Tuesday, 8 March 2016

The mystery of Eden (12) Garden, trees, fruits, etc.


“Son 4:12  A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Son 4:13  Thy shoots are a paradise
of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants; Son 4:14  Spikenard and saffron; Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: Son 4:15  A fountain in the gardens, A well of living waters, Which stream from Lebanon.”

The book of Solomon's Song of Songs has always been controversy among exegetes. In this regard here is an extract from a Wikipedia article dealing with this book: "The book was first rejected because of its secular character shown through many erotic images such as "Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle" or "Your breasts like ripe grapes." Christian exegetes have often been puzzled by this book. The humanist Sebastian Castellio had doubts about the divine inspiration of the book because of its sensual nature, which exposed him to the wrath of John Calvin. Nevertheless, he kept it in his translation of the Bible. While it is recognized as part of the biblical canon, its content has troubled many. ... The book is dealing with a sensual love and passing continuously through the exaltation of beauty and physical intercourse. The book Hebrew language makes clear reference to sensuality and a love relationship expressed physically, right from its opening lines, as in the 2nd verse of chapter 1, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your kisses are better than wine": the word translated "kisses" in Hebrew (דּוֹדֶיךָ, dodeikha), means love (intercourse) and insinuates love deeds (kissing, fondling), so that, associated with another term (and declined), it means the marriage bed."

Judging that this book should not be part of the biblical canon for the reasons read in the extract denotes a turbid and pathetic hypocrisy. The Most holy God deals with the most sinful man, and he does this in every detail even touching their impurities: this is the great mystery of God's love that leaves Satan and all angels puzzled. The Law of Moses shows how God deals with man in the details of his flesh, even in regard to his call of nature. We read this for example: Deu 23:13  And thou shalt have a shovel amongst thy weapons, and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which is come from thee.”  About carnal union in the domestic context we read clear biblical instructions such as: 1Co 7:3  Let the husband render her due to the wife, and in like manner the wife to the husband. 1Co 7:4  The wife has not authority over her own body, but the husband: in like manner also the husband has not authority over his own body, but the wife. 1Co 7:5  Defraud not one another, unless, it may be, by consent for a time, that ye may devote yourselves to prayer, and again be together, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.” Pro 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth. Pro 5:19  As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.”

He to whom God's love in Jesus Christ was revealed shall take the book of Song of Songs for one of the most wonderful of the Bible. The explicit language relating to carnal relations is not a coincidence either. 2Ti 3:16  Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; 2Ti 3:17  that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work.”  God had already used somewhere imagery with the same concepts: garden, tree, fruit, eating and ending up naked, etc. Now, as the Holy Scriptures can be explained only by the Holy Scriptures, it was expedient that in the same Bible we find other passages more explicit on these concepts and thus rule out any particular interpretation based on the "in my opinion ..." "I think ..." So the Bible would have been incomplete and inconsistent without this book which gives us lucidly the unequivoqual meaning of the concepts used in the hidden mysteries from ancient times.

In the introduction passage we found that the garden – a place to relax and delight – is rather a human being, love Shulamite. Then we can see how she, using the same language, invites her beloved: Son 4:16  Awake, north wind, and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow forth. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat its precious fruits.”  Here the love invites her beloved in a human garden that is her own body, not a botanical garden. Here is how the beloved responds to this invitation « Son 5:1  I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk…” Each term used in this passage is out of ordinary meaning as we can see in these passages: Son 5:13  His cheeks are as a bed of spices, raised beds of sweet plants; His lips lilies, dropping liquid myrrh. Son 4:11  Thy lips, my spouse, drop as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. Son 7:2  Thy navel is a round goblet, which wanteth not mixed wine; Thy belly a heap of wheat, set about with lilies; Son 7:9  And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine, ...That goeth down smoothly for my beloved, And stealeth over the lips of them that are asleep.”  The female body is the garden hosting spices (cheeks), lilies (lips) dropping with myrrh, honey (and honey and milk are under your tongue), a round goblet (the navel), a heap of wheat (belly), etc.

Another offer of the bride is presented in the following passage: Son 8:2  I would lead thee, bring thee into my mother's house; Thou wouldest instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.”  The wine in question, is love (physical in this specific context):  « Son 4:10  How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine ointments than all spices!” (1 :2,4 ; 2 :4) ; and pomegranates are also explained: Son 4:3  Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy speech is comely; As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples Behind thy veil. Son 6:7  As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples Behind thy veil.
  
The groom, meanwhile, made the description of his bride, Son 7:7  This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, And thy breasts to grape clusters.” Then he proposes to climb the palm tree: Son 7:8  I said, I will go up to the palm-tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof; And thy breasts shall indeed be like clusters of the vine, And the fragrance of thy nose like apples, Son 7:9  And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine, ...” If someone takes in isolation the section "I will go up to the palm-tree" without placing it in context, it will give another sense irrelevant. This does also verify the saying "a text without context is a pretext."

The Bible speaks of trees in many places and, according to the given context, they mean Israel and Judah (Jer 11), kings or kingdoms (Da 4, Ez 31), men (Za 4, Luke 3: 7 -9, Mark 8: 24), Jesus Christ himself (Jn 15). In the description given above by the groom, we also noted that a tree can be a part of the human body in the context where it is considered garden. In this understanding, the organ at the center of the body will be the tree at the center of the garden. It is about respecting the context and consistency of the Holy Scriptures. While reading the story of the fall, readers unfortunately try to ignore the context which is, however, given earnestly.

The story is introduced as follows: “Gen 2:25  And they were both naked, Man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”  This passage gives us the context properly: Everything is revolving around sex and nudity. And to reinforce this, Scripture continues: Ge 3:1  … The serpent was naked, more than any living of the fields that IHVHAdonaï Elohîms had made” (French Chouraqui, translated in English by the Author). For the woman to eat the fruit with the serpent, it was necessary that the latter was naked. And this context of sex is definitely confirmed by the result: Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

If up to this level still it is not sufficiently clear to your mind – provided that you are sincere and honest in your judgment – you will anyway recognize that these indications given by God are puzzling since Scripture cannot be broken and God can give no single detail in vain. Moreover, since now you know for a fact according to the Scriptures that every woman has two mouths, that there is "eat" and "eat", "fruit" and "fruit", "tree" and "tree", "garden" and "garden", you will need to ask yourself this question in your reflection to answer the puzzle: they ate, it is true; but by what mouth? – The innocent mouth or the least honest mouth? and linking the scriptures you find the answer, mostly in Proverbs 30:20 and in the book of Song of Songs.

Whoever reads a scripture – in this case, the story of the fall – and insists on rejecting the context that is planted is an unforgivable cheat, forger, counterfeiter. These are the false teachers who use the Bible right when they need to support their already preconceived doctrines, doctrines that cannot withstand the test of the Holy Bible scriptures in their consistency. The doctrine may well seem in harmony with a scripture in isolation, but when confronted with other biblical passages, it crashes. Receive the word of God by faith and with humility then it will be revealed to you and God will give you understanding.


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