The 10 Lamentations of Solyma

The following is a meditation on the 10 commandments from the perspective of the bride longing to please and adore her bridegroom.  This meditation uses language from Exodus 20 and incorporates that language in a deep spiritual way utilizing the comparative narrative of the lovers in the Song of Solomon. Solyma is a character first mentioned in the book the 'Song of Solomon' as 'the bride'.  Often times she is known as 'the Shulamite woman'.  The word Shulamite appears twice in the Song of Solomon. 

In a sermon given by Charles Spurgeon called "Return, Return, O Shulamite; Return, Return!" on August 10th 1884 he stated that “the translation into the word "Shulamite" is unhappy: it is unmusical, and misses the meaning. The Hebrew word is a feminine of "Solomon." "Solomon" may stand for the bridegroom's name, and then the well-beloved bride takes her husband's name in a feminine form of it, which is Shulamith, Salome, or perhaps better "Solyma." The King has named his name upon her, and as Caius has his Caiia, so Solomon has his Solyma.  He is the Prince of Peace, and she is the Daughter of peace..."  She actually takes on his name.  We do the same as we enter into Christ, we take on our King’s name, the name we take is in the dependent feminine form of the word which is much like Solyma is to Solymo  (Solomon).  We become the bride of Christ.

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The 10 Lamentations of Solyma

A Meditation on Exodus 20

          And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, 
          which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the 
          house of bondage.

Solyma:

     As a thunderous voice from heaven, in the thick smokes emitting from Thy Flaming Person, You cry for me above the stormy din:

The Holy King:

     I am holy, dear one. I am a consuming fire of righteous perfection, and anything unlike me, anything that bears even the slightest traces of the flesh will turn to ash in my presence. If I but hear its rustlings in thy being, you can not partake of me. If I but smell the lingering aroma of worldliness on thy garments, you can have no part in me. If there be even the subtle stain of sin’s imperfection upon thy hands, then you will die in my presence. I am holy. And I will always be holy, for a thousand forevers, I will still be holy.

     Because I love thee, I have made a way for thee. It is a way into my holy presence. Through the thunderings and lightnings of my righteousness, I have invited thee. Through the waters of baptism, the cleansing of my blood, and the veil of my flesh, into my most holy dwelling. For only clean hands and a pure heart will secure you in my presence.

     But first, dear one, it is necessary that I acquaint you with this fiery chamber of my love. To enter here, thou must be clean. Thou must be purged of all sin. The flesh about thy heart must be removed as a covenant symbol of our marriage. Thou must leave thy people. Thou must leave thy comforts of home, leave thine every possession behind, and even thy own name must be abandoned if thou art to partake of my Life. To enter this fiery chamber, thou must allow me to possess thy life and burn away all that which separates you from me. Thou must allow me to refine you like the gold's of Ophir, that you may enter in with me and be my spotless bride.
                 To eat of my flesh and drink of my blood in such a holy communion, is the most sacred of all sacred activities in all this Creation of mine. For me to be in thee, and for thee to be in me – this is a mystery hidden for ages and generations, but only now revealed to those of my most sacred fellowship. To be my own, purchased of my blood, and bearing my very name – this is the most supreme and happy delight. But remember, the fiery chamber of my love can bear nothing that is unlike me. You must eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you must allow me to live within thy body and to possess thee in every way, in order to fulfill the righteous requirements of my holy law in and through you.
                  I love you, dear one, and that is why I must prove you with my fire. You must be perfect and holy as I AM! Listen as I define myself to thee, and acquaint thee with the standard of excellence that thou must display.

Solyma:

     Oh, Lord Almighty, Thou art all that is holy and righteous and good. Prove to me my need, and may Thy holy law be a schoolmaster unto my soul which leads me, with even greater love, unto Thee as my salvation. Place a coal from Thine altar upon my lips, and let me feel the weight of sin, that I might never be ungrateful for Thy perfect sacrifice.

