Thinking Through the Bible: SESSION 32: Song of Solomon

If you desire an email of this session for ‘Thinking through the Bible’, send your request by email to carlsonpj@gmail.com. You may also request a full set of notes on the OT Books of Poetry if you want to read more than this summary of the session presented on Sunday morning. Those who attend the sessions on Sunday mornings benefit the most by reading the Book of the Bible as if they were living at the time of the Book we are covering in the session.

Introduction

We loved with a love that was more than love.

The Bible opens with a wedding: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). The world needs a picture of God’s love for His people, and the love in marriage can be just that. The Song of Solomon is a lengthy love song. It is an extended ballad about human romance, written in the style of ancient Near Eastern lyric poetry.

Why did God put eight chapters of love poetry in the Bible? The answer is quite simple: whom to love and how to love, the two issues with which the Song is mainly concerned, are among the most basic choices in life. And the ability to make godly choices with regard to these two crucial decisions is very important to every person who trusts in God.

Sharing:

Marriage was one of God’s first institutions.
Why did God put eight chapters of love in the middle of the Bible? The world needs an example of God’s love, and marriage is the way to show it. Eighty percent of songs today are about love because we want to read and hear those love songs today.
Today’s generation looks on the past generation and views marriage as boredom. They see marriage as not modern; it has failed and it is of no use. They are told that once the honeymoon is over, romance disappears.
Love is a gift from God, so we cannot properly love without God.
We are all desperately wicked, and without love without God.
Imagine if those in the community of God had a lower divorce rate than those in the world. It would provide a dynamic demonstration of God’s love.

Title

The Song of Solomon is sometimes called Canticles (little songs). Based on its first verse, this book is also known by the title Song of Songs (song of the highest excellence). Some interpreters believe this song speaks symbolically of the love of God for the nation of Israel. But others insist it should be interpreted literally - as a healthy expression of romantic love between a man and a woman. No matter how the book is interpreted, it is certainly one of the most unusual in the Bible. Its subtitle, the Song of Songs (1:1), implies it was the loveliest and best known of all the songs of Solomon.

Setting

It is suggested that Solomon wrote this song early in his reign as king of Israel. He is identified as the groom (3:11). The book gives evidence of wealth, luxury, and exotic imported goods (3:6-11), a characteristic of his administration. The groom of the song also assures the Shulamite bride that she is the only one (6:9) among his sixty queens and eighty concubines (6:8) - probably a reference by Solomon to his royal harem. Scholars suggest that Abishag the Shunammite of 1 Kings 1:3 (see also 2:17-22) is the bride, who is called the Shulamite of Song of Solomon 6:13.

With his large harem, how could King Solomon write such a beautiful love song to one specific wife? Perhaps his union with the Shulamite woman was the only authentic marriage relationship that Solomon ever knew. Most of his marriages were political arrangements, designed to seal treaties and trade agreements with other nations. In contrast, the Shulamite woman was not a cultured princess but a lowly vineyard keeper whose skin had been darkened by her long exposure to the sun (1:6). Yet, she was the bride to whom Solomon declared: How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices! (4:10).

This has a real message about the nature of true love. Authentic love is much more than a surface relationship; it extends to the very core of one's being. Love like this cannot be bought and sold like some commodity on the open market. Solomon had many wives, but the Shulamite may have been the only one with whom he enjoyed a warm, enriching relationship.

Sharing:

There is a form of love in the world that may be found in marriages, but those who belong to God have a more meaningful love. Their love has a different focus. They are able to have more stability in hard times. They can provide a good example of marriage because they have the gift of faith, and where faith is, there is no fear. Partners no longer need to doubt each other; they can truly trust one another. They can truly love because God’s love is in them. They may let others down, but God never does.
The depth of love grows by making choices to love. Things change, but the bond is built by years of decisions to love. Couples are able to minister to rather than manipulate each other.

Structure

The three main parties with speaking parts in this long poem are: (1) the groom, King Solomon; (2) the bride, a woman referred to as the Shulamite (6:13); and (3) the daughters of Jerusalem (2:7). These women of Jerusalem may have been royal servants who served as attendants to Solomon's Shulamite bride. In addition to these main personalities, the brothers of the Shulamite bride are also mentioned in the poem (8:8-9). These may have been her stepbrothers. The poem indicates she worked under their command as the keeper of the vineyards (1:6).

One way of looking at the divisions of the Song is:

Falling in love: This involves the courtship, where there is the nurturing of love.
United in love: This is the wedding, where there is the fulfillment of love.
Struggling in love: This is the problem of being in love, which raises the frustrations in love.
Growing in love: This is the progress in love, where there is the faithfulness of love.

Message

The great message of the Song of Solomon is the beauty of love between a man and a woman as experienced in the relationship of marriage. In its frank but beautiful language, the song praises the mutual love which husband and wife feel toward each other in this highest of all human relationships.

This Song also points beyond human love to the great Author of love. Authentic love is possible in the world because God brought love into being and planted that emotion in the hearts of His people. It is sad but all too true that any good thing from God can be corrupted by ungodly choices. So it is with love. It, too, has been corrupted by the fall of humanity, so that instead of being at all times a source of joy and blessing in monogamous marriage, as intended by God, it is often a means of selfish personal gratification involving all sorts of lusts and exploitations.

Interpretation

This Song has had a long history of odd interpretation, based on a combination of two common kinds of mistakes in interpreting: ‘totality transfer’ and ‘allegorizing’. Totality transfer is the tendency to think that all the possible features and meanings of a word or concept come with it whenever it is used. An example of this would be the assumption that God’s love for His people includes a romantic aspect (‘was in love with’) as if the word ‘love’ always includes in its meaning the sense of romance every time it is used.

