"OVERVIEW OF SONG OF SOLOMON"
Notes
Transcript
Background info –
Song of Solomon is a love song written by Solomon (1:1) and abounding in metaphors and oriental imagery. Historically, it depicts the wooing and wedding of a shepherdess by King Solomon, and the joys and heartaches of wedded love.
Allegorically, it pictures Israel as God’s espoused bride (see Hosea 2:19–20), and the church as the bride of Christ. As human life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of man and woman, so spiritual life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of God for His people and Christ for His church.
The book is arranged like scenes in a drama with three main speakers: the bride (Shulamite), the king (Solomon), and a chorus (daughters of Jerusalem). Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible (p. 176). T. Nelson.
Author – Solomon
Author—Solomonic authorship is rejected by critics who claim it is a later collection of songs. Many take chapter 1, verse 1, to mean “which is about or concerning Solomon.” But the internal evidence of the book strongly favors the traditional position that Solomon is its author. Solomon is specifically mentioned seven times (1:1, 5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12), and he is identified as the groom. There is evidence of royal luxury and rich imported goods (e.g., 3:6–11). The king by this time also had sixty queens and eighty concubines (6:8). Solomon’s harem at its fullest extent reached seven hundred queens and three hundred concubines (1 Kin. 11:3). Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible (p. 177). T. Nelson.
First Kings 4:32–33 says that Solomon composed 1,005 songs and had intimate knowledge of the plant and animal world. This greatest of his songs alludes to twenty-one species of plants and fifteen species of animals. It cites geographical locations in the north and in the south, indicating that they were still one kingdom. For example, chapter 6, verse 4, mentions both Tirzah and Jerusalem, the northern and southern capitals (after Solomon’s time, Samaria became the northern capital). Because of the poetic imagery, the Song of Solomon uses forty-nine words that occur nowhere else in Scripture. Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible (p. 177). T. Nelson.
Date – 960 – 965 BC
This song was written primarily from the point of view of the Shulamite, but Solomon was its author, probably early in his reign, about 965 B.C. There is a problem regarding how a man with a harem of 140 women (6:8) could extol the love of the Shulamite as though she was his only bride. It may be that Solomon’s relationship with the Shulamite was the only pure romance he ever experienced. The bulk of his marriages were political arrangements. It is significant that the Shulamite was a vineyard keeper of no great means. This book was also written before Solomon plunged into gross immorality and idolatry. “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God” (1 Kin. 11:4). Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible (pp. 177–178). T. Nelson.
Theme – “God’s view of love and marriage”
Key Word - Love
Key Verse -
10 “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me.
7 “Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.”
Chapters - 8
Verses - 117
Words - 2,044
The question that we must ask ourselves is this – How should we approach the book of Song of Solomon?
This is taken from “Talk Thru the Bible” –
1. Fictional – some hold that this song is a fictional drama that portrays Solomon’s courtship of and marriage to a poor but beautiful girl from the country, but the book gives every indication that the story really happened.
2. Allegorical – In this view, the primary purpose of the Song was to illustrate the truth of God’s love for His people whether the events were fictional or not, Some commentators insist that the book is indeed historical but its primary purpose is typical, that is, to present Yahweh’s love for His bride Israel and/or Christ’s love for His Church, But this interpretation is subjective and lacking in evidence.
3. Historical – The Song of Songs is a poetic record of Solomon’s actual romance with a Shulamite woman, The various scenes in the book exalt the joys of love in courtship and marriage and teach that physical beauty and sexuality in marriage should not be despised as base or unspiritual, it offers a proper perspective of human love and avoids the extremes of lust and asceticism. Only when sexuality was viewed in the wrong way as something akin to evil was an attempt made to allegorize the book.
The question still remains how do we approach the book? I firmly believe that we must approach it historically. (What is says did in fact happen)
Talk Thru the Bible – “Allegorically, it pictures Israel as God’s espoused bride (Hosea 2:19-20), and the church as the bride of Christ. As human life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of man and woman, so spiritual life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of God for His people and Christ for His church.”
The book is arranged like scenes in a drama with three main speakers:
1. Bride – Shulamite
2. King – Solomon
3. Chorus – daughters of Jerusalem
“It was traditional among the ancient Israelites not to allow young men to read the book until age thirty.”
Benware provides us with a good outline of the book –
1. Courtship: Preparation for Marriage 1-3:5
2. Consummation: fulfillment within marriage – 3:6-5:1
3. Commitment: realities of Marriage – 5:2-8:14
God’s plan for marriage has been abandoned in the world that we live in today. The book of Song of Solomon deals with God’s view of marriage – I don’t want to spend the bulk of our time on the book of Song of Solomon b/c you all are not at a point in time where you are going to get married in the next few months.
Rather I want us to see three things – 1) the preciousness of marriage, 2) the abandonment of marriage, and 3) God’s view of marriage -
How many of you would like to get married one day?
revolution of the twentieth century, I think, will not be considered to have been a revolution that was won with tanks and torpedoes, bullets and bombs. Almost certainly, it will be the sexual revolution. Begun in the West, this revolution spread rapidly by travel and the media into many of the world’s cities and beyond.
In this revolution, simple changes instigated profound effects. Contraception replaced conception, and the “price” of sexual activity seemingly dropped dramatically. Pleasure was separated from responsibility. Contraceptive devices and abortion clinics replaced schools and orphanages. It was as if a license was given out, legitimizing the bending of every part of our lives around serving ourselves.