The Holy King:

     Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Solyma:

      I am unclean, Oh my King! My body is Thy possession. You have purchased me with Thy blood. I am not my own I have been bought with a price. But I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that, upon my cheeks, I bear a most grievous stain. The lips of other lovers have partaken of this body, their unworthy hands have touched this, Thy holy palace. I have given myself to the allurements of this world and allowed them to hold my imagination and draw me away into unholy fantasies. I have allowed outside desires to supplant Thy regal position in my heart. Desires for applause, respect; desires to be found beautiful in the eyes of this vain world; desires for marriage; desires for security outside of you; desire for wealth and riches; desires for sexual pleasures and fleshly feasts – dear King, I have lifted so many things above Thy person. I have allowed false gods to sit upon my seat of affection. I have allowed even things you entrusted me for my good, to gain inordinate sway over my soul. I have trampled Thy most holy chamber with this prostitution. I have entered Thy holy place with unclean hands. I have partaken of Thy body and imbibed thy blood with the scent of sin upon my garments and an uncircumcised heart. Most precious King, I am without answer to thy holy standard. For though I have known that this garden’s fruits were the King of king’s alone, I have invited the common villagers to enter the enclosed garden of my being and pollute Thy sacred plantings. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

      Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Solyma:

      I am unclean, Oh my King! My body is Thy possession. You have purchased me with Thy blood. I am not my own I have been bought with a price. But I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that, upon my knees, I bear a most grievous stain. I have most recently kneeled in the dusty wake of false gods and have given voice to the commands of other spiritual powers. Upon me is the awful stain of disloyalty. For I have listened to the counsel of my flesh and given ear to the wisdoms of this vain world. I have solicited the aid of worldly gods to better my life, to help make me more attractive to this world, to gain me riches, and to gain applause. I have knelt at the altar of worldly gossip and allowed it to taint my mind; I have knelt at the altar of the current voices of chic and vogue and have allowed it to define my actions; I have even knelt at the altar of fleshly pleasure and have secretly partaken of its serpentine fruits. I have bowed down and I have served them. And, Solymo, I have done the most grievous thing. I have built a golden calf, and called it by Thy Name. I sought to make Thee more appealing to my flesh, so I forsook Thy holiness and erected a god within my soul of only the softer elements of Thy nature, leaving out Thy fire, Thy holiness, and Thy absolute mastery over my soul. I have tried to make a god in the fashion of man’s wisdom and have desecrated Thy Name. Thou art a jealous God, and I stand as one guilty in Thy holy penetrating fiery presence. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

     Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Solyma:

     I am unclean, Oh my King! You have placed Thy Holy, most majestic, most perfect Name upon my brow as a crown, as a wedding band of love. But I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that, Thy I have not born Thy Name with all holiness and perfection. I have taken it vainly upon myself, and called myself Thine. I have declared to the villagers about that thy banner of me is love, that I am Thy precious beloved. But I have not carried the holy ark of this covenant as Thou prescribed. I have profaned Thy most holy place. I have been careless with this treasure and have dropped it upon the dunghill. I have carried it into places that shamed it and have born it with undignified manner even amongst the other virgins of Thy house. I have not proven the holiness of Thy name by my life. I have diluted thy Person and tried to bring Thee back to my homeland, Egypt. But Thy name is holy and can have no part with the flesh. I am most shamed by my irreverence and my unwitting betrayal of Thy Person. I have approached the most holy place without the dread of Thee and Thy Glory in my step. Oh, how guilty I am before Thy throne of judgment. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

     Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Solyma:

