomon is saying to Shulamite I wish there was a thousand of you to chase, but you're just too unique, you can't be replaced.
Ethan Mahoney: But you're just too unique, you can't be replaced.
Ethan Mahoney: So Calvin thought Shulamite is Pharaoh's daughter, even though she isn't really described as as royalty in the Song of Solomon, but rather almost like a commoner, like a common girl that we might call a form of indentured servitude.
Ethan Mahoney: Still, others have suggested that the Shulamite is David's nurse, abishag, the Shunamite right.
Ethan Mahoney: So in David's last days he had a nurse and her name was Abishag.
Ethan Mahoney: Some people may argue that because Shulamite sounds a lot like Shunamite, that perhaps that's who King Solomon is referencing.
Ethan Mahoney: There is also a West Indian, east African tradition that says the Shulamite is the Ethiopian queen of Sheba from 1 Kings, chapter 10.
Ethan Mahoney: And yes, that is a Western and especially Jamaican tradition.
Ethan Mahoney: Perhaps the most vehement one is Theodoret of Cyrus, the bishop of Cyrus in the early 400s.
Ethan Mahoney: He said the woman is the church and to say anything else is blasphemy.
Ethan Mahoney: Well, there's some real tough bishops back then.
Ethan Mahoney: But I tend to lean towards the notion that the Shulamite could have been a tan or black complexion.
Ethan Mahoney: Uh, semitic lady Solomon meets one day as she's working in a vineyard that he owns but rents out to her brothers and get this.
Ethan Mahoney: It might have been love at first sight.
Ethan Mahoney: Solomon says in Song of Solomon, chapter four, verse nine you have captured my heart, my sister, my bride.
Ethan Mahoney: You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes.
Ethan Mahoney: Is that love at first sight?
Ethan Mahoney: I hear, with all the coy-cattish sensuality in Song of Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: Those who are so heavenly minded stumble over this book and some Orthodox Jews even avoid it altogether.
Ethan Mahoney: Stumble over this book and some Orthodox Jews even avoid it altogether.
Ethan Mahoney: In fact, ultra-orthodox Jews do not let men read this until they are 39 years old.
Ethan Mahoney: They have been broken off and now we're reading it today.
Ethan Mahoney: We've been grafted in.
Ethan Mahoney: So questions like where is the overt mention of prayer worship, the temple priest sacrifice, the whole decalogue, the all the thou shalt nots offering high holy days, or even vows before God?
Ethan Mahoney: Get this now.
Ethan Mahoney: For those of you who know me, just listen up real quick.
Ethan Mahoney: I believe God thinks so highly of human love that the Spirit inspired Solomon to make this entire book just to define it, and not just define it in the entirety of this book, but to do so without even God being distinctly mentioned at all, according to many Bible translators at all, according to many Bible translators.
Ethan Mahoney: Now, those of you who understand and know me know that I enjoy many Christian genres of theology, but sometimes I like to give more attention to those topics I feel may not always get explored.
Ethan Mahoney: Often One of my favorite topics involves onomatology, which is the study of names, their origins, histories and meaning.
Ethan Mahoney: And a lot of you know that, since Song of Solomon yet is one of my favorite wisdom, poetry, human conduct books in the Old Testament, even though God's titles are not found written explicitly in the book.
Ethan Mahoney: In the book, why is Adonai, elohim, el Elyon, shaddai, savioff, not used fully when the Holy Spirit is using Solomon to give us this book on honorable human love?
Ethan Mahoney: And there's many debating questions about that.
Ethan Mahoney: Maybe one reason, you know, solomon says in Ecclesiastes that Pastor Doug tackled so well in chapter 7, verse 16, do not be overly religious or overly righteous.
Ethan Mahoney: And I think perhaps, since human love is a gift from God, it's not necessarily religious.
Ethan Mahoney: I would say it's more spiritual, it's mystical and physical.
Ethan Mahoney: It's spiritual, it's mystical and physical.
Ethan Mahoney: Right, five times in the Song of Solomon, the Shulamite calls Solomon the one who my soul loves.
