Song of Solomon – Book Overview • 07.31.22
Book Overview – Song of Solomon
- Song of Solomon is complex, yet beautiful
- God speaks powerfully and positively about sexuality
Well today is also the start of a new sermon series. We are kicking off our study of the book Song of Solomon. Let me draw your attention to the subtitle of our series – “Biblical sexuality”. The Song of Solomon is unapologetically addressing the beauty of God’s creation regarding sexuality.
Sexuality – the capacity for sexual feelings. (COED)
You might be surprised that the Bible addresses such intimate topics! And yet, why should we be surprised when God is the creator of sex and sexuality? After all, upon designing man and woman, he declared, “it is very good.” Sexuality handled God’s way was included in that declaration.
I would argue that our church and world need to hear from God on this topic! We live in a day and age of massive confusion regarding sex and sexuality. Humanity has taken God’s good design and gift of human sexuality and warped it into an idol that takes the place of God. Many bow down and worship the god of personal pleasure.
As you look around and survey the landscape of our culture, everything is sexualized. It’s been increasingly that way in the entertainment industry and advertising over the decades, but now it has also begun to target the youngest among us… from children’s swimwear or literature and educational materials… Frankly, nearly every aspect of life has become sexualized. There is a real push going on to redefine sexuality according to the relativistic social norms of our day rather than tying it to a firm standard of objective truth such as God’s Word.
That is why we need to study Song of Solomon. As the church, we must not forsake God in the pursuit of personal pleasure. Consider the dire warning of Jeremiah 2:11-13:
Jeremiah 2:11–13 (ESV)
11 Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
God, through the prophet Jeremiah, was appalled that his people would forsake him for a false god. He called all the universe to be shocked and disgusted by this wickedness. They had not only forsaken him, the fountain of living waters, but then they turned and carved out their own cisterns (water storage tanks) which could not hold any water!!
When we turn from God to pursue sexual immorality, we are doing the exact same thing. Abandoning God’s GOOD design and plan for sexuality – his life-giving, joy-abounding design and plan – and trying to create our own version of sexuality that destroys our life and robs us of joy. And we aren’t talking about hypotheticals here… This not some academic exercise where we imagine what could be!! No, this is the reality we find ourselves in today.
Great damage has been done because of pursuing alternatives to God’s design for sexuality. Let’s briefly survey the wreckage:
- Selfish, degrading sexuality
- Being taught that the greatest goal in sexuality is achieving your own desires/ambitions; “it’s all about me! I want what I want.”
- Using one another for our own gain
- Destruction of relationships
- As people use one another and toss each other aside for the next conquest or partner
- Marriages on the rocks
- Unresolved conflict tearing homes apart
- Divorce and infidelity has become increasingly normalized in media and culture
- Open relationships aka polyamory and other abominations of relationships
- Robbed of joy/delight in this area
- These “alternatives” lead to despair, self-harm, and even suicide
- Kids growing up without truth and being led astray
- Entire generations believing lies
- Re: monogamous marriage – why limit myself to one partner?!
- Re: 1-man + 1-woman – why limit myself to one gender for my partners?!
- Entire generations believing lies
The damage done here has been great. Countless lives have been ruined by these lies. And yet, there is an even greater consequence of normalizing sexual immorality. We invite judgment and condemnation from our Creator into our lives. Listen to some of the words of warning that God issues in his word.
1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)
4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Revelation 21:8 (ESV)
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
These are eternally significant matters! Multiple writers of Scripture are consistent in their message of the dangers of forsaking God on this matter! There is incredible eternal danger in getting this wrong.
Perhaps you are here this morning and you have struggled with selfish sexuality in the past, or even the present. Maybe this introduction has you feeling guilty or condemned. Before we go any further, I want to point out to you that the hope of Christianity is the forgiveness of our sins through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The beauty of Christianity is that our God came down to rescue and redeem us from our sin and brokenness. He didn’t leave us stuck in condemnation; he made a way for us to be saved! And the beauty of faith in Jesus is that he promises, at that moment, to make us new creations, who are declared righteous with his righteousness, and he promises that we are no longer condemned by our sin. Don’t take my word for it, let me share it with you from the Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Romans 8:1 (ESV)
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
This is GOOD NEWS for sinners like us. And it is because of Jesus’ finished work that I have great hope for our study of the Song of Solomon.