     I am unclean, Oh my King! You have purchased with Thy blood my life, you have suffered the most tragic and horrific death in order to bring about a New Creation, a New Work and a New Rest. But I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that I have not rested in Thy work as I should, but have strived to add my own fleshly contribution to Thy finished labor upon the Cross. I have allowed Self to claim highest seat in my soul. I have allowed Self to tend my garden, to repair the walls, to try and grow the perfect fruits inside. I have worked, with the fragrance of flesh upon my garments, on Thy most holy grounds, in Thy most holy temple. I have allowed flesh to remain and to govern my priestly service before Thy Throne. Self has soiled Thy Temple. I am most grieved. For Self has done work that is Holy and which is meant to only be done by Thee. My garden must be tended by Thy loving hand, not my own. My walls must be built, maintained, and repaired by Thy rugged carpenter’s expertise. And, if there is to be fruit born within my life, it must be grown by Thy Love abiding sweetly and unabated within my heart. I am most shamed, that I have allowed Self, a most profane substitute for Thy grace, to sit upon Thy Throne. Oh, how guilty I am before Thy throne of judgment. I have not entered in Thy Rest and Allowed Thee to be my Life, my Lord, and my Love. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

     Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Solyma:

     I am unclean, Oh my King! For the many moments of dishonoring even my earthly parentage strike me dumb with guilt before Thy fiery arm of justice. But I have not just dishonored my earthly parentage, but I have dishonored the one who gave me New Birth into the Kingdom of Jehovah. I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that as the one who gave me life, I have not submitted to Thy commands, and have fallen far short of the word “honor.” I have raised my opinion above Thine and ignored Thy voice on the matter. I have explained away Your Scripture clarity in exchange for an easier, more fleshly satisfying answer. And dear Lord, I have done a grievous thing. I have even brought others villagers along with me down this dishonoring path. I have influenced others to follow a wider road and to ignore Thy narrow way. I have encouraged others to shape a golden calf out of Your Name and have not stood up amongst the congregation and cried “Shame!” I have dishonored my Father in heaven, the one who gave me New Life. Oh, how guilty I am before Thy throne of judgment. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

Thou shalt not kill.

Solyma:

I am unclean, Oh my King! Thou art the Author of Life and I have killed. Precious Solymo, I have forsaken Thy holy way and I lament that, in proclaiming to be Thy Bride, I have, in fact, destroyed the life that You suffered so greatly to bring to Thy People. I have snuffed out Thy Life with harsh words spoken. I have snuffed out Thy Life with fleshly gossip entertained and promoted. I have snuffed out Thy Life with bitterness and resentment stowed like a castaway in my hold. I have snuffed out Thy Life by ignoring Thee and Thy Presence, and choosing to carouse with my Flesh and stop my ears to Thy plaintive cries for fellowship. By not yielding to Thy Presence, I have snuffed out Thy Life within my garden, stopped the gentle rains from falling, and clouded the Son of Righteousness from shining down. By not yielding to Thy Presence, I have allowed the flesh to speak from my life rather than Thy Love and have hurt the villagers about and snuffed out Thy Life from view. I have killed that which was born of Thy Grace. I have quenched that which was of Thy Spirit. I have rejected that which was meant as sunshine to my soul and to others, and have instead chosen darkness to shroud my soul and to hinder the growth of others. Oh, how guilty I am before Thy throne of judgment. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Solyma:

I am unclean, Oh my King! My heart, soul, mind, and strength are consecrated unto Thee, but I have used these sacred parts of my being, rather as instruments of the most grievous immoralities. I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that I have used Thy holy Temple for the most despicable adulteries. I am shamed to think of how I have used my heart. I have allowed it to flit about and share its affections without guard. I have taken the holy perfumes of Thy most sacred sanctuary, and I have distributed them amongst certain villagers whom I desired to attract. I have taken the holy and set it in the grotesque hands of the unholy. I have allowed the castle of my mind to stand unguarded. I have allowed the flesh to traffic its sensual trade in through my mind. I have not stopped it from dragging the profane, the fleshly pleasing, and even that which would blaspheme Thee, into Thine inner courts. I have allowed other lovers to stroll about Thy holy chambers, play upon my harp strings, and pluck figs and berries from my most intimate vines. I have shared Thy precious pearls with uncovenanted swine. I have committed the most obscene adulteries within my temple and am struck dumb before Thy blazing throne of judgment. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

Thou shalt not steal.