Ethan Mahoney: There's the spiritual.
Ethan Mahoney: It's mystical because Proverbs, chapter 18, agar says there are three things I don't understand, four things that are too wonderful for me the way a bird flies, the way a snake can slither, the way a boat can float and how people fall in love.
Ethan Mahoney: So it's mysterious.
Ethan Mahoney: Paul would second that too.
Ethan Mahoney: He says that the imagery of Christ loving the church is a mystery, right?
Ethan Mahoney: So that's the mystical part.
Ethan Mahoney: And of course it's romantic.
Ethan Mahoney: We have it right in front of us, you know, and it's a book on physical sensuality.
Ethan Mahoney: So I wouldn't say that it's definitely or overly religious, because if love is religious, then it's really not love, right, it's more like you're programmed, you're only doing this because you know.
Ethan Mahoney: It's almost like the law was supposed to be a schoolmaster to get people to Christ.
Ethan Mahoney: But the problem is they stumble and they stay at the law, just doing it for the sake of religion but not for relationship.
Ethan Mahoney: So if you're only getting her flowers because it's a particular day, you're doing it religiously and I don't think love is religious, which may be why God is in the background, because Malachi tells us he's there at the weddings.
Ethan Mahoney: He's the one who joined man and woman together to begin with, and my wife will tell you I would buy flowers and she'd be like what's the flowers for?
Ethan Mahoney: I said because it's Wednesday.
Ethan Mahoney: And tell the truth.
Ethan Mahoney: What happened now with the flowers?
Ethan Mahoney: Tell the truth, when I kept getting you flowers, tell the truth, she's not going to say it, but she had to tell me to stop getting flowers.
Ethan Mahoney: It's too much, but that's how I felt.
Ethan Mahoney: You know, it didn't have to be something.
Ethan Mahoney: Or or high holiday that says this is the day you're supposed to give your wife flowers, because then I think it become robotic and I don't think God made us to be like that.
Ethan Mahoney: We're supposed to love the Lord with all our strength, with all our might and all our soul, right?
Ethan Mahoney: So yes, it is spiritual, it's mystical, it's romantic and it's physical.
Ethan Mahoney: Maybe that's why God decides to be in the background.
Ethan Mahoney: Another theory why God's titles are not distinctly mentioned in Song of Solomon is because maybe his name actually is referenced.
Ethan Mahoney: So, yes, our God has many titles but has a personal name.
Ethan Mahoney: Not all titles are names and not all names are actually titles.
Ethan Mahoney: So titles are more like job descriptions, right?
Ethan Mahoney: For instance, my name, my title, would be officer, but that's not my name.
Ethan Mahoney: Constable or detective, although I may answer if you called me, that you know correctly, if you address me that way, I might respond.
Ethan Mahoney: If you say pastor, you probably get Doug and Micah looking at you, but that's not their name, that's their title.
Ethan Mahoney: So, yes, our God has a lot of titles master, father, conqueror, king, lamb of God, almighty, messiah.
Ethan Mahoney: Although these are correct ways to address them, they're not necessarily his personal name.
Ethan Mahoney: Our God has a personal name, known as the Tetragrammaton.
Ethan Mahoney: Say that seven times fast the four Hebrew letters of his name, yahweh.
Ethan Mahoney: So yes, it's debated that our God's name does appear in the Hebrew text of this book, maybe not his titles, but the abbreviated form of Yahweh, and that's found in chapter 8, verse 6.
Ethan Mahoney: Chapter 8, verse 6.
Ethan Mahoney: And it's his abbreviated name, yah, y-a-h in the English, like Hallelujah, sometimes translated in our English text as capitals, l-o-r-d.
Ethan Mahoney: Lord, which is short for Yahweh.
Ethan Mahoney: Only when Solomon is giving one of the most powerful descriptions of love is when the Holy Spirit prompts him to use the shortened form of Yah to describe it.
Ethan Mahoney: Let's look at the passage, chapter 8, verse 6.
Ethan Mahoney: The Shulamite says set me as a seal upon your heart, that's ownership over your thoughts and emotions.
