Agere Sequitur Esse

Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon

Notes.. .

. ..Introduction. By Solomon as a wedding song to honor marriage and to tell of the love for a bridegroom and his bride, affirm the sanctity of marriage, and picture God’s love for His people. A.K.A. Song of Songs and the Canticles. Most explicit statements of sex in the bible. People include King Solomon, Shulamite woman, the woman’s brothers, and young women of Jerusalem.
. ..Themes. Sex, Love, Commitment, Beauty, and Problems.
. ..Outline. “How does the believer express love to another human being? This is the issue in the Song” (William Seay 2019, L9 28:10–28:20).
. ..Application. “The practice within our modern culture of degrading human sexuality for gain offers a very real temptation to the reader of the Song” (Seay 2019, L9 34:45–34:55).
. ..Timeline. Written early in Solomon’s reign in 1014.

Introduction. 24:45 – The Song is also known by two other names: Song of Songs and the Canticles. Basically, it is a wedding song honoring marriage. The most explicit statements of sex in the bible are found in this book. The purpose was to tell of the love for [ ] bridegroom and his bride, to affirm the sanctity of marriage, and picture God’s love for His people. The author was Solomon. The key people are King Solomon, Shulamite woman, the woman’s brothers, and young women of Jerusalem.

Themes. 26:00 – There are five major theological themes. (i) Sex. Sex is God’s gift to His creatures. He endorses sex but restricts its expression to those committed to each other in marriage. (ii) Love. As a relationship develops, the beauty and wonder of the romance unfolded between Solomon and his bride. The intense power of love affected the hearts, minds, and bodies of the two lovers. (iii) Commitment. The power of love requires more than the language of feelings to be protected. Sexual expression is such an interictal part of our self-hood that we need a boundary of marriage to safeguard our love. Marriage is a celebration of daily commitment to each other. (iv) Beauty. The two lovers praise the beauty they see in each other. The language they use shows spontaneity and mystery of love. Our praise should not be limited to physical beauty. Beautiful personalities and moral purity should also be praised. (v) Problems. Over time, feelings of loneliness, indifference, and isolation came between Solomon and his bride. During those times, love grew cold and barriers were raised.

Outline. 28:00 – How does the believer express love to another human being? This is the issue in the Song. The issue was real for God’s people when these love songs were written and sung for them. Relationships between the sexes were not simply a private matter for Israel. The worship services of their neighbors involved sexual relationships between the worshiper and a member of the staff of high places where worship was held. We refer to such practices as cultist prostitution and the staff members of the high places as cultist prostitutes. This use of sexual relationships is used in the worship of Baal in that it guaranteed rain and good crops and fertility for human parents. Those who refused to participate in such worship faced outrage from their neighbors when drought or plagues brought a poor crop year. The bible [ ] that all of life stands under God’s control. The one God who created everything rose over the agriculture and fertility realms just as He rose over the political and historical realms. The Song declares the independence of God’s people from religion which imprisons love and imposes sexual relationships within the realm of Baalism. The sexual acts of the Baal worshipers constitute neither a ritual of worship not a sign of love. Instead, the Song gives new definition to love. Love and sexual union are a God-given privilege for man and a woman to share. God’s people in the privacy of their existence together not in the worship place may participate properly and happily in this dimension of life.

The theology of the Song must be discovered by the implications, presuppositions, and suggestions of the book rather than by its direct teachings. God is never mention in the book. No clear historical situation can be reconstructed which profit the writer. There is little structure or movement to be found in the book. The beauty of expression and theme of love will surely prompt some degree of appreciation of what is true but can be more gained from this part of the bible. God made man and woman to comfort in each other in every way. God made man and woman physically attracted to each other. God meant for human sexuality to be expressed in an exclusive relationship. In a real sense, the Song picks up where the account of creation of man and woman leaves off. There, both man and woman were made in God’s image. So, this means, they were able to [ ] relationship in a meaningful relationship with their Creator. They were made to have an enriching relationship with each other. This meaningful relationship of course means fruitful sexuality for they were to multiply on the earth. The Song reflects such doctrine that clearly does not express what it [ ]. The delightful fact that God made man and woman physically attracted to each other is clearly evident throughout the Song. The groom used all the resources of human language to express the beauty of his beloved. In explicit and frank words, he described her body features. To him, she was perfect. Although she seemed to think of herself as less than attractive, she was probably a pleasant maiden but to him, she was a queen. She too spoke freely and honestly of his physical attractiveness; each thrilled in anticipation of physical union. The longing and pain of separation was contrasted with the surge of joy and reunion. The desire of lovers to flee from others to her own little love net can surely be understood by everyone who has experienced the mysterious power of love.

It should be carefully noted that this intense human love came from the Song was an exclusive love It was a love so completely shared with each other that nothing was left for others. The groom spoke of his bride as his own and she described him in the same way. When asked what was so special about her beloved the maiden was quick to let others know that he was unique. In such an exclusive relationship if it was threatened from without the feeling of jealousy, well, probably come. This emotion is normal and healthy if kept under control. Such an overwhelming desire for one man or one woman in exclusive union is consistent with the biblical idea of marriage and the home. How powerful and how priceless is such a love.

Application. 34:35 – The practice within our modern culture of degrading human sexuality for gain offers a very real temptation to the reader of the Song. Should one apologize for or gloss over, explain away, or seek to hide the explicit language describing the evenness of these lovers to consummate their love; the temptation to do this must be resisted. Such bold words about sexual matters are kept within the context of an exclusive love relationship. The satisfying of a natural or biological urge is not the point. These love songs are private or personal. The maiden is willing to give herself only to her beloved. He reserves himself only for his bride. The Song is not the only Word, not the last word for human sexuality in the bible. It is a refreshing reminder however of the duty and wonder of love shared by a man and a woman. The church needs to teach its people this wonder and beauty and the proper relationship.

Three theological conclusions. 36:10 – Three theological conclusions we find in the Song of Songs (i) God made man and woman to complement each other in every way. (ii) God made man and woman physically attracted to each other. (iii) God meant for human sexuality to be expressed in an exclusive relationship.

Timeline.36:55 – It was written early in Solomon’s reign in c. 1014 BC.

Ref.

Seay, William. 2019. Old Testament Theology [MP3]. Andersonville Theological Seminary (ATS). Camilla, GA: ATS