Solyma:

I am unclean, Oh my King! I have robbed Thee of Thy Glory. I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, though I am thy Glory-bearer, I have chosen my human glory above Thine own. I have robbed of the Most High King. I have taken from His treasury, the gold and silver bullion of his Kingdom, and have used these for personal gain. I have used Thy Name to enter before trusting villagers, and have left them thinking of me rather than Thee. I have thrown a fog upon Thy Person, and have placed the limelight upon myself. I have taken what was Thine and have poured it into the enemy’s war chest. I have desecrated the most Holy Thing. I have taken Thy Ark of Covenant and placed it at the foot of Dakan, for the glory of Self, in a temple room of my own making. Just as Lucifer stole the glory, so have I. I have committed a most heinous crime. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Solyma:

I am unclean, Oh my King! My life has born a false witness of Thee. I have claimed Thee as my Life, and yet have delivered a wholly different message with my living. I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that my lips are unclean and laden with falsehood. I speak of love and yet bear the witness of Selfishness. I speak of grace and yet bear the witness of Self-effort. I speak of you, dear King, and yet bear witness only of Self upon my throne. I have spoken lies. I have lived lies. And I have promoted lies. I have claimed to be clean, when in fact, I was drowning in filth. I have claimed to be without spot before the villagers, when in fact, I was soiled with the most grievous stains of sin. I have lied to Thee, to myself, and to my neighbor. I am false, Oh King. False, through and through. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

The Holy King:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

Solyma:

I am unclean, Oh my King! I have looked elsewhere for my satisfaction, when in Thee is the fullness of Life. I have craved that which the world possesses, and have despised the Gift that Thou hast placed before me, in Thyself. I have forsaken Thy holy way. I lament, precious Solymo, that I have spurned Thy satisfying graces and have instead filled myself with fruits of another kingdom. In Thee is my blessing, but I have wanted elsewhere, lusting for the things of the flesh. I have longed for the world’s pleasure, their sexual feasts, and their sensual revelry. I have looked upon the world’s dancing, drinking, and debauchery and wished to partake. I have coveted my neighbor’s pleasures and, in doing so, have soiled my soul with the blemish of ingratitude. I have set the fires of my affections on fleshly things and taken the oils of the holy chamber and sprinkled them upon the floors of pagan temples. I have sought after a counterfeit Life and pleasure and have forsaken the Blessing and Pleasure of my King. I have allowed the allure of the world to blind me from the majesty of heavenly Glory. Oh, Solymo, my Lover, my most Perfect Blessing, I have wounded Thee. I have broken Thy heart. I have nailed Thee upon a Tree and have chosen a murderous Barabbas instead as my reward. I am unclean, Oh King, and wholly undeserving of Thy grace.

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the

noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people

saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses,

Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us,

lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come

to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin

not.
                                               ___________

We stand blemished, full of fault and in need of a savior.  How harrowing to think of a notion of such righteousness without such a loving Savior.  We have put our confidence and hope in so many things outside of Jesus for so many years, yet we still need to return to the simplicity of the blood of Christ which is sufficient and efficacious to meet the needs and demands of our souls.  We have such great sin, but we have so great a salvation in Jesus Christ.

(This meditation was originally published by the Ellerslie Mission Society in 2012 and is from a message entitled "The Poison of Political Correctness" written by Eric Ludy)

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I Will Waste My Life
Words and Music by:  Misty Edwards

I will waste my life

I’ll be tested and tried

With no regrets inside of me

Just to find I’m at Your feet

Let me find I’m at Your feet

I’ll leave my father’s house and I’ll leave my mother

I’ll leave all I have known and I’ll have no other

CHORUS

I am in love with You – there is no cost

I am in love with You – there is no loss

I am in love with You I want to take Your Name

I am in love with You I want to cling to You Jesus

Just let me cling to You Jesus

BRIDGE

I’ll say goodbye to my father my mother

I’ll turn my back on every other lover and

I’ll press on, yes I’ll press on

© 2006 Misty Edwards / Forerunner Music (ASCAP)
The music above is copyrighted by the respective artists, and is demonstrated here for educational purposes only