Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-09-16
Sabbath School
Lesson
BY BUD FISHER
For September 10
By DIR. MARION NH. HULL

Note: Instead of the regular
temperance lesson for today, I
shall present for our study one
of the most beautiful and fasci-
mating parts of the Bible-the
song of Solomon-for two rea-
sons; first, because it is most ap-
propr1ate just now in connection
with our last weeks study of
Solomon's glory, and, second, be-
cause 1t is little understood and
50 misunderstood. and yet
withal so deeply spiritual and i'm
portant.
There are a few things that must
be known at the outset of our study
Of this wonderful bit of literature
!. 1t is a drama. A drama must
necessarily have characters, a story
climax. All of these this bit of
directly. 2. 1t is an Oriental poem,
and, therefore, in reading it we must
Oriental and Occidental thought, and
also poetic license. For example,
when Solomon compares the heroine,
nose to the tower of Lebanon-a
westerner would not appreciate that
as a compliment, for at once it would
appeal to him as a nose so big as to
be ridiculous, but the Oriental idea
is of a different kind. AS the tower
Is in the center of the landscape
and gives direction so the nose is the
center of the face, and in fine proper
ton.
Again when the Schulamite girl
says: My beloved is unto me as a
bundle of myrrh that lieth between
my breasts" your western sense of
propriety may be shocked; but the
Oriental idea is beautiful and pure.
When a young man became engaged
to a young lady he gave her not a
diamond ring to wear on her finger,
but a bunch of myrrh to wear on a
necklace around her neck, so that she
might be constantly reminded of him
by the fragrant odor that reached
her nOstrilS continuously.
3. We must keep in mind who is
speaking in order to understand the
thought. The Shulamite girl always
speaks of her shepherd lover as my
beloved" Solomon addresses her "as
my love-" There is the simplicity
of the country girl in her language;
: there is the coarseness of the city
sovereign in his.
T. We must appreciate Solomon's
motive Here he is trying to induce
beautiful country girl to become
his wife, and she is declining be-
cause she is already engaged to her
shepherd lover in northern Gibilee.
Why did solomon want another wife
when he already had so many? Let
US state at the outset that it was
not lust. When Solomon became
king he had great task before him.
The ten tribes had been seven years
before they had acknowledged al
legiance to David, and while there
was an apparent union of all the
tribes, 1t was very loose union,
which was liable to break at any
time (and which did, in fact, break
just after Solomon's DEATH Solomon
realized this and asked for wisdom
to know how to decide and to gov
ern this great people. There were
two plans that he might have adopt
ed; one was war, foreign invasion.
This would have united the nation in
a common purpose, as it would if
they had been invaded by an
enemy. The other was a common
purpose in peace-that one Solo
mon chose He set before his people
the building of a nation on such a
magnificent scale that it would re-
.quire all of them and all of their re-
sources. This accounts for the
twenty years in building of the tenn