Daughters of Jerusalem

Enemy slave gets saved and wants to marry Solomon and asks the Daughters and/or Solomon “Do not stare at me because of my sunburn..”Song 1:5-6

There are many times that the daughters of Jerusalem would show up in the Song.  These are faithful Jewish women.  Products of Jerusalem.  A city of peace.  Imagine being raised by the most godly parents possible in the holiest city ever with Solomon as king of kings governing the people by his unmeasurable wisdom.   It just get better and better until the kingdom splits at the end of Solomon’s reign.  Although these daughters of Jerusalem are holy they were born again at some time.  Though I would assume at an early age.  Jerusalem was their mother.  They are her daughters.  Born and raised in a holy city with holy parents, holy friends, eaten kosher food, worshiping God, going to temple, praying often.  References to being a daughter or son also meant “sameness of nature”.  Jerusalem meant “peace”,  these were Daughters of peace.  One of the nicknames of the bride in the Song is “Shulamite” meaning “peace” in the feminine.  “Solomon” means peace in the masculine.  Similar to the names Christian and Christiana.

The place you grow up in and your parents influence who you are.

Being a Daughter of Jerusalem meant that growing up in Jerusalem had a certain effect or influence upon all those that grew up there.  The particular influence is that of “peace”.   Peace was felt, experienced and shed abroad.  In the name Jerusalem is the idea of “peace” therefore these are “Daughter’s of peace who grew up in a holy city of peace.”  Peace with God, Peace with enemies, peace with neighbors, brothers, sisters, peace between husband/Husband and wife/bide of Christ.  These are women who are a product of peace.

Some people say they come from the south or north and it means something different if you are from the south.  You would be a Daughter of the South.   Being born and raised in Compton California has a different  idea of being born and raised in Beverly Hills.  So also being born and raised in the holiest of cities Jerusalem during a time of the greatest spiritual revival in history would also mean something as well.  Older than children these daughters of Jerusalem show up about 10x in the Song of Songs.

Listed below are the 10x they show up and then more detail on the 3rd time they show up

1. The Daughters of Jerusalem love Solomon who is God’s anointed king and 3rd Kingly Messiah of Israel.  They show up and are included in the “maiden’s” that rightly praise and more the single king Solomon.  Song 1:3-4.  Similar to our love of King Jesus that is right.
2. Next time the Daughters show up is in Song 1:5 when the bride to be is giving the daughters of Jerusalem her testimony.  “Dark am I, yes sunburnt, yet I am lovely”
3. Song 1:6. Here the bride doesn’t want the Daughter to judge her so she gives her testimony and the asks them to not “stare” at her because she is outwardly different looking like an enemy and not a fellowshipping friend.
4. Song 1:11 is when the daughters of Jerusalem show up next.  Basically they are included in the “we” of Song 1:11. Solomon is basically saying that she is beautiful in 1:9-10 and in 1:11 all who are involved in her sanctification promise to make her more beautiful.  They aren’t staring at her sunburn at this point because she followed the tracks of other mature sheep and found rest by the shepherd tents.  She proved her love to the Shepherd King her lover, She obeyed what He said to do in 1:8.  So they are involved with the beautification process of her soul.
5. Song 2:7 is the next time they show up.  This time the bride to be has spent some really good quality time with Solomon propose.  So, the warning  comes before proposal.   three time the warning to not think, say, do or fell anything, love before the proper time.   This  is told to the daughters of Jerusalem 2x and the 3rd time there is no adjuration.  A warning to not arouse or awaken love until she is ready and willing.  3x this warning shows up to these Daughters of Jerusalem.  It must be a great temptation for them to arouse or awaken love.  When your heart is ready and the desire is there then you can enjoy each other’s love.  Yet this still is in God’s timing as it is in nature.  For more on Song 2:7 click here.
6. In Song 3:7  its as if an audience is called upon to “look”.  I do not doubt that the daughters of Jerusalem where the ones included in looking at the bride on her way to the coronation and wedding with her king.  So the daughters of Jerusalem along with others,  I suppose this would have been as big a wedding as possible,  Solomon had endless finances.  (I assume angels as well) are called upon to “look”  at the bride… and also in 3:10 they are called to “look on king Solomon wearing the crown”  Its like the audience can look one way and see the bride coming and they can look the other way and see Solomon wearing the crown.  Here also are some other characters in the Song, these are the Daughters of Zion.  Song 3:10.   What are the daughters of Zion doing in a book on marriage?  The Song takes place in a time era where Solomon ruled from Jerusalem, it was a theorcratic monarchy like never seen before.  Solomon took over after David and then here come Solomon’s promised New World Order.
7. Next time the Daughters show up is in the middle of the night when she is love sick.  Song 5:9.  Just after she got beat up and all her outward comforts taken away and the only thing she desires is to seek and find her beloved, but she didn’t know which way he turned. She says to tell Him I really really miss him if you find him.  He is the greatest husband who ever lived, the chief among ten thousand Song 5:10-16 is the most glorious idea anyone could have of their Holy and righteous king of kings, shepherd of her heart and husband to her soul, united by the very flame of God Song 8:6 that is in them both etc. and its through this higher view of the lesser Christ that she is humbled and finds him “down” in the garden of 6:2 which humble is where she should have been when he knocked in 5:2.  So in the middle of trying to learn to stay humble and obey quicker the daughters of Jerusalem ask her to describe why her beloved husband is better than any other husband.  How is it that your husband is better than any other beloved?  Your telling us that experiencing this guys presence is worth going through all that you have in the middle of the night just to be near him?
8. Then the Daughters show up again.  This time they are being warned to not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.  This assumes that they would be tempted to arouse or awaken love before it’s proper time.  You may believe you humbled yourself and deserve communion with Him.  No, you don’t deserve it.  “You just can’t arouse or awaken my Love at will or because of your supposed humbling yourself” Christ says to the prideful soul.  Do not arouse or awaken love til it so desires, for more on this warning go here.
9. The next time they possibly show up and could easily be the one’s who have a daughter who is not mature yet and they are asking the fully mature in Christ bride what to do.  She answers them with if she is a door to lock her up.   If she is a wall then to praise, honor and adorn her with Jewels.
10. The last time they show up is when the voices of those in the garden are asked to be heard in Song 8:13.  I suppose this to be anyone living a righteous life is asked to give voice, testimony, praise and rejoice.

