God’s Stigma and the Dark Secret of The Shulamite

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I am black, and comely, O daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Don’t see me only as dark, because the sun has looked upon me this way. My mother’s children [brothers] burned in anger with me; they made me guard the vineyards; but I have not guarded my own. –Song 1:5-6

Stigma

Origin: 1580–90;  < Latin < Greek stígma  tattoo mark, equivalent to stig- (stem of stízein to tattoo) + -ma noun suffix denoting result of action.

A mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation. 

Medicine/Medical:
a. A mental or physical mark that is characteristic of a defect or disease: the stigmata of leprosy.
b. A place or point on the skin that bleeds during certain mental states
Zoology:
a. A small mark, spot, or pore on an animal or organ.
b. The eyespot of a protozoan.
c. An entrance into the respiratory system of insects.
Botany:
a. The part of a pistil that receives the pollen.
Other:
a. Stigmata, marks resembling the wounds of the crucified body of Christ, said to be supernaturally impressed on the bodies of certain persons

Did you know there is a “mark” for the people of God? Ezekiel 9 and Revelation 7 are a couple places that speak of it. It is not the “mark of the beast,” or the “mark of Cain,” but a mark of identification with Christ. It is the reproaches of Christ Himself, by which He bore loss, rejection, ridicule, and misunderstandings.

Those who identity with Christ in this way know that this “mark” is deeply painful, deeply personal, and one of the most profound honors imaginable.

Zeal [passion/love] for your house has consumed me; and the reproaches of them that reproach you have fallen upon me. – David, Psalm 69:9

I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. – Paul, Gal. 6:17

In the verse above, the Greek word for ‘marks’ is stigma. Strong’s dictionary says it is from a primary word στίζω stizō (to ‘stick’, that is, prick); a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), that is, (figuratively) scar of service: – mark.

❤︎  A Stigmatized Bride

The Shulamite woman in the Song of Songs was a ‘marked’ woman as well. What little information she does reveal about herself is intentional. Consider the following:

√  She is fatherless / an orphan

In the Song her brothers are mentioned, but not a father, and maybe not even a mother. (just her house is mentioned) Her brothers were put in charge of her, as she was the only girl. (6:9) It was customary for brothers to be a surrogate father for an orphaned sister, safeguarding and nurturing her maturity, chastity, and future as a bride in relationship.¹  

√  She is seen as a commodity and put to work

Instead of cherishing their sister with a father’s heart, however, her brothers look at her as someone who can profit them. They guilt her into working their vineyards, and after years of hard labor she is affected: her skin deeply embedded with the sun’s gaze. In those days, tanned skin was a stigma that made a woman feel ‘less than.’ (P.S. There’s a lot that could be said about religious guilt and oppression, and “working for the expectations of the system.” Even when subtle, it’s always harmful, and something God wants to set us free from! But I digress…)

√  She is an object of envy

This woman has a gift. It’s implied in verse 6, as well as 8:8-12, that she owns her own vineyard. Another translation of the word is “garden.” On a literal level this was likely an inheritance gift from her father – and like Joseph’s coat of many colors – added to her contempt in the eyes of her brothers. And not unlike Joseph either, the Shulamite was a dreamer. Having a heavenly purpose for her existence was an anointing that was hidden inside her like a flower, but was increasingly emanating a fragrance.

√  She neglects her gift

The Shulamite confesses that she did not guard her garden as she should. She was young, still maturing, and her heart yearned for love and acceptance. She also worked so hard that she was tired, and had little energy for her own care. Symbolically, keeping a a garden or vineyard in the Song is synonymous with a woman’s sexuality, and the purity of such. Also (elsewhere) with the spiritual “garden of Eden” of our hearts, and the need to keep our thoughts free of all the lies and distractions which come between us and fellowship with God.

Regardless of the layers of meaning, (besides neglecting a literal garden) we can accept the fact that the Shulamite was not perfect. She made mistakes, and she had regrets. Knowing all this should make her more relatable to all of us.

√  She has a secret

In the midst of all this, the Shulamite is holding onto an incredible and glorious secret. She is in a romance with a man. Not just any man, but the man. The King! They meet in secret, in fruit groves, early in the morning, or whenever she can sneak away from the idle chatter and constant working of others around her. Sometimes she visits him in the city limits but it seems that most of the time he comes to her. She gives him her vineyard (Song 8:12), and like Adam and Eve in the newness of Eden, they climb spice hills, explore forests and fields, and uncover the mysteries of nature together. When with him, the Shulamite does not think of her lowly status as a working girl. When with her, the King enjoys peace and rest from the problems and responsibilities of the kingdom. Their love is pure, abandoned, and uninhibited.

√  She is mistaken as a prostitute

Later in the Song there are at least two episodes where the Shulamite is out in the streets, at night, looking for her Beloved. At one point she entrusts the “watchmen of the walls” with the raw content of her heart, who turn around and accuse her of being “loose,” beating her up and taking away her veil.

√  She is discouraged by her own friends

It’s hard not to leak the kind of secret that the Shulamite had, even if it just shows on your face. When she tells her friends at the palace that she was brought into the King’s bedroom, they change their tune of being supportive, to being judgmental. Thinking they are doing her a favor² by bringing the Shulamite down to their level, they remind her of her reproach, and imply that it’s unrealistic, even wrong, for someone like her to have a love of that kind.

❤︎  The Shulamite’s Response…

Now it becomes challenging for the Shulamite. What will her response be to the “stigma” she carries, and now in relationship to the King? Will she pull away in fear from tarnishing his reputation, or go somewhere to hide until her blemishes clear up? What then is she to do with this great love in her heart?

We know from the Song that without skipping a beat it seems, the Shulamite declares that she is “comely” right after confessing she is black. Then it follows in the rest of the book that she utterly abandons herself to love.

In the next post we are going to look more deeply at the meaning of this old-fashioned, but intriguing word: “comely,” and why she used it. It is not what I thought it meant! It is so much more.

Until next time…
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¹ 1 Gen. 34, 2 Sam 13 / ² John 16:2