Song of Songs

Song of Songs: A Love Song?

Introduction:
I’m very thankful for love stories. How else could I convince Gerda to watch Battlestar Galactica with me if it weren’t for the love stories? That’s why they put romance into action movies- so men can convince women that they’re actually watching a chick flick. I guess that works both ways though, maybe it’s more of a chick flick with a little action thrown in to keep the men happy.

Love is a powerful theme. It’s probably a multi-billion dollar a year industry: romance novels, love songs, valentine cards, movies, flowers, chocolates, jewelry, computer dating, gossip magazines, therapy, lawyers, etc. The search for love is probably the most powerful impulse a human can experience. And it is a uniquely human characteristic. It separates us from the animals and is probably the thing that makes us most like the image of God.

A man will do the most irrational and foolish things to get the attention of a woman. And women do some of the vainest acts to make themselves attractive to men: everything from cancer causing implants to skin drying face paint and sprays and perfumes.

All the best songs are love songs! I mean, what’s more memorable, Van Halen’s “Jump” or “Keep on loving You” by REO Speed wagon? Bob Dylan’s “The Times, They are a-changing” or the Beatle’s “Love me do”? Corb Lund’s “The truck Got Stuck” or Brian Adam’s “Everything I Do, I Do it For You.”
But that’s music; when it comes to the Bible, we want theology, we want doctrine, we want ethics, we want morality, we want eternal, ethereal, personal things. Who would ever think to turn to the Bible for a racy romance novel? But really, the Bible itself is a passionate love story and God is the epitome of Love: God is love. The cross is the perfect expression of love and the church is called the bride of Christ. God arranges the marriage, Christ pays the dowry and the Holy Spirit woos- drawing the bride to the beloved.

So maybe it makes sense to find a romance story in the form of a song right in the middle of the Bible just between the wisdom and the prophets. And not just any song, it’s the Song of Songs meaning the best song ever just like Lord of lords means the greatest lord of them all. Isn’t it right then that the best love song ever should be found in the Bible as a human expression of one of the most Godlike characteristics we hold.

Author: Solomon, who reigned over Israel for forty years wrote this song, likely about his first wife, whom he married while he was still young and before he became quite foolish. But he loved his wife all his life and near the end of his live, he wrote “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life” (Ecc 9:9). Solomon is said to have written 1005 songs (1 Kings 4:32)- and this title suggests that this song was the best.

Date: Since Solomon likely wrote this song, it was probably written some time between 971 and 931 BC.

Theme: Solomon has fallen in love with a shepherdess. Little is known about her except that she may have been the Shunamite maiden who ministered to David in his dying days (1 Kings 1:1-4). Macarthur comments on the allegorical interpretation of this book being about God and Israel; he writes,
A more satisfying way to approach Solomon’s Song is to take it at face value and interpret it in the normal historical sense, understanding the frequent use of poetic imagery to depict reality. To do so understands that Solomon recounts 1) his own days of courtship, 2) the early days of his first marriage, followed by 3) the maturing of this royal couple through the good and bad days of life. The Song of Solomon expands on the ancient marriage instructions of Gen. 2:24, thus providing spiritual music for a lifetime of marital harmony. It is given by God to demonstrate His intention for the romance and loveliness of marriage, the most precious of human relations and “the grace of life” (1 Pet. 3:7).[1]

But so what? What place does this non-theological, amoral book (God isn’t even mentioned in it) have to do with the Christian life? What can we get from this book? First let’s look at the outline:

I. Leaving: the courtship (1:1-3:5). The Bible says that God’s purpose in creating men and women was for marriage: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife… (Gen 2:24).
The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
For your love is better than wine.
3 Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,
Your name is ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.
4 Draw me away! (1:1-4)

These verses have all the makings of a great romance: the maiden describes Solomon’s kisses and his mouth and the way that he smells. All the young maidens giggle when he walks by. But look at 2:2, Solomon says, “Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” Solomon only has eyes for his Sulamite shepherdess. And she responds in 2:4,
He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.

A banner is a military flag that indicates conquest and possession. We sing about God’s banner over the Christian is love. Psalm 20:5 says, “in the name of our God we will set u p our banners.”

Matthew Henry compares the banqueting table to the Lord’s Supper. He writes,
We should never have come into the banqueting-house, never have been acquainted with spiritual pleasures, if Christ had not brought us, by opening for us a new and living way and opening in us a new and living fountain.[2]

II. Cleaving: the marriage (3:6-5:1). “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).
Go forth, O daughters of Zion [says the maiden],
And see King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
The day of the gladness of his heart (3:11).
Every little girl imagines the day of her wedding. It should be like a royal coronation and her prince is like Solomon: handsome, brave and majestic. It is a picture of Christ coming for his bride.

When ever I go to a wedding, I always watch it with an eye to what it will be like when Jesus returns. Every wedding is like a foretaste of that day. The book of Revelation describes the final wedding… all weddings are a shadow of this one (Rev 21:1-15):
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God [think of the man leaving his father and mother], prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [like a royal processional]. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

III. Maturing: accepting one another (5:2-8:14). This takes perseverance. Even this sacred couple has their argument (5:6-7):
I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My heart leaped up when he spoke.
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7 The watchmen who went about the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls
Took my veil away from me.

There are no guarantees in marriage. Our spouse is not our saviour. But there is a lover of our soul, one who sticks closer then a brother, who finishes the good work that he began in us. The Bible says he will neither leave us nor forsake us.

How much more do the words spoken by Solomon apply to God (8:7), “Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it.” If Solomon’s love for the Shulamite woman is unquenchable, and it apparently does last into his old age, how much more is God’s love for his church unquenchable? He has loved us with an everlasting love, one that perseveres and preserves.

Conclusion:
1) From song of songs we learn that beauty, art, poetry aesthetics are all things that are important to God. Being Godly and holy does not mean that one has to be plain, boring and simple. Christianity can redeem the arts and restore them to their truest and purest beauty. It can make a Vivaldi out of a Brittany Spears. When we arrive in eternity, we will find that the eternal enjoyment of God will include art, beauty, music, poetry, and other things pleasing to the senses.

2) We also see that God is not just involved in the heady and ethereal aspects of our lives, he is also involved in the most intimate details. His providence adorns the human life with romance, poetry, intimacy and love.

3) We also learn that godly love does not need to be some sanctimonious, puritanical ascetic self denial of pleasue for it to be Christian. It also shows us that love does not need to be licentious, shameless and dissolute for it to be enjoyable. There is true passion, true enjoyment of one another in godly romance.

4) Finally, this poem reminds of the love that Christ has for the church.
His forever, only His—Who the Lord and me shall part? Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart! Heav’n and earth may fade and flee, first-born light in gloom decline, but while God and I shall be, I am His and He is mine.[3]

NOTES
[1]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible
[2]Henry, M. (1996, c1991). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible
[3]Osbeck, K. W. (1990). Amazing grace : 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions. Includes indexes. (50). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications.