我雖然黑、卻是秀美（歌1章）

耶路撒冷的眾女子阿、我雖然黑、卻是秀美、如同基達的帳棚、好像所羅門的幔子。（歌 1：5）

雅歌是聖經中最美的一卷，因為描寫年輕男女之間微妙的感情與其中酸甜的滋味，這樣的滋味為許多人的共有經驗，因為也曾愛過、或沈醉正在愛中，細讀時、常於心有戚戚焉。但是，雅歌亦是聖經中最難懂的經卷之一，所以解經時當多參考本會相關解經資料，藉由聖靈引導，以謙虛的心查明才是。

第一章出場的就是女主角書拉密，她是本卷作者所羅門王的化名，藉由所羅門王與書拉密女之間的互動，闡述基督與教會的屬靈真意。

書拉密女一開始表達她愛慕王的時候，自覺又黑、又卑微，但是她也不因此自暴自棄，因為她渴慕這份感情。雅歌讀到最後可以知道，新郎新婦最後終成眷屬，因為文中的新郎，早已戀慕著心婦書拉密女，儘管她自認為黑，但也自詡仍是秀美。

神在揀選我們的時候，並不是因為我們有何美善的本質，更不是因為我們是可愛之人。因經上說：「惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死、神的愛就在此向我們顯明了。（羅 5：8）」我們會被神所揀選，早在創世之前已經被預定，在時候到了的當下，被神奇妙地引導與吸引，進入祂的名下，成就祂的救恩：

就如神從創立世界以前、在基督裏揀選了我們、使我們在他面前成為聖潔、無有瑕疵．又因愛我們、就按着自己意旨所喜悅的、預定我們、藉着耶穌基督得兒子的名分。（弗 1：4-5）

但是話鋒一轉，書拉密皮膚為何會那麼黑？她說：「不要因日頭把我曬黑了、就輕看我。我同母的弟兄向我發怒．他們使我看守葡萄園、我自己的葡萄園、卻沒有看守。（歌 1：6）」原來皮膚黑，是因為被日頭曬黑了。但是，被日頭曬黑的原因，卻是被強迫做看守別人葡萄園的事，而且自己的葡萄園卻沒有人看守。

對照所羅門自己在傳道書二章中的說明，可以知道他曾經為自己動大工程，也經營了葡萄園。但是最後他說：「後來我察看我手所經營的一切事、和我勞碌所成的功．誰知都是虛空、都是捕風、在日光之下毫無益處。（傳 2：11）」原來把他曬黑的，是他在日光之下那最後令他覺得毫無意義的這些事的「日光」。

「自己的葡萄園」，是指與自己有益的工作，可以看成與自己生命有關的作為，包含認識神、進入真教會、受聖靈、作主工、行真道等。會荒廢，是魔鬼的作為，使我們沒機會耕耘自己的葡萄園，沒辦法為永生做準備。「別人的葡萄園」是對別人有益的，指著世俗的窮忙。對自己而言，就是指無意義的忙碌，窮忙的人生。忙到被日頭曬黑了，最後的成果仍歸別人、不屬自己，就像所羅門在傳道書中所說的，歸給別人、或給後面不用勞力的人：

我恨惡一切的勞碌、就是我在日光之下的勞碌、因為我得來的必留給我以後的人。那人是智慧、是愚昧、誰能知道．他竟要管理我勞碌所得的、就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的．這也是虛空。故此、我轉想我在日光之下所勞碌的一切工作、心便絕望。（傳 2：18-20）

黑，也可能是魔鬼的詭計，就是讓我們忙到不成人形，最好不要被天父真神所認出來、被祂發現。但是，天父真神不因外貌待人，祂早已預定要救我們，救我們脫離「別人的園子」，可以擁有新生命，能從今以後專心經營我們自己的園子。不旦如此，祂還要進入我們的園中。

