Touching on the Book of The Song Of Solomon
Yes a song.A song of human affection.A song that is a story.Not really a biography or autobiography but it does have a historical basis and is a song of love between a bride and bridegroom and between husband and wife.The love that God intended between them.
Not only is it an expression of pure marital love as was ordained of God in creation,it is a metaphor or an analogy or type that is used time and again in Scripture where a marriage relationship is used to describe God's relationship with Israel and the Church's relationship with Christ.
If we look at it from a literal standpoint,we can see the glorification of wedded love.
If we look at it from a dispensational standpoint,we can see the relationship between Jehovah and Israel.
If we look at it from a redemption standpoint,we can see the wonderful relationship between Christ and the Church.
If we look at it from a moral or spiritual standpoint,we can see the communion between a believer and the glorified risen Lord.
When the story opens I believe we see the husband (Solomon)and the wife (The Shulamite)reminiscing about their first meeting,the wooing and winning by the man of her as his bride,their marriage and bringing her to the palace at Jerusalem and their marital relationship.
My understanding of the story is that Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hamon and he had a family that were keepers of it for him.The Shulamite was a daughter of the family that kept the vineyard.She was very mistreated by her brothers and was made to work very hard and had no time to look after herself or to care for her own person.She was very tanned from working in the fields.
She had a natural beauty about her and Solomon noticed this on one of his trips to the vineyard.Evidently they met,but she didn't realize who he was and he must have told her he would come back for her.He did return and wooed and won her and they were married.
The story goes on to explain their life together in the palace in Jerusalem,the reaction and interaction between her and the daughters of Jerusalem,(the city girls) and her the country girl.The story speaks of dreams she has and a desire to visit her home in Baal-hamon and them going back there.
There is much more to the story than what I have described and you can search and see as you read it, what I mean by it being a description of a pure marital love as was ordained by God.Someone once said that we should read this book when we are spiritually minded and not fleshly minded.
Since this is the last book of the 5 poetic book group,let's go back and in a review of the main themes of the 5 books see a spiritual progress in the life of a believer.
In Job we see a man brought to the end of himself.The self-life,self-goodness,self-reason and self-everything is laid bare.We hear Job proclaim "I abhor myself in dust and ashes."The death of the self-life.We can almost hear Paul proclaim "Oh wretched man that I am.Who shall deliver me from the body of this death."(Romans 7:24)
In Psalms we can see the new life in Christ expressing itself in praise and prayer in adoration and supplication and intercession.We can see faith,hope and love in fear,joy and song.I believe we could relate to (Philippians 4:6)"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
And apply (Colossians 3:16)"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
In Proverbs we are in God's school of wisdom,growing and learning.We can relate to the apostle Paul in this very thing for us in his prayers especially in Ephesians,Philippians and Colossians "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."(Colossians 1:9)
In Ecclesiastes we are taught not to set our affection on anything under the sun.And just as Paul reminds us in (Colossians 3:2) "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
In the Song of Solomon we see the rapture and communion with the Heavenly Bridegroom.The Bride and Bridegroom together.Then of course we are reminded of our blessed hope of Jesus coming back for us and meeting Him in the air."Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."(1Thessalonians 4:17)
Dying to self and alive unto God,expressing our love,faith and hope in praise and prayer and song,growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior,and seeing the vanity of this world system,and longing to be with our Savior.
How amazing this Word of God. |