Ethan Mahoney: Set me as a seal upon your arm, that's ownership over your actions.
Ethan Mahoney: For love is as strong as death, universal and irreversible.
Ethan Mahoney: Jealousy, as cruel or unrelenting as the grave, cannot be shared.
Ethan Mahoney: It's exclusive and possessive.
Ethan Mahoney: Its flames are flames of fire, extremely passionate, a most vehement flame or an almighty flame, and invincible and persevering.
Ethan Mahoney: Here in the Hebrew we would find the name Yah, y-a-h, and when Solomon says an almighty flame or most vehement flame, the verse could be read like this Love is as strong as death.
Ethan Mahoney: Its flames are flames of fire, the flames of Yah.
Ethan Mahoney: In other words, yahweh is portrayed as the source of this powerful love and that you cannot fully define biblical human love and romance without our God being the source of it.
Ethan Mahoney: Think about that for a moment.
Ethan Mahoney: See law for a bit.
Ethan Mahoney: Right, pass the mic.
Ethan Mahoney: When it comes to godly relationships, if Yahweh didn't stoke the flame or fuel it, then perhaps the fire won't last.
Ethan Mahoney: The fire won't last.
Ethan Mahoney: Think about that.
Ethan Mahoney: It's suggested, generally speaking, that Yahweh is the one who brings godly couples together, since he is the source.
Ethan Mahoney: He then is the sustainer.
Ethan Mahoney: But let's reread chapter 8, verse 6 again, and then we'll read the following verse Chapter 8, sorry, chapter eight, verse six Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave.
Ethan Mahoney: Its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame of the Lord.
Ethan Mahoney: Look at verse seven.
Ethan Mahoney: Chapter eight, verse seven Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it.
Ethan Mahoney: Imagine the fire department trying with all their strongest equipment, most powerful hoses of water, attempting to put out a fire.
Ethan Mahoney: And no matter how much they use, they still cannot out the flames.
Ethan Mahoney: That's God's definition of biblical love.
Ethan Mahoney: Out the flames, that's God's definition of biblical love.
Ethan Mahoney: It's not a smoldering wick on a candle that someone can snuff out, or blow a gust of air to smother.
Ethan Mahoney: No, imagine a volcano erupting in the middle of the ocean and lava is constantly spewing out non-stop.
Ethan Mahoney: God's love is like an engulfed inferno, a mysteriously living volcanic, relentless element that no one can douse.
Ethan Mahoney: Its blaze.
Ethan Mahoney: Song of Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: Chapter eight, verse seven continues If a man gave, gave for love, all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised of his house.
Ethan Mahoney: It would be utterly despised.
Ethan Mahoney: These are powerful metaphors.
Ethan Mahoney: Imagine having $198 billion.
Ethan Mahoney: That's supposedly Elon Musk.
Ethan Mahoney: Net worth $195 billion Warren Buffett it just came out that he has about 226 billion.
Ethan Mahoney: And if you were to add up the three, just three of the top wealthiest Americans, you will have over a half trillion dollars.
Ethan Mahoney: Yet understand this now how the Bible defines true love and honorable romance that even with the wealth of all the richest people combined, you still would not be.
Ethan Mahoney: It would not have enough money to purchase true, godly human love, godly human love.
Ethan Mahoney: So Jeff Bezos, he owns Amazon.
Ethan Mahoney: You know the website where you can just simply type in something in a search bar and you have a list of anything you can purchase, and I believe he should be able to purchase any item on his own website, especially since he owns it, and it's said that he has about $138.2 billion.
Ethan Mahoney: But Solomon, in all his God-given, holy Spirit-inspired wisdom, says that there is an item not even Jeff Bezos or anyone can afford, and that's love set on fire by Yahweh.
Ethan Mahoney: The question then is if love is priceless, how then can it be obtained?
Ethan Mahoney: The answer is that it must be given.
Ethan Mahoney: Ultimately, love is a gift from Yeshua, the Savior of Yah.
Ethan Mahoney: Love is a gift from Yeshua, the Savior of Yah.