When applied to this Song, the totality transfer was made from other biblical songs. When people first looked for something in the Bible that was similar to the Song of Songs, the closest parallels they came upon were certain kinds of allegories in the prophetical books. These allegories were cast in the form of love songs, telling the story of God’s love for His people Israel and how that love was rejected or abused. From these prophetic love songs some early interpreters jumped to a conclusion that if love songs in the prophets were allegories about God and His people, a love song like the Song of Songs must be the same sort of thing.

The Song concentrates directly on love between two individuals, a man and a woman, and their attraction for one another. It is the language of a man’s adoration of his loved one, in which he compares features of her appearances to beautiful images in life.

The symbols and images that the groom uses to describe the beauty of his Shulamite bride may seem strange to modern readers. He portrays her hair as a flock of goats, going down from Mount Gilead (4:1). Her neck, he says, is like the tower of David, built for an armory, on which hang a thousand bucklers (4:4). Such compliments today would certainly not be flattering to most women!

In his use of these symbols, the groom is reflecting the cultural patterns of the ancient world. To those who lived in Solomon's time, the rippling effect of a flock of goats moving down a hillside was, indeed, a thing of beauty. And a stately tower atop a city wall reflected an aura of stability and nobility.

Sharing:

These descriptions remind us that appreciation for one another in marriage is important. Couples should never lose that.
Marriages today are made fun of. We need to remember that it takes work to keep romance alive.

Application

While reading and thinking through this Song, keep these things in mind:

Appreciate the overall ethical context of the Song of Songs. Monogamous, heterosexual marriage was the proper context for sexual activity, according to God’s Story in the Old Testament, and God-fearing Israelites would regard the Song in that light. The attitude of the Song itself is the very direct opposite of unfaithfulness, either before or after marriage. Marriage consummates and continues love between a man and a woman. That is what the Song demonstrates.
The Song gives the moral context for controlling love in the right circumstance. Love songs in the ancient Near East were probably sung regularly at wedding banquets and had great meaning for those involved. They speak of attraction, fidelity, warding off the temptation to cheat, the preciousness of love, its joys and pleasures, and the dangers of unfaithfulness.
Read the Song as suggesting godly choices rather than describing them in a technical manner. Love is never adequately defined; it is best described and demonstrated. One of the closest parallels in Scripture to the Song is Proverbs 1-9.Be aware that the song focuses on very different values from those of our modern culture. Self-indulgence in relationships is typical today, whereas the Song is concerned with how one person can respond faithfully to the attractiveness of, and fulfills the needs of another. Today romance is often thought of as something that precedes marriage. In the Song, romance is something that should continue throughout and actually characterize marriage.

Sharing:

It is important to be ‘together’ as partners in marriage. There is a calming presence. When there is necessary separation, it should be temporary, and partners should miss each other. The real danger comes couples in marriage do not want to be together.
It is important never to criticize each other. That is destructive. Why tear down the one you love! Criticism should never be in public. Partners are to be helpmates, and not doormats, so there may be times when correction is needed, but that is not the same as speaking badly of one another. Respect is lost when there is criticism.
Couples married for a long time have a real impact on younger people. We all want to be loved and older couples show that it doesn’t come with effort. Marriage is the hardest job; but it gives the best results.

Love

Within the pages of God’s Story is demonstrated the five loves found between a man and a woman in marriage. They interrelate so that the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of love harmonize in meaningful expressions. In his book, Love Life for Every Married Couple, Ed Wheat, M.D. provides a paraphrase of the Song of Solomon in chapter 12 entitled the “most beautiful love song ever written”.

Along with this, Wheat gives very practical descriptions of the five loves of marriage, which are summarized below:

Desire (Epithumia): When spoken of and used in a positive way, this love is expressed as a desire (Genesis 3:16; Song of Solomon 7:10). When spoken of and used in a negative way, this love is expressed as lust (Proverbs 6:25). It has to do with a strong desire of any kind, good or bad. It means to set the heart on; long for, rightfully or wrongfully. In marriage, husband and wife should have a strong physical desire for each other that expresses itself in celebrations of love.
Romance (Eros): Romantic love includes the idea of yearning to unite with and the desire to be with the beloved. Eros is romantic, passionate and sentimental. It is often the starting point for marriage, being the kind of love that lovers “fall into” and speak often about. Romance has a problem because it is changeable and cannot last a lifetime all by itself. It wants to promise that the relationship will last forever, but this kind of love cannot keep that promise alone. It flourishes in the context of the other loves in marriage in a way that makes it exciting to be married to your God-given partner!
Sense of Belonging (Storge): This love is the kind that is shared between marriage partners, and parents and children. It is made up of natural affection and a sense of belonging to each other. Physical touch is an important means of expressing this love. In marriage it meets the need we have to belong, to be a part of a close-knit circle where people care and give the utmost loyalty to each other. It creates a comfortable sense between a husband and wife as they honor and respect each other. It provides an atmosphere of security in which the other loves of marriage can safely dwell and flourish.
Friendship (Phileo): Friendship love cherishes and has tender affection for the beloved – comradeship, sharing, communication, friendship. While eros makes lovers, phileo makes dear friends who enjoy closeness and companionship. Friendship in marriage allows you to share time and interests, since friendship is built on similarities.
Unconditional (agape): Unconditional love is the totally unselfish love that has the ability to give and keep on giving without expecting anything in return. It values and serves in contrast to friendship love, which cherishes and enjoys. It is not dependent upon the emotions or the response of the one being loved. This love is exercised as a choice of your will and has no dependence on feelings. It is a love of action, not of emotion. It keeps going when other loves may falter, for it requires no response from the other in order to be demonstrated. It loves no matter what.