Song of Solomon

Below are four sentences. Tell me whether they come from the Word of God or from a romance novel.

1. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"
2. “My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.”
3. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”
4. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth-for your love is more delightful than wine.”

All four are from the Bible. They are John 3:16, Song of Solomon (SOS) 1:13, Eph. 2:8-9 and SOS 1:2.

Can you imagine a pastor beginning his sermon saying, “Our passage for today is Song of Solomon, chapter1, verse 13.” As he reads, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth-for your love is more delightful than wine.’ the young boys in the pews start to giggle, older women begin to fan themselves as if they are about to faint. Others have puzzled looks on their faces (more so than usual) and some members of the church board are thinking, “Where did he find this pastor, in a seminary or a bordello?”

I think you can see the problem we have with this book of the Bible. It reads more like a romance novel than Scripture.

So what are we to do with this book? Should it be rejected as part of Scripture? Should we read it as an allegory, a work not to be taken literally but one that contains a hidden meaning? Or do we simply ignore it?

But there’s a problem with allegorizing Scripture. It’s the same problem psychotherapists have when they try to seek out hidden meanings in dreams. No two therapists come up with the same interpretation. And the interpretations oftentimes tell more about the therapist than the patient. How would you interpret SOS 1:13 above? What does the sachet of myrrh between her breasts symbolize? Some speculate that the two breasts symbolized the church from which we feed or the two testaments, Old and New. One denomination views the SOS as representing the wedding between their church and Jesus Christ with the bride representing the Virgin Mary.

One church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) specifically rejects the Song of Solomon as inspired scripture. I guess they just gave up on it altogether.

To illustrate how reckless allegorizing Scripture is, the founder of the Christian Science Church, Mary Baker Eddy, interpreted the term the upper room as meaning being in a higher state of consciousness. So imagine when Jesus and his disciples were “in the upper room” and someone knocks on the front door. A servant answers and directs him upstairs. There they find Jesus and his disciples smoking marijuana. They have entered a higher state of consciousness. Was Peter sitting in the lotus position saying, “Wow, this is awesome.” Was Bartholomew having a bad trip lying in the fetal position crying?

There is a basic rule of interpretation that says, “If the plain truth makes sense, don’t look for any other sense or you will end up with nonsense.” The purpose of the Bible is to communicate. We should take what is written in the everyday sense rather than looking for hidden meaning.

Another weakness of the idea that the SOS is an allegory is that it is written as a narrative. It mentions specific people (Solomon) and cities, such as Jerusalem, Lebanon, etc. It’s not written as an allegory.

There is another difficulty in understanding this book. The Hebrew language itself has fewer words than modern English. The same Hebrew word can have more than one meaning. We have to look at the context to determine which meaning is meant. Then there are words used that are found only in the SOS, which also makes understanding the meaning more difficult.

We also have figures of speech we are not familiar with in the modern era. This is when you need a good Jewish commentary to understand expressions such as “a garden locked up,” a “sealed fountain” which, even a modern landscaper or plumber, wouldn’t understand.

Then there is the issue of the overall subject itself, passionate love. Here are two passages which might help us to feel a bit more comfortable with the subjects of love, marriage and sex.

Gen.1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” God carefully designed the male and female bodies, including the genitalia and declared in verse 31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was VERY good.”

Gen. 2:24-25, “For this reason man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”

Since God designed and created the anatomy and physiology of the human bodies and declared it all to be very good, we should be able to discuss this aspect of His creation without embarrassment or sense of shame.

The subject of love is found elsewhere in Scriptures. One example is Prov. 5:18-19 which says, “Rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love.”

The Song of Solomon is a poem written to extol the virtues of love between a husband (King Solomon) and his wife (the Shulamite) living together and loving each other. It does not view marriage as an inferior state, nor is it a concession to human weakness. Nor does it view physical love as something that is impure.

Solomon’s lover is called the Shunammite, a young maiden from the village of Shunem located in the tribal area of Issachar southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Shunem is about 58 miles or 93 km from Jerusalem. This might have been a retreat for the King where he could be just a regular guy, spending a few days incognito to rest from the duties of being king. The president of the U.S. has such a retreat called Camp David in Maryland, which is about the same distance from the White House (67 miles) as Shunem was from Jerusalem.

