Song of Solomon Archives

My beloved speaks and says to me, “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.” Song 2:10 ESV

I recently had to break down and buy a large family calendar.

It has my daughter’s work schedule and her class times.

My son’s football practices and games are there, along with his band events.

My husband filled in his work commitments and travel plans.

We even have entries for my youngest daughter’s social engagements– birthday parties, sleepovers, lessons.

Then there are church meetings, doctor’s visits, car maintenance appointments, and haircuts, too.

But …

In the background of the busyness, is an invitation …

An open invitation, from the King of kings.

In the midst of the other appointments on the schedule, this one is different.

I know this, and yet, far too often, this is the one I let slide.

Clearly I need to work on that calendar …

In 1 Kings 4:32, we have this record of Solomon. "He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five." While hundreds of his proverbs are preserved, we only have one song. Song of Solomon is probably one of the least studied books in the canon of Scripture but one of the most practical. It's a candid celebration of courtship, marital intimacy, and mature love. That candor makes a lot of folks uncomfortable and for many years, the book was treated as allegory and spiritualized to the point that it didn't make much sense. For this book especially use the first rule of interpretation – The simplest, most obvious interpretation is best.

Let's address some issues that cause folks to shy away from the Song-

Solomon? Didn't he have hundreds of wives? How is he qualified to speak on this?

Solomon had God-given wisdom that no other man possessed. Unlike the Solomon in Ecclesiastes, this Song pictures a young man, chasing hard after God and His ways in every aspect of his life, including his marriage. It's God-inspired and God-preserved. The multiple wives happened after the conclusion of the events in the Song.

What is it even talking about?

For starters, it's poetry which means the language is rich in metaphors, similes and word pictures. Then when you add the fact that it's deeply rooted in ancient Hebrew culture and customs it can be difficult to interpret. This is where a good study Bible will help. If you don't have one, update the language. If you don't think a neck like an ivory tower is particularly attractive, what sweet nothing would make you gooey inside?

My sister, my spouse? Seriously?

Again, we have a cultural disconnect. There's nothing Freudian about it. Solomon and his bride wish for such a degree of closeness, that being womb-mates is the way he expresses it. It sounds a little unsettling to our ears, but he meant in the best way. In other spots, his bride says she wished Solomon was her brother. The reason is brothers and sisters were allowed to be affectionate in public. Decorum dictated that the King and his wife be prim and proper. She just wishes she could hug him or hold his hand or something. Purely innocent.

How can we get anything out of it?

1. Know who's speaking – The Song switches between the Bride, Solomon and a Chorus, the daughters of Jerusalem. Occasionally a few others pop in for a line or two. If your Bible doesn't help you out with divisions by speaker, use one that does. (One caution: While the words of Scripture are inspired, the section divisions and labels aren't. There may be some differences from one Bible to the next.)

2. Use a good study Bible or commentary – This is the easiest way to get the inside track on all those cultural references. (Recently I read What the Bible Says about Love, Marriage and Sex by David Jeremiah. It's straightforward, easy-to-understand and balanced between ancient wisdom and contemporary application. There are plenty of other good ones, too.)

3. Trust yourself when it comes to the poetic language – It probably means what you think it does.

While culture and society have loudly taken up the cause of illicit or immoral sex, the church has chosen to respond largely with silence. Song of Solomon demonstrates that God sanctions and blesses sex within the boundaries He established. Trust me, a walk through this book is well worth the time and effort (especially if you're the hopeless romantic type.)

So have you ever ventured to study Song of Solomon?

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