The term “daughters of Jerusalem” is mentioned 16 times in the Song of Solomon and is generally in contrast to the Shulamite’s motive. These daughters are likened to thorns by The Beloved:
Song 2:2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
Thorns denote judgment and foolishness in Scripture. Proverbs 26:9 says “Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard, Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.” Wisdom given to the foolish might as well be a thorn that cannot be removed, once again a form of judgment due to the actions, understanding, and the blindness of the person.
The daughters are warned multiple times: Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases. When you stir something up, you put it into motion. The timing is important and we should not be premature or impatient as we expect the fullness of Love to come forth. Our time of preparation should be used for the perfecting and maturing of our Love for FATHER and mankind. Those who focus on other endeavors will be seen as foolish and be subject to the judgment brought on by their own foolishness. This foolishness is emphasized by the Parable of the Ten Virgins, five were foolish and were caught unprepared. They became subject to the judgment of missing out on the marriage feast.
In Romans chapter 1, Paul speaks of the foolishness of those who focus on the created rather than the Creator. Their eyes are set on the external rather than the internal. The Daughters failed to see the revelation of Love and could not comprehend it from the perspective of the Shulamite. The Daughters lacked understanding.
Jesus exposed the foolishness of men in Luke chapter 11:
37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
Those who keep focusing on outward acts rather than inward growth are destined to be called foolish by Our Elder Brother. You can know the letter of the WORD to the point of being called an expert, but if you don’t understand the Divine Intent behind the written WORD, you will be as the foolish lawyer exposed by Jesus. You can only know Divine Intent by searching it out through the eyes of Agape Love.
Jesus spoke further about foolishness when He shared the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’
18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Often rich people tend to think they are “anointed” and set apart by FATHER. Little do they realize that they simply may be used as a steward to store wealth until FATHER has need for its use. The rich person was foolish because he lacked understanding about the purpose of wealth and abundance. His focus was on the external fruitfulness instead of the internal growth and maturity.
Let us not be included with those who are judged to be fools. Let us no longer look at the external as the source of fruitfulness but instead focus on the internal. FATHER is in us and will respond as we pursue HIM in the midst of the Holy of Holies. Let our Love be as oil in our lamp and shine for HIS Glory for HE responds to Love.