我的良人、來罷、你我可以往田間去．你我可以在村莊住宿。我們早晨起來往葡萄園去看看葡萄發芽開花沒有、石榴放蕊沒有．我在那裏要將我的愛情給你。（歌 7：11-12）

感謝主，我們都已蒙神所救贖，進入真耶穌教會，將來也要裝飾整齊，在末日一起被主、就是我們的新郎耶穌基督，迎接進入天國。

我又看見一個新天新地．因為先前的天地已經過去了．海也不再有了。我又看見聖城新耶路撒冷由神那裏從天而降、預備好了、就如新婦妝飾整齊、等候丈夫。（啟 21：1-2）

By Isaiah Kao

Though I Am Dark, Yet I Am Beautiful (Song of Songs 1)

“I am dark, but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.” (Song of Songs 1:5, NASB 2020)

The Song of Songs is one of the most beautiful books in the Bible, because it describes the subtle emotions between a young man and a young woman, along with the sweetness and bitterness within love. Such feelings are shared by many, because people have loved before, or are presently immersed in love. When reading it carefully, one often resonates deeply within the heart. However, the Song of Songs is also one of the most difficult books to understand in the Bible. Therefore, when interpreting it, we should refer more to relevant materials of our church, and, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, examine it with a humble heart.

In chapter one, the female lead appears, the Shulammite. She is a symbolic name used by King Solomon. Through the interaction between Solomon and the Shulammite, the spiritual meaning of Christ and the church is illustrated.

At the beginning, when the Shulammite expresses her love for the king, she feels that she is dark and lowly. Yet she does not give up on herself because of this, for she longs for this love. By the end of the Song of Songs, we can see that the bridegroom and the bride are finally united. This is because the bridegroom has already loved the Shulammite deeply. Although she considers herself dark, she still declares that she is beautiful.

When God chooses us, it is not because we have any goodness in our nature, nor because we are lovable. For the Bible says:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NASB 2020) That we are chosen by God was predestined even before the foundation of the world. At the appointed time, we are wonderfully guided and drawn by God to enter into His name and accomplish His salvation:

“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” (Ephesians 1:4–5, NASB 2020)

But then the tone shifts, why is the Shulammite so dark? She says:

“Do not stare at me because I am swarthy, for the sun has burned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me caretaker of the vineyards, but I have not taken care of my own vineyard.” (Song of Songs 1:6, NASB 2020) It turns out that her darkness comes from being scorched by the sun. And the reason she was exposed to the sun is that she was forced to take care of others’ vineyards, while her own vineyard was left unattended.

Comparing this with Solomon’s own words in Ecclesiastes chapter 2, we see that he once undertook great works for himself and planted vineyards. Yet in the end, he said:

“So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold, all was futility and striving after wind, and there was no benefit under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11, NASB 2020) So, what made him “dark” was this “sun under which” he labored, those things that ultimately proved meaningless.

“Her own vineyard” refers to work that benefits oneself. It can be understood as things related to one’s own life—knowing God, entering the true church, receiving the Holy Spirit, doing the Lord’s work, and practicing the truth. When this is neglected, it is the work of the devil, causing us to have no chance to cultivate our own vineyard and no way to prepare for eternal life.

“Others’ vineyards,” on the other hand, benefit others. They refer to the busyness of the world. For oneself, it means meaningless toil—a life of empty busyness. One becomes so busy that one is “darkened by the sun,” yet the final result belongs to others, not to oneself. Just as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, it will be left to others, even to those who did not labor for it:

“So I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the person who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is futility. Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18–20, NASB 2020)

Darkness may also be a scheme of the devil, to keep us so busy that we lose our true form, so that we will not be recognized by the Heavenly Father. But the Heavenly Father does not judge by outward appearance. He has already predestined to save us, to deliver us from “others’ vineyards,” so that we may have a new life and, from now on, focus on cultivating our own vineyard. Not only that, He also desires to enter into our vineyard:

“Come, my beloved, let’s go out into the country, let’s spend the night in the villages. Let’s rise early and go to the vineyards; let’s see whether the vine has grown and its blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.” (Song of Songs 7:11–12, NASB 2020)

Thanks be to the Lord, we have all been redeemed by God and have entered the True Jesus Church. In the future, we will also be prepared and adorned, and on the last day we will be welcomed by the Lord, our bridegroom, Jesus Christ, into the kingdom of heaven:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:1–2, NASB 2020)