Song of songs 1:6 "They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard."
They made her caretaker, it wasn’t her will. She was in forced labor under the hot sun. Her sunburn proved it.
Deuteronomy 20:10-11 "When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. 11 If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced laborand shall work for you."
“My mother’s children were ill-deposed towards me…”
“My mother’s sons were angry with me…
In Context she is the sunburnt enemy of God, yet born again now believer who not only has some darkness left in their sinful unredeemed flesh but also has a loveliness about her that should grab Solomon’s attention. Christ in her, the flame of the Lord, a holy flame of Love burn deep in her soul for God and a husband that could draw her closer to God and himself/Christ.
Before desiring to marry Solomon the bride to be was an enemy of God. (For more detail on her being an enemy check out my blog here She was an enemy of God )
In other terms she was a Gentile in slavery that gets born again. Her sunburn gave it away that she was a gentile enemy of God.
Solomon’s Song of Songs 1:6 “Dark am I, yet lovely” she confesses to the daughters of Jerusalem “Do not stare at me because I am swarthy, For the sun has burned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
The bride to be here gives he testimony as to where her darkness or sunburn or better said scorched skin came from. Originally she says it came from a lack of doing what God wanted her to do. God wanted her to guard her own vineyard. She let the foxes ruin her vineyard. She was an enemy of God when Solomon became King and Solomon but all God’s enemies to work. Only the enemies of God were sunburn. During Solomon’s reign the Israelites did labor in the hot sun at all. They had entered their promised land filled with milk and honey and were resting for 40 years.
The bride to be is darkened or rather scorched by the sun due to her working in forced labor by her mother’s sons who righteously hated her. She was outside a covenant relationship with the LORD. So she could not experience the rest that the Israelites were experiencing.
The hatred here or anger is a righteous hatred. David hated those who God hated. God righteously hates the wicked who continue in sin. A holy being must hate as God hates. Since her mother’s son’s were the Israelites their hatred toward God’s enemies due to their evil natures was right and just. Their was no love of complacency in the daughters of Jerusalem toward the enemies of God working in the fields. (For more on love of complacency or complacency in holiness go here.)
We also know her duty was to catch the foxes but that duty was neglected and the foxes ruined were what ruined her vineyard but by Song 2:14-15 her ability to guard her vineyard went from total rejection to blossoming or producing tender fruit.
So the bride to be was in slave labor. This is clear by the words “made me take care of the vineyards.” They made her do it. There is a harshness to this word. The labor was not fun in the heat of the noon day sun. Harsh, yes but just as well. No evil here in putting God’s enemies to hard labor for it was God’s will at the time for Israel to experience rest for 40 years.
1 Kings 9:21
“God’s enemies and “their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day.”
Other verses talking about the slave labor at that time.
2 Chronicle 10:3-4 talks about the heavy yoke put upon those in slave labor.
1 Kings 9:20-23 “20 There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites). 21 Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 23 They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.”
If she so fearlessly pursued the closest most intimate relation with Solomon because of who he was and what he/He could do for her. How much more so ought we to pursue a closer more intimate relationship with God through union with Christ!! How much more so… The truth about the flame of God in the marriage union of two people is but a shadow or type of what the truth about the flame of God in the marriage union of Christ to the believer. Solomon spoke as Christ would speak. Solomon loved as Christ would love. (at least in the Song of Songs he did. At the end of his life Solomon followed other women and their evil Gods, but was chief among ten thousand when first married.
So essentially, Solomon at one time had his future wife in slave labor. Solomon righteously hated those whom God hated as well so Solomon also hated her til she was born again with the flame of the Lord dwelling in her making her morally beautiful. Song 8:6
So does this somehow translate to the Christians relationship with their Bridegroom Jesus Christ? Yes, She was an enemy of God and so were we. There is a righteous hatred God has for the wicked because God is holy and therefore He hates the disobedient. There is a holy hatred in the heart of every believer towards Gods enemies. One can telly they have this holy hatred for sin is that you will not continue in the same habitual patter of sin because you hate it.
All nonbeliever are under the wrath or holy hatred of God John 3:18
Application for Believers. Their is an illustration here. The idea is “Who is your husband?” Satan or Christ? Who do you serve as King?
Song 1:6 “My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of their vineyards”
Simplified truth:
- Satan doesn’t love me, he hates me and makes me work bitter labor in slavery to sin and the law.
- I have his evil image upon myself rather than the holy image of God. I was in slavery to sin, Satan was angry with me, but not anymore. “were” is past tense. But now she is morally excellent in slavery to righteousness, because Christ is the Husband of her soul.
- Satan tempted eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit, they neglected to guard their hearts and therefore the whole world is born into slavery to Satan. Their burden of sin and guilt is heavy and trying to obey the law only makes things worse. Trying to get the same satisfaction with less and less power, our hearts got harder like pharaoh’s did.
- We lost a paradise by sin, and have gained a greater glory by the cross. Dark am I yet blessed, infinitely beautiful in Christ!
- Satan told me lies, enslaved me to sin, made himself my spiritual evil husband to me false teachings about God and salvation, so I labored in slavery to sin, finding no purpose and meaning in life working for an evil taskmaster.
- “Mother’s sons” Satan, not my true relation, not my true father was angry with me, he did not love me nor God. Satan is the enemy of God. I labored as an enemy of God doing the bidding of Satan. “My mothers sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards.” Like pharaoh did to the Egyptians. She was in slavery and needed redemption to be set free from bondage to sin because her mother’s sons were angry with her and made her take care of their vineyards. These foxes destroy her vineyard from blossoming.
So she neglected her vineyard and foxes ate everything because she neglected her vineyard. She was in force labor by people who have the same mother as her but a different father.
The text is literal. Mother is mother and sons are sons. Her mothers sons did not love her nor delight in her holiness they hated her. This would mean there was no family love coming from her mother’s sons. Hate was in place Love in her old family yoke.
There is a righteous hatred of sin wherever you find it if you are a believer. There is also an unrighteous hatred that is anger or ill disposition toward someone you do not want to be happy.
She is wanting a different husband in Song 1:7. What faith is here!! She asks the one she loves for information. She wants to be closer to him/Him, she what to be where he is and where he shepherds his flock. He gives her directions on how and where to find him/Him. How to find him/Him? She must “Follow” to where? What location? by the tents of the shepherds she can find “rest” when weary and tired by being near her good shepherd/Shepherd.
She labored heavily for the devils work. Advancing his kingdom on earth yoked to her husband the devil. Deceived in bondage to his will, your perceived good you chose not your real good. No purpose in life serving other God’s.
May these truths bring even greater conviction and the flame of Love grows hotter and brighter in your soul today for the Lord Jesus Christ our heavenly Husband, lover of our souls!! Amen and Amen
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