I have hope that we will see life-giving changes in the beliefs and practices of individuals within our church and community as they cling to Jesus in faith and obedience. I have hope…
- That marriages will be strengthened and restored
- That kids will be taught the superiority and beauty of God’s way
- That restorative counseling/discipleship will take place as you’re equipped to help others
- That, starting here, an entire generation’s direction could be changed through the power of God’s Word
- That, personally, joy and life would be breathed back into you
- And that God will be brought much glory
When we forsake the false god of personal pleasure and unbiblical sexuality and return to the biblical ideals that our Creator gave us, then I have great hope for the good fruit he will produce in us. I pray that our study over the next 5 weeks will produce a beautiful transformation in you and your household.
With that being said, let’s turn our attention to the book itself.
Ushers + Bibles (page 323)
Today we are going to take a high-level overview of the entire book. In the following 4 weeks, we’ll dive deeper into the text, at the rate of 2 chapters per week. So, let’s get started. What do you need to know as you approach the Song of Solomon? There are two main points that I want to draw your attention to today as we survey the entire book… the first is…
- Song of Solomon is complex, yet beautiful
It is complex in that there are a variety of interpretative decisions that must be made as you read the book. As I was studying in preparation for this series, I was astounded by how many decisions needed to be made. Let me give you a quick run-through of some of the decisions that need to be made:
- Who is the author?
- Is it King Solomon or someone else?
- Who are the characters in the text?
- Identity of the man and woman
- How was SoS meant to be interpreted?
- As an allegory?
- Meaning it’s a written in such a way that it is really talking about a greater reality – God’s love for Israel or Christ’s love for his church.
- As a drama?
- With characters and a storyline that progresses
- As an allegory?
- As love poetry?
- That it is simply to be taken at face value as a love poem between two lovers
- Are they married/unmarried?
- Is there a progression from engagement to marriage in the book? Or are they already married?
The more I read and studied on these matters, the more comfortable I felt making decisions so I could teach the book to you in this series. However, I want to encourage you to also do your own study and wrestling with the text, not just take my word for it. The complexity of Song of Solomon makes it an engaging read. There is much to learn from what it contains.
Let me share with you the conclusions that I landed on and the positions from which I will be teaching this series:
- Author – frankly it is not clear whether it was wise King Solomon or another author.
Look at 1:1 with me. The very first verse of the book reads: “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.”
Now, when you read the rest of the verse, you might think “well that sounds like Solomon wrote it to me.” And you might be right. Many scholars have held that position over the years. However, there is also the possibility in the Hebrew that it means “which is to Solomon” or “of Solomon” – meaning it was written for him or in a manner like his wisdom writings. So, this possibility of translation, combined with the way Solomon is presented distantly and somewhat negatively in the book, may indicate that someone else penned this material.
At the end of the day, who authored it is not necessary information for learning from the book, so I won’t be emphasizing it much at all. It could have been King Solomon, or it could have been some other learned individual. So, let’s move on to the characters.
- Characters – Identity of the man/woman
Given that Solomon shows up in the text at least twice in distant or unfavorable light, I do not believe the male voice is Solomon, but rather a shepherd whom the woman loves.
Look with me at 3:6-11. This is Solomon appearing distant:
Song of Solomon 3:6–11 (ESV)
6 What is that coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh,
against terror by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a carriage
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, O daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
The woman is speaking about Solomon in a way that is much different from the rest of her speech. The language of desire and love are absent here as she describes Solomon coming for his own wedding day. Then look with me at 8:11-12 which is the other primary reference to Solomon in this whole text.
Song of Solomon 8:11–12 (ESV)
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he let out the vineyard to keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
Again, there is a level of distance between the woman and Solomon. She is not interested in her vineyard being associated with him. He can have his vineyard and she will have hers. As we get into the details of the text in future sermons, we will dig into whether there is also a possibility she is looking down upon Solomon for having 700 wives and 300 concubines.
I believe that the identity of the man in this love poem is a shepherd whom she loves. And she herself is a shepherdess. Look with me at some of the evidence for this:
Song of Solomon 1:5–8 (ESV)
She
5 I am very dark, but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not kept!
7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you pasture your flock,
where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your companions?
He
8 If you do not know,
O most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
Both the woman and the man are caring for flocks and working outdoors. She has a darker complexion because of her time in the sun and he invites her to find him by following the tracks of the flock. They both appear to be in the business of shepherding.
Now, on another note, throughout the Song there is a group of people who speak up or interact with the woman. This appears to be a group known as “the daughters of Jerusalem.” It’s figurative for the other ladies of the area.
Song of Solomon 5:8 (ESV)
8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
I am sick with love.