See the Contrast

Song of Songs 1:5 is the 3rd time the Daughters of Jerusalem show up and here is where you see a stark contrast between the fair skinned Daughters of peace and the sunburnt daughter born into sin and slavery her whole life til the “flame of the Lord” dwells in her and she wants to marry Solomon, but she gets some horrible looks from the Daughters of Jerusalem.

1. They are still present and she asks them to not stare at her sunburn, confesses her sin as part of her testimony.  Song 1:6  Based on her profession the daughters of Jerusalem do not stare at her.  She was looking dark, sunburnt and evil on the outside but desiring a closer more intimate relationship with Solomon because you have tasted a little bit and you want more because it is more delightful than wine.*-
   1. 1.  The daughter’s of Jerusalem were naturally born in Jerusalem.  Specifically during a time of great spiritual revival with Solomon, king of kings ruling from Jerusalem.  These ladies would have been naturally born into the kingdom during Solomon’s reign so they did no labor.  And were holy, set apart for the service of God during a theocratic monarchy with Solomon as king of kings.
      2. They did no labor.  1 Kings 9:20-13, 2 Chronicles 8:8 with her working in the vineyards in Song 1:6.  So the bride to be used to work in the vineyards and wasn’t naturally born belonging in the Kingdom of God. They had no sunburn, but she did.
      3. The daughters of Jerusalem had a tendency to stare at the enemies of God, the ones who had the sunburns.  Their was a stigma at that time that came with having a sunburn.   Having a sunburn meant that you were an enemy of God born into slavery, therefore those who were living free and blessed would often look down upon or stare at the sunburnt enemies of God that were being treated as if they were continuing in sin, separated from God like a veiled prostitute.
      4. A Daughter of Jerusalem would be similar to a woman born of believing parents in the millennial Kingdom.

      

      A sunburn meant that you were an enemy of God, and the bride in the Song was sunburnt Song 1:6 and labored in another’s vineyard not her own, she neglected hers and labored in the hot sun all day and got sunburnt.  The enemies of God left in the kingdom when Solomon took over where the ones doing all the hard labor.  1 Kings 9:20-23, 2 Chronicles 8:8.  Her job here is working outside in the vineyards in the hot sun getting sunburnt.  By birth she was born outside the covenant blessings of being a daughter of Jerusalem.

   2. The daughters of Jerusalem had no sunburn because they were born in and belonging unto Jerusalem during a time prophesied to be the greatest time of physical and spiritual revival.
      

      Examples

      1.  Jesus a holy Jew would normally have nothing to do with sinful half Jew and half Gentile Samaritan.  Samaritans were despised due to their sinful practices.  John 4:9  Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan..
      2. Ben Ladin.   A born again Muslim wanting to marry a Christian.  Now in the 20th century when evil radical Muslim’s want to kill Christians and Jews.  And Ben Ladin is their ruler.  And Benjamin Netanyahu is the president of Israel now.   It would be like Ben Ladin having a daughter that just was born again wanting to marry Netanyahu. Imagine Ben Ladin’s daughter saying to Netanyahu,  “Do not stare at me because I look like an evil Islamic terrorist because I am born again.”
      3. Imagine anyone living a totally ungodly life and them being scared with some sort of outward appearance that made other’s thing they were the enemy and not a friend.
      4. Similar I suppose to a holy loving police man marrying a born again gangster girl.  And she meets him and says “Do not stare at my tattoo’s I am a new person..”
      5. It would be like Saul preaching the gospel whereas before he murdered Christians.  Imagine the new Paul meeting Christians.  “Do not stare at me because I know I look like Saul the guy who persecuted Christians but I am Paul now.”

