June 14, 2005

Reading through the Bible in one Year: 2 Kings 23:1-25:7; John 11:45-12:11

Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters,

We ordered 11 more tickets bringing the grand total at 29 Palms to 25, and 30 at Camp Pendleton.  There is still a need for sponsorships, if you are interested, reply back to this study.  I praise God for several of you who have stepped forward to meet this need already.  Thank you.

The Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, depending upon your translation, is one of the most beautiful stories ever written.  It was been carefully guarded and held very sacred by the Jewish people in the ancient days.  The story is timeless, we will be looking at some strange comparisons and pictures, but with a little thought, I hope we can bring it to modern language and understanding.

The Song of Solomon is a very controversial book.  Some have gone so far as to say that it doesn't belong in the cannon of the Bible.  Others have ignored the message and spiritualized it claiming that it is a message which gives a picture of Christ and the Church.  I believe that this is probably true, but most importantly; it is a picture of the love between a man and his wife.  Ralph Porter gave me some insight into the book today; we discussed it briefly over the phone.  He is in his seventies, and told me that to him, the book is a picture of the intimate love that God has with each believer.  He is well past the time where that the sexual side of marriage is as important to him.  In that view the book is not about sex, but about romance and intimacy. 

Consider that for a moment as we ponder the ideas put forth in this book.  God wants to romance the believer, and draw him into a position of intimate relationship with Him.  As an example of that romance, we are given a practical picture of the romance that a man and woman have together in a healthy marriage.  In our nation today, I would say that the greatest deficiency in marriage is the lack of romantic love.  Some have a good handle on the sexual side of marriage, but have learned to live as married singles, ignoring the romantic intimate side of marriage that causes a man and woman to fall deeply in love with each other. 

Ask yourself what you want to get out of this book.  Is it to dabble in the erotic story of love between two people?  Or is it to learn about the romance that caused these two people to be drawn intimately to each other?  How does this book apply to our relationship with God?  How does it apply to God's relationship to us?  I can't promise you that I will answer all of these questions.  I can promise you that we will ponder the scriptures and to attempt to unlock the mysteries in these verses so that we can build our marriages to a much stronger point. 

In our fine country, something is broken; we need to find a fix for it.  When you consider the divorce rate in our country, it is astounding.  What is even more astounding is that the divorce rate is highest among evangelical Christians, particularly with the Baptist group according to one survey that I read.  Why is that?  Why is it that we who should have the strongest marriages are allowing ours to fall apart at a rate that is higher than the world that we are supposed to be witnessing to? 

Song of Solomon 7:1-3 (NCV)
¹ Your feet are beautiful in sandals, you daughter of a prince. Your round thighs are like jewels shaped by an artist. ² Your navel is like a round drinking cup always filled with wine. Your stomach is like a pile of wheat surrounded with lilies. ³ Your breasts are like two fawns, like twins of a gazelle.

Song of Solomon 5:10-12 (NCV)
¹⁰ My lover is healthy and tan, the best of ten thousand men. ¹¹ His head is like the finest gold; his hair is wavy and black like a raven. ¹² His eyes are like doves by springs of water. They seem to be bathed in cream and are set like jewels.^[1]

In the early church the book was viewed as an allegory of love between Christ and the Church, the Jews believed it was between God and Israel.  I can see the point in that, and won't be focusing so much on that view, except perhaps viewing the idea of the love of Christ and the believer.  Let's face it, it's kind of weird for God to speak about men as in chapter 7, and for men to speak about God like in chapter 5.  Let's take the book for what it is worth, take the scriptures and apply them as they are written.

One popular view, and probably the most accurate view is that the Song of Solomon is a collection of poems about love.  They are blended together to produce a story of sorts that teach us about love.  Who the authors of these poems are is not known, it isn't known if they were one person, or two, or if Solomon wrote them himself. 

The problem with the popular view of it being a collection of poems lies in the fact that it is logically laid out according to the classic Hebrew poetry standards.  I will copy and paste an example of what I am talking about below.  To explain the example, look at one letter and compare it to a similar letter later in the text.  The commentator did an excellent job in making it ruthlessly clear.  Whoever wrote it did it with an agenda, and was a single author.  In my opinion, it describes the love between a man and a woman, and the passion that God ordained in the marriage.  This is the approach that I am going to use in studying this book.  Please note though, if you feel more comfortable with any other interpretation, please feel free to write in, I will post your comments. 

 A     1:1–4a “Take me away”

    B     1:4b Friends speak

      C     1:5–7 “My own vineyard”

        D     1:8–14 “Breasts,” “silver,” “we will make”

          E     1:15–2:2 “House”

            F     2:3–7 “His left arm” “daughters of Jerusalem … so desires,” “apple,” “love”

              G     2:8–13 “Fragrance,” “come my darling,” “blossoming”

                H     2:14–15 “Vineyards,” “show me”

                   I     2:16–17 “My lover is mine”

                      Ja     3:1–5 “The watchmen found me”

                         Jb     3:6–11 Description of carriage, “gold,” “Lebanon,” “daughters of Jerusalem”

                            Jc     4:1–7 Description of girl, “Your eyes … hair … teeth”

                              K     4:8–15 “Myrrh,” “spice,” “honey,” “honeycomb,” “wine,” “milk”

                                 L     4:16 “Into his garden”

                                 L´     5:1a “Into my garden”

                              K´     5:1bc “Myrrh,” “spice,” “honey,” “honeycomb,” “wine,” “milk”

                             Ja´     5:2–9 “The watchmen found me”

                         Jb´     5:10–6:1 “Gold,” “Lebanon,” “daughters of Jerusalem”

                     Jc´     6:4–11 Description of girl, “Your eyes, … hair … teeth”

                  I´     6:2–3 “My lover is mine”

               H´     6:13–7:9a [10a] “Vines,” “wine,” “that we me gaze on you”

           G´     7:9b–13 [10b–14] “Fragrance,” “come my darling,” “blossom”

          F´     8:1–5 “His left arm,” “daughters of Jerusalem … so desires,” “apple,” “love”

        E´     8:6–7 “House”

      D´     8:8–9 “Breasts,” “silver,” “we will build”

    C´     8:10–12 “My own vineyard”

  B´     8:13 “Friends”

A´     8:14 “Come away”^[2]

One thing is certain, it is one of the most controversial books in the Bible, with a wide and varied views depending upon the background and agenda of the person commenting about it.  I want to apologize for the long introduction to the book, but felt that it was necessary due to the many views that are held on it.  I still did not scratch the surface. 

Father, as we begin a new book, open our eyes to the way that You designed marriage and relationships to be.  Enable us to see the way that You designed intimacy and passionate love in each of our lives to glorify You.

In Him,

Joe Turner.