Song of Solomon (part 2)
We’re in part two of a three-part outline of the Song of Solomon. Last week, pastor Andrew covered chapters 1, 2 and the first 5 verses of chapter 3. The first section was about Solomon’s anticipation and pursuit of the Shulamite maiden. By way of review, the Song of Solomon is literally a love song (in ancient middle eastern form, which is very different than the way you or I might write a love song or a love poem.) This is one of the One Thousand and Five songs that Solomon wrote. Here we have the pre-eminent or greatest song of them all, the Song of Songs as it’s called in chapter one verse one.
As we study this book, you could take it literally as only being a love song. By taking it that way, you’re saying this is a teaching about the love between a man and a woman. Since this book is included in the “wisdom” literature of the Bible, a literal interpretation says that this book imparts God’s wisdom and moral standards for the love relationship between a husband and wife. Side note, we as Christians are accused of being prudes or uptight when it comes to boy-girl relationships, the birds, and the bees. We needn’t be prudes, but we sure better be prudent (cautious, wise, careful). I can tell you, I wanted to be the one who taught my sons about love and sex. So, I started bringing up the subject with them when they were young. I explained it in an age-appropriate way (I hope). We talked about how babies are made. At some point though, when they got a little older, and I started to bring up the subject again, they said, “dad, do we have to talk about this again? We get the picture. We don’t want to talk about it.” Okay. I would rather bring God’s Word to bear on the topic and have an open and honest dialogue with my kids, than let the world inculcate them. So, I believe we ought to beat the world to the punch when it comes to our kid’s instruction on the whole topic of love and sex.
The Song of Solomon can be a bit steamy at times, but that just shows that the Christian marital relationship can hot in a pure and undefiled way. It is called holy matrimony.
All that said, I believe there is more to it than just a literal marriage seminar. The Song of Solomon can also give us a picturesque representation of the relationship between Christ and His church (or God and Israel in the old testament). The church is pictured as the bride of Christ in the new testament and Israel was pictured as the bride of God in the OT. That’s why any affection toward any other god (idolatry) is equated with spiritual adultery.
So, there’s the view that the Song of Solomon should be taken literally, and then there’s the view that it should be taken allegorically. I believe both views are in play. You guys know we follow what’s called the “inductive” study method here at Calvary. Inductive meaning:
- We start with what the scripture says, in context, and take it at face value.
- We seek to understand the meaning of the text, both historically and for us right now.
- We want to apply the teaching to our lives, practically.
Another way of explaining the Inductive Study Method is we try to draw meaning out from the scriptures rather than trying to fit what the scriptures say into our agenda. The technical term is exegesis; letting the scriptures speak for themselves rather than imposing our ideas onto the scriptures.
The section we’re covering tonight is all about the wedding and the consummation of the marriage. From chapter 3 verse 6 through chapter 5 verse 1.
- 3:6-11 Solomon in all his glory enters Jerusalem to claim his bride
- 4:1-15 Solomon’s love song all about his bride
- 4:16-5:1 The consummation of marriage
Chapter 3
Verses 6-11
Solomon’s Wedding Day
6 “What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like columns of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?
7 “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.
8 “All of them are wielders of the sword,
Expert in war;
Each man has his sword at his side,
Guarding against the [j]terrors of the night.
9 “King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 “He made its posts of silver,
Its back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior lovingly fitted out
By the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 “Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And gaze on King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
And on the day of his gladness of heart.”
Do you see all the pomp and circumstance as part of this wedding ceremony? In general, less pomp and circumstance are more to my liking. Pageantry can be a bunch of show, and sometimes as we saw with the Olympics, and with so many Superbowl halftime shows things can become perverted. But I don’t begrudge anyone a themed wedding. A wedding is one time you get a pass to go overboard. More importantly though, are we faithful, loving and caring day-in and day-out to our spouse after the wedding .
Here’s an interactive question I’m interested in hearing from you about: What are some standout wedding traditions you’ve seen or been involved with that you’d like to share with us?
Chapter 4
Verses 1-15
Solomon’s Love Expressed
4 “How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;
Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead.
2 “Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
3 “Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 “Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of stones
On which are hung a thousand shields,
All the round shields of the mighty men.
5 “Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies.
6 “Until the cool of the day
When the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
7 “You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.
8 “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the summit of Amana,
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your necklace.
10 “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
And the fragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of spices!
11 “Your lips, my bride, drip honey;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 “A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.
13 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,
14 Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
With all the trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest [k]spices.
15 “You are a garden spring,
A well of fresh water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”
I don’t know, but to me, that is sensual verbiage. I think that’s all good, in fact it is very good. We needn’t delve into every word there, but as a beautiful expressive description of passionate love between a husband and wife that section gets it pretty well done.
Ephesians 5:25-33 says
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Then the bride responds: Song of Solomon 4:16 “Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its spices be wafted abroad.
May my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choice fruits!”
Finally, chapter 5 verse 1 says, “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
(to his friends)
Eat, friends;
Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
Just to kind of get you involved in the discussion again and thinking about the idea of weddings, any interesting or curious honeymoon vacations you went on that you would like to share?
Mark 10:2Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. 3And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4They said, “Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY.” 5But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6“But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7“FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, 8AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
I would say, married couples; cultivate that love making relationship with each other. Nurture and grow together in your love making. Seek to fulfill your spouse’s desires. Don’t be selfish. Be vulnerable. Be teachable. Be open.
I’d like to share a few verses about God’s love toward us. In English, we have one word for love, but in Greek, they have four different words for love. Two of them are used in the new testament:
- Phileo or Philia is brotherly love.
- Agapao or agape is God’s self-sacrificial love.
Not found in the new testament, but in other ancient Greek literature, are two other words for love:
- Storge – familial love.
- Eros – sensual love.
We’re told in Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. But we’re also told in 1John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us. So, we love in response to His love.
John 15:13 says, Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4:7-11 says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
And the most famous verse of all, John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
- God gave
- God sent
- God in Christ laid down His life
- Christ died for us
On the cross, where Christ was being punished for us, in our place, God was showing His love for us.
Solomon expressed this wonderful, passionate, heartfelt love for his Shulamite bride. As good and wonderful as that kind of an expression of love is it is limited. And for Solomon, his heart was divided among all his wives and concubines.
The exhortation here is for us not to have a divided heart. If there’s anything that gets in the way of your love for the Lord, get rid of it. If there’s anything that divides your whole-hearted love for God, get rid of it.
Focus on God’s love for us, and you can rest assured that He loves you and went the full distance on the cross for you.