Those are the characters, let’s move to the interpretation. Is it allegorical? A drama? Or literal love poetry?
- Interpretation – Literal love poetry
My understanding of this Song is that it is a love song/poem capturing a back-and-forth interaction between the two lovers. While its plot is not quite developed enough as to be a drama, it does have cohesiveness and consistency to the interactions. I don’t believe it’s simply a bunch of unrelated short poems compiled together. This poem is intentional and meant to tell a particular story of a man and woman who are in love.
Because it is poetic, not everything is intended to be taken literally. Poetry uses figurative language and imagery to drive points home. You will hear a lot of evocative terms throughout the book (spices, gardens, vineyards, fruits, etc.,) Because it is poetry, we must read it differently than one of the Pauline epistles in the New Testament. This does not contain a series of commands for us to obey or implement. Poetry conveys a message, but differently than didactic/teaching literature. I’m sure we will all be stretched together as we study it! Lastly, let’s talk about the man and woman’s…
- Relational Status – married or unmarried?
From the very start of the poem, the couple’s interactions are incredibly sexually charged. The language appears to indicate very intimate relations early in the poem, which, given the priority in Scripture on sex within monogamous marriage, leads me to conclude that this couple is already married and expressing their intense desires for one another.
So those were the conclusions I arrived at as I studied the text. And boy was it challenging to wrap my brain around it. Which is why our first point was that Song of Solomon is complex, yet beautiful. There is so much going on in the text that, like a diamond, the more you study it from different angles, the more you appreciate its beauty. As you study Song of Solomon, powerful and beautiful lessons emerge.
For example, you learn that God affirms that it is good to express love/sexuality/desires/delight between two married lovers. We’ll talk a lot about that in the weeks ahead. And, as a sidebar, you should expect that I will be giving practical applications each week that you can use in your marriages, if that is your situation. If you are unmarried, please know that this material is also incredibly important for you. You may not apply it in a relationship today, but you need to know what God says on these topics, for discipling others and for the possibility of your own future if you pursue marriage.
Another lesson is that, in the grand picture of Scripture, Song of Solomon portrays a beautiful picture of biblical sexuality, which is between one man and one woman. It is a refreshing return to Genesis 2:25 where the man and woman were naked and not ashamed. Song of Solomon provides hope of what COULD BE in a marriage relationship, especially in a world broken by sin. It also gives us reason to rejoice in the beauty of God’s design and plan – that marriage between one man and one woman is God’s good design and is the only path of sexuality that leads to joy and true, lasting relational intimacy. These are beautiful lessons that emerge from studying this Song.
Finally, Song of Solomon helps us worship God. After all, he is our Creator who loves us with a far greater love than even two humans can experience in marriage. The broader message of the Bible is that marriage points us to a greater reality – Christ’s love for his church. While Song of Solomon is not explicitly about that message, in the greater context of the Bible, it does help us better understand how GREAT God’s love for his people must be!
If you’ve followed with me thus far, then hopefully you won’t be surprised by this next observation about Song of Solomon:
- God speaks powerfully and positively about sexuality
I mentioned earlier that some of us might be surprised to find such intimate topics in the Bible! For some, it may have been a bit shocking when you read the text in preparation for the sermon today. (You did do that right? Note the bottom of the bulletin.)
And yet, you wouldn’t be shocked if you were reading this in a magazine from the store. Why is that? We expect the world to speak about such matters… why don’t we expect God to address them too? After all, he is the Creator of it all! The language we’ll find in this writing is quite explicit, but it is promoting a powerful and positive message about biblical sexuality.
Now, I know we have 4th & 5th graders in here today. Parents, don’t be afraid to have your kids learn about this! The unbelieving world is already inundating them with their views. If you’re waiting past the age of 7-8 to talk about these matters to some degree, you’re already behind. Don’t be naïve. They need a biblical lens to interpret their world through!
This study and discussion is necessary for us, as the church, because too often we have fallen into one of two unhelpful, ungodly ditches:
- Ditch #1 – these topics are “TABOO”; “UNSPOKEN”; “BAD” (this ditch is primarily found in the church!)
- What kind of fruit does that produce?
- Generations of people who either view sex as yucky or bad, therefore entering into marriage with dysfunction and a view that is contrary to God’s Word OR
- Generations of people who assume God has nothing to say about it and become primarily influenced by culture’s thinking on it
- End result – God’s Word is left unknown and his people fail to obey/glorify him in this area! Perhaps even turning to sin.
- What kind of fruit does that produce?
