Song of Solomon: The King's Romance (Pt 1)

Introduction

Open you Bibles to Song of Solomon 1, that’s Song of Solomon 1 and we will be in verses 1-7.

Although we will not get to it this evening because this is a book we cannot jump into without laying a Biblical foundation. I wanted to provide the text so that you have a chance to consider it this week int he light of what we we will talk about here.

Before we continue lets Pray

Before we can get into the text, we have to lay the foundation on how to understand this book.

This book is one of the least read and understood books of the Bible.

Three ways to understand the book.

Only allegorical for the relationship between good and his people

Only about human marriage

Or both.

There have been many opinions about how to interpret this book,

“Rabbi Akiba [in the 100s AD] stated that [of all the Holy scriptures the Song of Songs is the most holy and] anyone who uses the book in such a literal fashion has no share in the life to come.” [1]

All the way up to the 19th center almost all interprets handled the text the same as Rabbi Akiba.

After the 19th century the major of expositors approach the text as both.

Like Psalm 22.

I see this as both. This is a love song, written by Solomon to one of his wives, probably pharaohs daughter, the Holy Spirit inspiring it is such away that it is also God’s revelation of the love between Christ and his rescued Bride.

Theology and Romance

What is Biblical Romance

It seems obvious but we are so inundated with sin int he form of lust that very few, if any, and I do not pretend to be one that does, have a truly heavenly understanding of romance.

What does a romance that transcends the physical, a romance with God look like.

Many have tired and failed, passion translation, to express that

We should come to this subject know it is utterly beyond us, and only the Holy Sprint can and did though Solomon give us a glimpse into these ministries.

I cannot stress this enough, we must be ever so fearful careful to be biblical about this topic.

How does the Bible Speak of the romance between God and his people

Marriage

“22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Eph 5:22–32, ESV)

So it is well we are to understand that love between a man and a woman does refers to Christ and the church.

That love can be perverted listen to how the God speaks of his relationship to an unfaithful people.

“16 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.

8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.” (Eze 16:1–22, ESV)

The scriptures never lie, the heinousness of actions of Israel of old are unmatched, but they did not see the beauty of Christ as we see it. There infidelity was to the types and shadows of the realities that we posses.

While they are rightful called whores, there is no pejorative in the tongues of men to describe the level of evil it is to betray Christ.

This is why we say that the Theology and Romance are inextricably linked.

The most romantic love song, the most intimate and dear story of love, the purest devotion found on earth is not a pisgah high enough for us to see the scope of the land that is Christ’s love for us,

No one every love so dearly those so unworthy of that love.

No one every provided so well

No one every sacrificed so much

No one was every so worthy and Christ.

The Lord said through the Prophet Jeremiah “I have loved you with an everlasting love;” (Je 31:3, ESV)

And the Absolute Paul writes “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:38–39, ESV)

There is no lover like Christ the King, not even Solomon comes close.

As we study theology we are lead in seeing a love story that transcends all others.

Where is betrayal more felt then love betrayed?

It isn’t, the traitor to a country is not consider as traitorous and the one that betrays loves promises.

The pagans understand that even without knowing the excellence of Christ.

This is way the Author of Hebrews said, “Let marriage be held in honor among all.” (Heb 13:4, ESV)

Next Time

Next time we will get into he text

Benediction

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

References

[1] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1095.

Bibliography

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.