      Effects of some having a sunburn and other not.

      Such a clear line would be drawn between the outward appearance, soft skinned, beautiful and attractive.  Compared to the first impression you would get from her because of her sunburn is that she is a natural born enemy of God totally opposite to a natural born daughter of Jerusalem.

      So the bride to be worked outside, was treated like a veiled prostitute continuing in sin and didn’t want to be treated like she had a sunburn, so she says to the daughters of Jerusalem, “Do not stare at me because I am dark..like black evil dwellings of kedar…I neglected my vineyard..was put into slavery outside in the hot sun and have a sunburn because I was an enemy of God but now I am born again with the “Flame of God” Song 8:6 in me so “Do not stare at me because I am dark, darkened by the sun…”

      The picture below shows the contrast between enemy sunburnt slaves working in the vineyards outside the covenant blessing of Israel during the reign of their greatest messiah so far.

More Thoughts

Daughter’s of Jerusalem are

1. Naturally born in Jerusalem during David’s reign and right before the greatest revival in history during Solomon’s reign.
2. They didn’t work outside, which is why our the dark sunburn on the slave girl gives indication that she is not part of the same group of holy girls that grew up in Jerusalem at a time when God’s enemies tilled the land.  2 Chronicles.8:8, 1 Kings 9:20-23, Song 1:6
3. They were fair skinned and not sunburnt like their enemies
4. They accept her and join her and she leads them to her beloved Song 5
5. They were faithful Jews
   1. Eating, praying, worship, sacrificing living righteous glorifying God and enjoying Him.  And it only kept getting better.  They did no labor but would oversea it.  Compared to an enemy slave girl born outside the holy city.
6. The Daughter of Jerusalem had no love of complacency in their enemies for their enemies have no holiness in them. The righteous love holiness wherever they find it.  Their enemies had no Love to God, but they did.   The daughter’s of Jerusalem had complacency in holiness.  Therefore, where they did not discover this holiness in other’s then the holy daughters would look down upon them (their enemies) with righteous hatred.  Ps. 5:5, 11:5. The daughters of Jerusalem had a tendency to treat those outside a covenant relationship with God with some kind of disdain, contempt, judgement or the like.  Whatever is included in what is translated “looking down upon”   or “staring at” means.  The sunburnt bride to be asks the daughters of Jerusalem to not treat her as her outward appearance gives every indication that she should not be trusted, let alone be married to their king.  But she is born again Song 8:6 and desires a relationship with the Godliest man she can find, the greatest type of Christ to ever live, Solomon.  The daughters of Jerusalem had no love of complacency in the bride to be until she was born again.
7. Yet Naamah and Solomon both had “love” Song 8:6-7.   The daughters had love.   And love grew. “When any one under the influence of general benevolence, sees another being possessed of the like general benevolence, this attaches his heart to him, and draws forth greater love to him, than merely his having existence: because so far as the being beloved has love to being in general, so far his own being Is, as it were, enlarged; extends to, and in some sort comprehends being in general: and therefore, he that is governed by love to being in general, must of necessity have complacence in him, and the greater degree of benevolence to him, as it were out of gratitude to him for his love to general existence, that his own heart is extended and united to, and so looks on its interest as its own. It is because his heart is thus united to being in general, that he looks on a benevolent propensity to being in general, wherever he sees it, as the beauty of the being in whom it is; an excellency that renders him worthy of esteem, complacence, and the greater good-will.” JE
8. I would say these were born again Jews, which they were but their outward appearance would not have shown it due to them being born into a covenant relationship with God.  Sort of like being considered the daughter of Jerusalem where innocent until proven guilty.  Rather than if you were born into slavery then your loyalty to the crown would always be in question.  More like being guilty until proven innocent.

Gospel Application

Whether you were born in an ungodly city or a holy one (I don’t think there is one now) but I suppose you could have a pretty holy family or parents.  Either way we are all born sinners and must be born again in order to enter heaven.  We are sinners.  We have disobeyed God many many many times in thought, word, emotions and deeds.  We deserve separation form God’s love and grace and deserve strict Justice in the lake of fire forever for disobeying, for so Great is our Holy God.  God sent His Son to take our sins upon Himself, once our sins are on His record then God punished Him as if He was a sinner.  The sins of the bride of Christ were transferred to Him on the cross, He suffered for her out of Love.  Plus He lived a perfect life so that His perfect life could be credited to our account.  If your faith in who Christ is and what he has done for you is real then thinking, feelings, words and actions will change for the better, not perfect but you will be sorry and mourn because you offended a great God and you will repent because you now love Him.  Jesus promises to never leave you and will present you as a holy born again virgin blameless in the presence of God.