The Song of Solomon 1

It has become common for commentators to reject a "Christ and His church" interpretation of this biblical poem of love. To hold to the old position of the Puritans is said to be taking too allegorical an approach in understanding the Scriptures. As we begin our eight message journey through this rich and challenging book, I need to freely admit that whenever I encounter a love between a man and a woman, whether within the pages of Scripture or not, I think that it is right for me to think about the ultimate of faithful marital love, to think about the way that God has cleaved to His people, embracing them in an intimacy and faithfulness. Furthermore, when I hear of even a bad king and his subjects, I think it right for our minds to consider the best of all kings. Therefore, when I encounter a book or a song in the Bible (such as Psalm 45) about a King with a husband's love for his submissive and adoring bride, I would consider it strange to miss the obvious biblical analogy.

Of course this does not mean that the Song of Solomon is not also about one man and one woman brought together in the intimacy of conjugal love. Why should we reject that obvious meaning in order to consider the greatest of all loves? So we will find room for both ways of looking at this song. It is a book about one man and one woman, and a book that naturally points us forward to the greatest story of love ever known, that of the Messiah King and His perfected church.

One more word of introduction: this book is very difficult to follow, at least for me. I will follow the notes of the ESV translation that suggest who the likely speaker is at ever point based on the grammatical clues available in the original Hebrew. Like the Book of Revelation, I think we could head into unprofitable speculation if we try to interpret every detail of the book too closely. The language is sensual. It is not so much a clear story line as a book of scenes that are to be felt and appreciated. Here is a great love expressed in powerful imagery and emotion, not a historical account of a battle or a doctrinal lesson in a point of theology.

This song is identified as Solomon's in the opening verse. I take this son of David to be the man in this relationship. The first chapter introduces us to a young woman, but also to a chorus of others who comment on the love between Solomon and the young woman. Other characters will appear in future chapters.

The young woman is delighted with the thought of the love of her man (2-4). The chorus joins her in rejoicing over this anticipated love (4). This is followed by a note on the part of the woman that there may be something wrong with the darkness of her skin or her physical beauty (her vineyard). There may be something questionable about her family relations, and her poverty that would disqualify her from the close association with her lover-king which her heart greatly desires (5-7).

The man extols her great beauty in his eyes and invites her to follow in the tracks of his flock. This king seems to be a shepherd. He uses animal analogies that must have been appropriate for the time and the place of the author to speak highly of the woman (8-10). The chorus is supportive of the beauty of the humble woman (11).

The remainder of the first chapter moves from the words of the woman, then to the man, and back again to the woman in poetic description of the intimate attractiveness of the man to the woman and the woman to the man. Everything is fragrant, beautiful, and delightful. They will be together and all will be well (12-17).

May God grant to us always this kind of freshness and wholesome joy in our love for our life companion and close friend. When we are able to thank him for giving such a great gift to unworthy sinners, may our thoughts be brought still higher to the wonder that the King of glory, who is greatly to be desired, speaks about His love for us in such a wonderful way, that we are assured that some day we will be perfected in holiness.

The church desires her great King and is desired by Him. He has laid down His life to bring about a marriage that will be eternal and wonderful. What will this life of bliss be like? We cannot really say. But God determined to explain it to us, at least in part, through entering upon the sacred pages of the Bible this wonderful poem of love.