- Ditch #2 – “EVERYTHING GOES”; “DO WHAT IS RIGHT IN YOUR OWN EYES” (this ditch is primarily found outside of the church but is eager to infiltrate individual lives)
- What kind of fruit does that produce?
- Generations of people enslaved to an idol of performance-based sex and selfishness (getting what I want);
- Leading to the plethora of pornography (where I am in control and get whatever I want) and casual hook-ups that we see today
- Leading to the exchange of natural relations for unnatural relations (Romans 1)
- What kind of fruit does that produce?
Romans 1:24–32 (ESV)
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
We are living in the outcome of Romans 1 in our day and age. “Everything goes” sexuality is all around us. And people are miserable in it. It has over-promised and under-delivered.
Thankfully, God provides a BETTER, more BEAUTIFUL way. He commends a positive and desirable view of sexuality and intimacy. Listen to a few snippets from this song:
Song of Solomon 1:1 (ESV)
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
It is the song of songs; this is a superlative meaning it is the best song. Think of the “Holy of Holies” – the most holy place. This song will give you an ideal picture of what sexuality and intimacy ought to be.
- Love is powerful and intoxicating
Song of Solomon 1:2 (ESV)
She
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
Song of Solomon 1:15 (ESV)
He
15 Behold, you are beautiful, my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.
Song of Solomon 3:1 (ESV)
3 On my bed by night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not.
Song of Solomon 4:9–10 (ESV)
9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
These are the words of lovers who are captivated by one another. Their desire for one another is incredibly strong and pulls them towards one another. They are enjoying the fruit of godly love.
- It is good to desire one another (and no one else)
Song of Solomon 5:10 (ESV)
She
10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
distinguished among ten thousand.
Song of Solomon 6:3a (ESV)
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
Song of Solomon 6:9a (ESV)
9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to her who bore her.
Song of Solomon 7:10 (ESV)
10 I am my beloved’s,
and his desire is for me.
There is an exclusivity to biblical sexuality. It is exclusively between one man and one woman in marriage. They are for one another only. And they view their spouse as the definition of beauty/handsomeness. In each of their eyes, there is no one comparable to their honey! We could learn a lot from this kind of dedication and cultivation of desire for our spouse.
- Cultivate the garden of marriage/intimacy
In the Song, there is a lot of imagery that is meant to convey the beauty and exotic nature of marriage and intimacy within marriage. Some of that imagery is in the form of a garden/vineyard. The couple can be seen cultivating or enjoying the fruits of their garden/vineyard, implying that they’ve intentionally worked to bring about a good harvest. Meaning they’ve invested in their relationship! Or, at another point, there is a call to action to protect the garden from intruders that might destroy it:
Song of Solomon 2:15 (ESV)
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”
Foxes love to dig and scavenge for their food. They will destroy a vineyard quickly without regard for its beauty. The point being – there are many threats to a marriage that must be caught and rooted out before they destroy the beauty of it. We’ll spend time discussing what those little foxes might be and how to catch them over the coming weeks.
- Do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases
A consistent refrain throughout the song is the warning to not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. Meaning do not arouse desires that cannot be righteously fulfilled in one another. There is a time and a place for this type of romance and intimacy – and it is within the confines of marriage. It is sinful to awaken passions and desires in a member of the opposite sex who is not your spouse. This is obviously a very counter-cultural message given how our culture encourages children and teens to engage in flirtation and sexual activity at increasingly younger ages. They have sought to normalize the erotic at all ages. As we’ve already spoken of earlier, sexuality pursued the world’s way only leads to destruction. It invites heartache, pains, despair, and it is sin against your Holy God, which invites judgment. It simply is not worth it!
Heed the lovers’ advice and act righteously towards others. Be aware of how your actions, speech, and even presentation of your body might affect others. This falls under the umbrella of “loving your neighbor” – consider how you can serve them by protecting them. This goes for both men and women!
As we heard earlier, there are incredibly devastating consequences of handling sexuality sinfully. However, when handled biblically, sexuality has the power to build up a marriage, a family, and a community for the glory of God. But,when handled poorly, it will destroy lives and relationships, God will be robbed of glory, and there is the possibility of missing the hope of heaven as we exchange God for a lie. This is no laughing matter. There is so much riding on the lessons we will learn in this series.
I hope you’re excited to go on this journey together! I’m eager to see what God will produce in each of us. I would encourage you to be praying fervently in the weeks ahead that God would produce a good harvest in each of us.
Let’s pray.