This Shunamite woman was not the only Shunammite mentioned in the Bible. In 1 Kings 1:1, when David was old and could not be kept warm, they found a beautiful young woman named Abishag, a Shunammite to lie with him to keep him warm. Sort of like a living hot water bottle. This practice, called shunamitism or gerocomy, was still practiced into the 18th century. May I suggest that if you are old and ill, don’t ask your doctor for a prescription for shunammite therapy. He probably wouldn’t know what you are talking about. Nor will your insurance pay for it. And, your spouse will certainly not approve of it. Stick with conventional medicine.

The word gerocomy is derived from the same root word from which we get the modern term geriatrics, which is the medical specialty of caring for the elderly.

Another Shunammite woman is see in 2 Kings chapters 4 and 8 where she gives birth to a son who dies and is raised from the dead by Elisha. She extended hospitality to Elisha and he in turn helped her reclaim her property after leaving the area due to a famine. She also baked him his favorite cookies and packed him a sack lunch when he left. Maybe not.

How did the young King of Israel meet this young woman shepherding sheep up by the Sea of Galilee? Solomon may have visited the area on a vacation from the city disguised as a shepherd when he first saw her in an adjacent field.

With nearly four pages of introduction, let’s get into the text.

SOS 1:1 These are reflections on their wedding day.

The poem begins with the woman's expression of her desire for her lover to come to take her to her wedding feast. Verse 1, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth-for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes. Verse 4, “Take me away with you . . . Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

She then describes her sun-tanned skin to the “tents of Kedar” and the "curtains of Solomon". Verse 5, “Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon.” Her skin was dark because she had to work in the vineyard (verse 6), but her own vineyard (her own beauty) was neglected. She eagerly awaits his coming and says that she doesn’t want to appear to be a “veiled woman” (a prostitute) going out to look for him (verse 7).

Every culture has its’ own standard for beauty. Some cultures pressure women to be as thin as possible, others see being heavy as a sign of wealth and healthy. Apparently being darker skinned was not thought to be a sign of beauty.

Reflections at the wedding feast

Verses 9-17, the couple seem to be competing with one another to see who can express praise for the other’s beauty the most. Solomon speaks, “I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh. Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.”

She replies, verse 13, “My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.” Myrrh is extracted from the Balsam tree and used to make perfumes. The Magi, if you recall, brought some of this to Jesus.

Reflections in the bridal chamber

The setting from Chapter 1:15 moves to the bridal chamber. He describes her eyes as the eyes of doves. She responds by telling him how handsome he is (verse 16).

She goes on to praise the beauty of the bedroom where the house is compared with cedars and the rafters or fir. Cedar trees were not native to Jerusalem but from the north in Galilee, the area of Shulamite’s home. How thoughtful of him to decorate the bridal chamber in this way. He seems to have done what he could to make her feel comfortable. I wonder if the King used the services of a professional decorator. If left to us guys, the bedroom would look more like a garage or World War 2 style army barracks.

Is there anything we might take away from these passages? Perhaps couples should take a bit more pride in their hygiene and appearance? Women have a greater sense of smell than men. Perhaps some men need to be more aware of this and kick their personal grooming routine up a notch, or two.

In Chapter two they continue to praise one another. Their beauty is compared with plant such as the rose or the lily of the valley, or even an apple tree. Solomon is described as an “apple tree among the trees of the forest.” In ancient times apples were used as an erotic symbol. I guess we should expect these comparisons since this was a culture where farming and ranching were common. If you used these expressions today, they might be viewed as insults.

In verse 7 she again cautions the younger girls not to “arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” In other words, don’t rush into an intimate relationship.

What can we take away from these passages? We should verbalize our love and appreciation of our spouses’ good traits.

Reflections on their courtship period.

There is a flashback beginning in verse 8 where the bride is reflecting on their courtship period. Solomon said to her, “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride . . . verse 9, “You have stolen my heart.”