Ethan Mahoney: There are about four different Hebrew words for love that are used in the Song of Solomon.
Ethan Mahoney: Specifically, in the Hebrew manuscripts of Songs of Solomon, I would say the main Hebrew word that is used would be the word Ahava.
Ethan Mahoney: Ahava, which appears 11 times, is the Hebrew word for love and often signifies powerful, intimate love between a man and a woman.
Ethan Mahoney: For instance, in Genesis, chapter 29, verse 20, scripture reads so Jacob worked seven years for Rachel and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his ahava, his love for her.
Ethan Mahoney: The word ahava for love is so powerful when used to describe a man having for his woman that not even time itself is burdensome or holds some significance.
Ethan Mahoney: Some of you have been married for several decades and still going strong, and it may not even seem like a heavy-laden task, but a joyful excursion.
Ethan Mahoney: Not even certain aspects of physics is a bother when a man is in love, set on fire by God.
Ethan Mahoney: This is true and mentioned in some of our modern day poems.
Ethan Mahoney: Every time we meet, I wish I could freeze the pendulum and savor the scene so it couldn't leave or never end.
Ethan Mahoney: Look at Matthew, chapter 26.
Ethan Mahoney: Matthew, chapter 26.
Ethan Mahoney: In closing, I barely scratched the surface on this y'all, but this book ultimately is a book.
Ethan Mahoney: If you take it allegorically, shows how much love Yeshua has for us, as we read earlier in Song of Solomon, chapter three, verse 11, which says go out, young women of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon wearing his crown His mother placed on him on the day of his wedding, the day of his heart, rejoicing.
Ethan Mahoney: And Yeshua says the queen of the South will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Ethan Mahoney: That was Matthew, chapter 12.
Ethan Mahoney: Solomon in all his splendor, wisdom and extravagant lyrics is only a foretaste of Yeshua's divine glory and love he has for his bride, the church.
Ethan Mahoney: Messiah loves everything about us, from head to toe, and when he cleansed us with his own blood, he quotes Song of Solomon, chapter 4, verse 7.
Ethan Mahoney: Oh, my love, you are altogether beautiful.
Ethan Mahoney: There is no flaw, no imperfection, no blemish in you.
Ethan Mahoney: No flaw, no imperfection, no blemish in you.
Ethan Mahoney: We've been made perfect by the blood of Jesus.
Ethan Mahoney: We might sing beautiful Savior or fierce Lord Jesus, but when he came the first time, he had no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Ethan Mahoney: Yet, because of our relationship, is more than just physical appearance.
Ethan Mahoney: When we see him, as Isaiah says, he is the branch of Yahweh, which is beautiful and glorious In Isaiah, chapter 33, verse 17,.
Ethan Mahoney: Isaiah says our eyes will see the king in his beauty.
Ethan Mahoney: And last verse for tonight, since we are coming to the close of the chapter of Matthew.
Ethan Mahoney: I felt this would be fitting In Matthew, chapter 26, verse 28,.
Ethan Mahoney: And you can ask Matthias, he printed this out before I knew what you guys were preaching and talking about.
Ethan Mahoney: So kudos to Brother Walter and excellent job this morning to Brother David.
Ethan Mahoney: But yes, let's look at Matthew, chapter 26, verse 28, which says For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Ethan Mahoney: Since the marriage relationship of this song reflects the values of God, we are here to made, made to understand that he intends for covenant relationship, including his with us, to be permanent, not revoked by the imperfections of any party to the covenant.
Ethan Mahoney: Similarly, there is a permanence to our covenant relationship with our divine and heavenly bridegroom, yeshua, which is not only until death or death do us part, but which overcomes death.
Ethan Mahoney: Oh death, where is your victory?
Ethan Mahoney: Because Yeshua is the resurrection and the life.
Ethan Mahoney: We who believed in him are sealed by the Holy Spirit as an engagement, down payment for redemption, and with that we can say, like the Shulamite in Songs of Solomon, chapter 8, verse 14, make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or young stag on the mountains of spices, maranatha.
Ethan Mahoney: God bless you.