Since that time, divorce, remarriage, abortion, pre- and extramarital sex, and even homosexuality have been accepted by increasing percentages of the public. The boundaries that once seemed fixed now appear less secure. Sadomasochism, polygamy, pederasty, and bestiality are all represented by groups working to promote their acceptance in our society. Dever, M., & Goldsworthy, G. (2006). The Message of Song of Songs: Wisdom for the Married. In The message of the old testament: promises made (p. 547). Crossway.
Pornography has also become big business. How many hard-core pornographic videos do you think Americans rented in 1986? Seventy-five million. Yet in 1996, Americans rented 665 million, generating over $3 billion in business. In fact, the whole pornography industry is now estimated to be a $10 billion a year business, and it is reported to be enriching the coffers of corporate giants like AT&T and Time Warner. As one pornography publisher observed in an interview, “The great advantage of capitalism is that greed overrides morality and puritanism.” Dever, M., & Goldsworthy, G. (2006). The Message of Song of Songs: Wisdom for the Married. In The message of the old testament: promises made (pp. 547–548). Crossway.
Some people think of the world religions as Christianity’s main competitors. Yet I think it can be fairly said that the main competitor that Christianity faces today in the West is not Islam or Judaism. It is not atheism or Hinduism. It is eroticism—the increasingly uninhibited search for fulfilling our sexual passions in whatever form we please. Dever, M., & Goldsworthy, G. (2006). The Message of Song of Songs: Wisdom for the Married. In The message of the old testament: promises made (p. 548). Crossway.
1. The preciousness of marriage
1. The preciousness of marriage
Song of Solomon says things like the following –
Lady to the man
Your voice is sweet
Your face is lovely
His head is the finest gold
His eyes are like doves
His cheeks are like beds of spices
His lips are lilies
His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels
His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires
His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold
His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars
His mouth is most sweet
So gals you will know the man that you will marry when you can honestly say your eyes are like doves – (haha)
Man to the Lady
Your eyes are doves
Your hair is like a flock of goats
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
Your lips are like a scarlet thread
Your mouth is lovely
Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
Your neck is like the tower of David
Your two breast are like two fawns
Your lips drip nectar
Honey and milk are under your tongue
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
Your rounded thighs are like jewels
Your navel is a rounded bowl
Your belly is a heap of wheat
Your neck is like an ivory tower
Your eyes are pools in Heshbon
Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon
Your head crowns you like Carmel
Same things guys – you will know the gal you will marry when you tell her that her nose is like the tower of Lebanon –
Hopefully you sense just form the terms that are used within the book of Song of Solomon how precious marriage is when done according to God’s perfect plan.
2. The abandonment of marriage
2. The abandonment of marriage
The term marriage is so abused in our world today –
In fact people will say the following things –
Marriage is hard so just don’t get married
Just live together outside of marriage but enjoy all the pleasures of marriage – that way you always have a way out when things get difficult
The world says just do what you want
Our world forsakes God’s standard about marriage
Understand this – God has ordained marriage and it is a wonderful thing when it is done within God’s ordained plan! At the point that you forsake God’s standard - realize this you will stand before the Lord and be judged for your actions.
Listen to these statistics among teenagers –
39% of all teenagers have sent and or posted inappropriate and suggestive messages via texting
48% of teens have received texts that are inappropriate and suggestive
71% of teen gals and 67% of teen guys have sent inappropriate and suggestive content to their boyfriend or girlfriend
66% of teen gals and 60% of guys say that they send inappropriate and suggestive content simply for fun or to be flirtatious
1 in 10 has shared an inappropriate picture of themselves
I want us to understand the book of Song of Solomon – keep in mind that the theme is God’s view of marriage - Marriage is a very precious thing when it is done within the bounds of God’s standards.
3. God’s view of marriage
3. God’s view of marriage
God’s View of Marriage – Hebrews 13:4
4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
Marriage – wedding (noun)
Honor – precious, honored, gem, valuable (adjective describing a noun)
Marriage bed – intimate relationship between a husband and wife
Undefiled – pure, untainted (adjective describing the marriage bed)
Teenagers listen to me closely – we live in a world that has forsaken God’s view of marriage they do not honor marriage nor do they keep the marriage bed holy. I encourage each of you to make a commitment now to hold honor marriage all the days of your life!!
Song of Solomon provides us with a beautiful picture of marriage when done within God’s ordained plan. Marriage is a very intimate relationship that husband and wife enjoy together. Like I said at the begin you are not ready to get married tomorrow – So the question is how in the world does this apply to me?
SO WHAT?
Just as a husband and wife enjoy an intimate relationship with each other when done according to God’s standards, every believer has the privilege and joy to enjoy that kind of relationship with the Lord through reading the word, praying, memorizing, living for, and many other things.
I challenge of you to evaluate your walk with the Lord and determine if you are enjoying an intimate relationship with your Lord –
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Are your eyes fixed on the cross of Christ? Or are they fixed on getting married?
In the Old Testament, Israel is regarded as the bride of Yahweh (see Is. 54:5–6, Jer. 2:2; Ezek. 16:8–14; Hos. 2:16–20). In the New Testament, the church is seen as the bride of Christ (see 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23–25; Rev. 19:7–9; 21:9). The Song of Solomon illustrates the former and anticipates the latter. Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible (p. 179). T. Nelson.
