Friday, December 8: Song of Songs 1- Appearance and self-worth.

The Song of Songs is, for most of us, a strange book in the Bible. It is a romantic love story between a woman and the prince, Solomon. Is it meant to be an allegory of God’s love with His people? Is it a love story reminding us that love is God’s creation? There are many thoughts on this. I tend to read it for face value as a love story between a woman and her man.

I was struck by how sensitive the woman is to her features and particularly her skin color? Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect (5-6).

It struck me how large a role appearance plays in her self-worth. And if I am honest it is true for me and most of us as well. Add to the general situation that her appearance issue was being dark skinned. It surprised me that skin color was an issue in that ancient day, but apparently it was. In some naïve way I thought that my country’s struggles with a person’s skin color was an aberration on the landscape of humanity. But the more I consider this the more wrong I believe my thoughts are on the topic of skin color.  A friend of mine who is black grew up in Nigeria and never paid attention to what shade of black a person was. But when she traveled to South Africa, her shade of black was very important. She being a dark black felt discriminated against by lighter blacks… 

I wonder why this is? Is it as simple as skin color is obvious to everyone and cannot be easily masked??

How we treat people based on external factors saddens me. It is yet another case of the deep depravity of the human heart.

O God, this whole line of thinking exposes my deep sinfulness. If it is not skin color, it is height or weight or some other human trait. How easily sin-filled thoughts about others can erupt within me over the smallest distinctions and differences. O God, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me for the ways I discriminate and segregation people. It is a breach of Your will for us Lord and a break in Your trust of me as You son. I pray this through Jesus my savior. Amen.