Song of Songs - Study 1
Song of Songs 1-4
Study 1 of 2
The “Wisdom Literature” of the Old Testament (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) can be difficult to interpret. Song of Songs presents many challenges, not the least of which is the content and theme of the book—even a brief perusal may cause the reader to blush! Over the centuries, some have proposed that God’s word could certainly not contain such evocative statements—therefore Song of Songs must be a poetic allegory about the relationship between Christ and the Church. While the theological reader may be able to gain some devotional depth from this perspective, it is most likely not what the author had in mind. Song of Songs is a poetic story about the privileges and responsibilities of physical love. The first half of the book may be understood as depicting elements of a royal marriage, and the joy of physical union:
- The anticipation of the wedding night and the couple’s first romantic encounter (1.1-2.7). The bride longed to be with the king, and her bridesmaids rejoiced for her (v. 4). Yet she was nervous, self-conscious, about their encounter (vv. 5-7). Her nerves were calmed by the admiration of the king, who said, “I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry, your neck with its necklace” (vv. 9-10). The couple came together in joyful and passionate physical union—from which the bride taught the young women a lesson: “do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time” (2.7). Even though she knew the joys of being with her lover, she warned her friends that sexual passion must be fulfilled in God’s time
- The couples’ longing for each other after a time of absence (2.8-3.5). The woman was ecstatic when she saw the king coming to her after a time of being away, “Listen! My love is approaching. Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills” (2.8). Solomon said to his bride: “Arise, my darling. Come away, my beautiful one. For now the winter is past; the rain has ended and gone away” (2.10). Yet, it seems that he had to depart for some reason, and she was left alone at night. Then she had a dream that portrayed her fierce loneliness without him; “In my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him…I will seek the one I love. I sought him, but did not find him” (3.1, 3). Her dream ended happily, as she found her lover and brought him to the home of her family—the place of her security. From her dream the king’s bride passed instruction once again: “Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, by the gazelles and the wild does of the field: do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time” (3.5)
- The joy of the couples’ physical union (3.6-5.1). Here the husband and wife press simile and metaphor to the limit to compliment and entice one another during love-making. The narrator of the poem exhorted them, “Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with love!” (5.1)
As the storyline of Scripture advances, the themes of sexuality expressed so vividly in the Song of Songs become a matter to be discussed within the broader category of one’s spiritual standing in Christ. Since God has reconciled even our physical bodies in Him, our bodies must be considered as under His authority, for His purposes. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are the members of Christ? So should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Absolutely not! Do you not know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For it says, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Cor 6.13b-17).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com