In verse 15 there is an expression, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” Foxes were destructive to vineyards. As their love is blossoming, potential problems can arise. Here she is urging them to take preventative measures to safeguard their relationship. Samson, if you recall, used foxes to burn down the fields of the Philistines (Judges 15). In Neh. 4:3, the evil Tobiah mocks the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall, saying, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” Jesus referred to King Herod as a fox (Luke 13:32). A common “fox” that can hurt a relationship are in-laws who interfere with the couple. A job that takes one away from home too often and for too long can be a fox.

A Dream of Separation

Chapter 3 deals with a dream that she had, a dream of separation. She dreams that he has left her and so she goes out to search for him.

Verse 1, “All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves.”

When she finds him, she (verse 4) “held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the room of the one who conceived me.”

Another reflection on their wedding night

In verse 6 there is a description of Solomon coming for his bride in his fancy royal carriage. “Who is this coming up from the desert . . . perfumed with myrrh and incense.” There were sixty warriors providing security for the king (verse 7). Verses 9-10, “King Solomon made for himself the carriage. He made it of wood from Lebanon.” It had posts of silver on a base of gold. Its seats were upholstered with purple, etc. Now I don’t think he literally made it for himself in his wood shop. But he oversaw its design and construction.

By the way, this is the first mention of Solomon by name. It is the royal wedding procession coming for the bride and the daughters of Jerusalem are invited to come and watch.

I get the impression that when they met, he didn’t identify himself as King Solomon. Now that he has returned to marry her, he shows up in his royal carriage as King. Imagine meeting and falling in love with a poor country boy only to find that he was a wealthy king. He knew that he was loved for who he was, not for his wealth or position.

The Wedding Night

Chapter 4 describes their wedding night. As would be expected they go back and forth praising each other’s beauty from head to toe. Eyes are like those of doves, hair is like a flock of goats, teeth like shorn ewes. They made love “until the day breaks.” Verse 12 he says, “You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.” These expressions refer to her status as a virgin. Verse 15 describes the physiology of her arousal, “You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.”

In chapter five we have the consummation of the marriage. Verse 1, “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride.”

Adjustments in Marriage

Verse 2 begins another dream sequence. She is in bed when her lover knocks on the door, “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one.”

“My flawless one?” A pastor asked a young couple planning on marriage to describe some of the faults of the other. They both claimed that they saw none. The pastor said, “You don’t know each other well enough to get married.”

The wife responded to him in verse 3, “I have taken off my robe-must I put it on again? I have washed my feet- must I soil them again?” The guy was rejected and by the time she did go to open the door, he had departed (verse 6).

1 Cor 7:4-5 where he wrote, “The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourself to prayer.” This is one of those guidelines given in “kosher sex.”

The principle here is that withholding sexual satisfaction from your mate is forbidden in Scripture. In Ex. 21:10 Moses wrote, “he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.” The Jewish scholars have interpreted the term “marital rights” to mean that he is obliged to engage in regular sexual relations with her. This is part of what some Jews refer to as “Kosher sex.” No, I’m not making this up. Judaism is like many religions, over the years more traditions and rules are added to their sacred texts.

Knowing that she had made a mistake, she went out to look for him. She tells her girlfriends that if they see her love, tell him that “I am faint with love” (verse 8).

Eventually, she finds him working on his motorcycle in a friends’ garage. No, not really. Chapter 6:2, finds him in his garden. “My lover has gone down to his garden.”

In verses 4-9 they go back to their praising of one another’s beauty. Verse 7, “Your temples behind your veil are like the halve of a pomegranate.” Huh? She might be thinking, “What is he talking about? Has he been drinking again?”

I think we can take from this passage that if one desires intimacy, it shouldn’t be denied by the other or one might leave for his garden or into the arms of another.

In verse 12, the explanatory note in my study Bible describes this verse as “the most obscure verse in the Song.” And that’s saying something.

