1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

More than wine.— More even than thedoctrines.The upright— Those without deceit, guileless,honest.Love Thee— Seek fellowship with Thee, aspireto learn of Thee, to cultivate Thy graces, to benear Thee.Canticles 1:5.I am black— The bride of Moses, Zipporah,type of the Bride of Christ, was an Ethiopianwoman— a Gentile.But comely— "The Kings Daughter is allglorious within"; her intentions are pure, spotlessin God's sight.O ye daughters— Professed children.Of Jerusalem— Of the Kingdom of God. Thetrue Church instinctively recognizes that herdetractors are to be found among God'sprofessed people.As the tents of Kedar— Kedar was one of thechildren of Ishmael, and the name thus stands forthe Ishmaelites, or Bedouins. Their tents are theirhomes; and though made of black goat's hair andoutwardly stained they are often luxurious in theinterior, being hung with costly tapestries.As the curtains— Between the Holy and theMost Holy.Of Solomon— Of Solomon's Temple. Thesecurtains, or rather a similar curtain which hung inHerod's temple, and which was rent in twain onthe day of our Lord's death, was most wonderful,being some thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide andfive inches thick.Canticles 1:6.Look not upon me— Look not so upon me(Leeser); the Bride kindly expostulates with hercritics.Because I am black— Because I am somewhatblack (Leeser); the Bride does not deny herimperfections, but is not disposed to admit thatshe is altogether worthless.