Sermon - AudioSong of Solomon - Audio
Song of Solomon - Reading
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The Song of Solomon as a chapter in the master story of the Bible...
The Bible is partly the human race’s testimony to its own experience. In the Song of Solomon, the poet records the human race’s experience of romantic passion. In the Bible, the story of what people do and feel is always intertwined with the story of how God wants people to live, not simply how they do live. The Song of Solomon tells the story of how God wants men and women in love to relate to each other. It also sets a pattern for love that finds its highest expression in the soul’s love for God, and God’s love for his people in Jesus Christ.
The Song of Solomon as a chapter in the master story of the Bible...
The Bible is partly the human race’s testimony to its own experience. In the Song of Solomon, the poet records the human race’s experience of romantic passion. In the Bible, the story of what people do and feel is always intertwined with the story of how God wants people to live, not simply how they do live. The Song of Solomon tells the story of how God wants men and women in love to relate to each other. It also sets a pattern for love that finds its highest expression in the soul’s love for God, and God’s love for his people in Jesus Christ.
The book at a glance...
8 chapters, 117 verses. The Song of Solomon is a small anthology of love lyrics. For people who relish poetry in general and love poetry specifically, this is a high point in the Bible. For many readers, however, the book is something of an embarrassment because it is so unrestrained about romantic passion and physical attractiveness. That is a great pity, because God is the one who gave the gift of poetry to the human race, and romantic love is one of the most universal and deeply felt human emotions. To relish reading the Song of Solomon, we need to get rid of our inhibitions about extravagant expressions of romantic passion. Further, we need to forget about prose literalism and take flight on the wings of the fantastic and poetic imagination. The writer of the Song of Solomon is a poet who pulls out all the stops. The genius of intense poetry like this is that the poet is our representative, saying what we want said, too, only saying it much better than we can.
Poetic Fragments...
Falling in Love (1:1–8)Love Poems (Courtship Overtones) (1:9–2:7)Wedding Poems (2:8–5:1)Love Poems (Marriage Overtones) (5:2–7:13)Poetic Fragments: Falling in Love (8:1–14)
Theological Themes...
(1) The ethics of romantic love and marriage: this book gives us a picture of how God intends people to live as sexual and romantic creatures.
(2) Creation: nature is so continuously present in the this anthology of love poems that we can deduce a doctrine of nature from the book.
(3) The divine-human relationship: the Bible regularly uses imagery of sex and marriage to portray the relationship between God and his people, and thus this extended portrayal of love and marriage in its idealized form gives us a norm by which to understand the Bible’s metaphoric picture of God’s relationship to his people.
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One of the greatest "songs" ever written is found here. There are 8 chapters given on the love, joy, and passion found within a marriage relationship. This "marriage" is many times related to how God feels about his people. The intimacy that is to be felt is greater than we can imagine. In this book we see a deeper level being shown to us. This book aids us in understanding the depth of God's love. In each chapter I will explain one piece of imagery given and how that pertains to God's love for us.
1:5-6 = The woman confesses her spots and sins, but has confidence in the favor of her man. The call is to not consider the outward appearance and the corruption through sin.
Q. How would you relate that to the Church/Jesus?
2:8-14 = This is the woman's thoughts as she longs for her man to visit: The woman is overcome with joy at the man's coming. The imagery here would state that the man was as well. Once the man looked and found her, he'd call to her for it is time to rejoice and come away with him. Some imagery here:
"Spring" - Young and Fresh, New
"Fig Tree" - This tree becomes ripe in the spring and bears double fruit compared to the rest of the year.
"Dove" - This is actually the "Rock Dove" not a turtledove...this bird is many times called the (lovebird)
Imagine before telephones when your husband or wife went away on a long journey, and you welcomed them back...how great it would be to just hear their voice.
Q. What do you think the people felt like when Jesus came? The Messiah that generations had waited for?
3:1-4 - Thoughts Again: After searching for her loved one, she finally has found him. "The one I love" is mentioned 4 times in the first 4 verses. This stresses the passion/depth of her love for him. She held on to her lover and wouldn't let him go in fear of a break in intimacy. She then would bring her lover into her bedroom.
Q. How are you holding on to Christ? Is it as a girlfriend or a lover?
4:6 - "Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away" - The beloved welcomed the coming of the night, after the celebration of the wedding mentioned in the previous verses. Their wedding night was the appropriate setting for the consummation of their deep love.
"Mountain/Hill and Myrrh/Frankincense" - Poetic reference to their seclusion in luxury and rich scents.
Q. The intimacy felt alone with your lover is the depth of intimacy that God desires from his people with him. Do you find yourself at this depth?
5:7-8 - The husband has left, and is finding no sympathy from people around her...
"lovesick" - This is different than her feelings in 2:5. - She is aching at the husband's absence.
“It is the longing of a soul, then, not for salvation, and not even for the certainty of salvation, but for the enjoyment of present fellowship with him who is her soul’s life, her soul’s all . . . It is a panting after communion.” -Spurgeon-
6:4-7 - The husband is overcome by his love for the woman upon their restored relationship. There is no bitterness from the man in connection to the woman (5:2-8). He has longed and now loves being restored to his lover.
"Tizrah" = ancient Canaanite center that served as the capital of the northern kingdom. It appears to have been beautiful initself, and beautifully situated, for Jeroboam made it his residence before Samaria was built; and it seems to have been the ordinary residence of the kings of Israel, 1 Kings 14:17; 15:21; 16:6. Its name signifies beautiful or delightful.” -Clarke-
"hair is like a flock of goats" - The beloved continued to describe the maiden, using many of the same images previously used in Song of Solomon 4:1-5.
Q. How do you think this compares with the way Christ looks upon the church?
7:4-5 - Imagery
"neck is like an ivory tower - nobility, and strength of character
"eyes like the pools in Heshbon" - These pools must have had something distinct about them to separate them from other pools.
"nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Demascus" - "Lebanon is derived from the Hebrew word "laben" - to be white. It is assume that this discusses the women's face as being a pale color.
"Your head crowns you . . . a king is held captive by your tresses" - Her hair is so beautiful that it is compared to royalty. It flows in appearance.
Q. When Christ looks at the church what does he see?
8:6-7 =
"seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm" - permanence of their commitment/covenant with one another.
"for love is as strong as death" - we see this example in the love that Jesus Christ had for us.
"Jealousy as cruel as the grave" - In the words of Crowder - "And He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His mercy."
"flame" - The fire/flame/intensity of Yahweh Himself - great power
"buy love" - You can't buy me looooovvvveee!
At the end of the song we see love depicted in a few ways: Love is a seal of commitment, love is strong and eternal, love is like a raging fire, and love can't be bought or sold. Love conquers all.
Q. Do we love Jesus in this way? Let me echo the words of John, "We love, because He first loved us." He first desired us, so that in response, we may desire Him. How's that going?