In this passage the couple heads down to a grove of trees, perhaps a place that lovers might go, and it was there that she would do a “dance of Mahanaim.” Mahanaim is the location to which David fled from his son Absalom (2 Sam. 17:24), and where Jacob wrestled with God (Gen. 32:24-29). The “dance of Mahanaim” is thought to be an erotic dance that she performed. As you move onto chapter 7, they express their love for one another.

In verse 11, she wants to visit her country home, suggesting to Solomon, “come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. . . there I will give you my love” (verse 12).

Verse 13 mentions the mandrakes, which were thought to be an aphrodisiac. Though from the descriptions of their love making, I don’t think they need any assistance in this area.

The woman has every right to take the initiative in love making. This passage also suggests that a change of scenery can enhance their love making.

Renewal of the Love Covenant

Chapter 8:5-7, is a renewal of their love commitment.

Verses 4, a visit to her country home followed by cautioning the younger women to not get romantically involved too soon, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires”.

Verse 6, “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.”

Again, there are thought concerning the younger girls in verse 8, “We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for?” The answer, in poetic language, is that they will protect her purity until she is ready for marriage.

Some closing thoughts. Why is this book even in the Bible?

We know that God created us male and female with the capacity to enjoy sex. He created marriage, where two flawed individuals each with their own strengths, weaknesses, needs, etc. There is going to be conflict and the need to compromise and make adjustments to things that we can’t change. The SOS can help make a marriage more like He would want it to be, more of a source of blessing than regret.

We can learn from this book the need for purity before marriage. The need to praise, rather than criticize each other, look for and express appreciation for each other’s strengths. Paul wrote in Phil. 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

When making love, SOS tells us to take the time necessary to meet the other’s needs in an atmosphere that is conducive to enhancing pleasure. We should “catch the little foxes” or deal with the issues that might slowly tear away at the relationship. We should place a seal over our hearts (be committed to each other) and try to break away from the routine when you are intimate.

Many marriages are not what the couple hoped they would be. Perhaps reflecting on the SOS can help. Below are some passages that deal with marriage that I reviewed in our Marriage Workshop in Tanzania.

MARRIAGE AND THE BIBLE

Gen. 2:24, "For this reason a man will LEAVE his father and mother and UNITED to his wife, and they shall be one."

Sometimes the in-laws try to interfere and run the lives of their married children. This is unfortunate. It is sometimes better for married couples to not live so close to overbearing in-laws. Once you are married, your primary responsibility is pleasing your spouse, not your parents or in-laws.

Eph. 5:21, "Submit to one another." Marriage removes our right to think only our own wants; it requires us to become more and more selfless. Submission is mutual; both partners have to give and take to make the relationship work.

Eph. 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

In Biblical Hebrew, the word love is a verb. It is not always something that you feel, but the way you act towards someone. It also means "to be loyal to."

Notice that this is a command to love your wives, not just when she is lovable and you feel like loving her, but always. Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for her, even when the church was not always lovable. We are to love our wives in spite of our feelings. We are to do what is right, perhaps, in time, our hearts will catch up with our actions. Sometimes we do things because it is the right thing to do, not just because we felt like it. The Bible says, "Love who you marry," the world says "marry who you love." Marriage actually removes the freedom that we had to think and act as an independent person.

Phil 2:4, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others (including your spouse)."

Ecc. 5:4, "When you make a vow to God (including your wedding vows) do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow." It is useful to renew your marriage vows to remind you of what you promised.

I Peter 4:8, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." Love covers sins, the faults and foibles of your spouse are not to be thrown in his or her face. Forgiveness and forgetfulness are important in any relationship, especially one as close as marriage.

Here are some questions for discussion.

Do you think that Jesus would have been a good husband?

Gal. 5:22-23 lists the “fruit of the Spirit” which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Do you think Jesus would have an abundance of this fruit in his life? Do you think he would be a terrific husband and father?

If these traits are those found in a mature Christian, then can you say, if you want to be a better husband/wife, become a more mature Christian? Is Christian maturity a key to a better marriage? If so, then if you read Rom.12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind.”

How do you transform you mind, or the way you think? You do that, in part by reading the mind of God or the Bible.

There’s a lot to think about here.