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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries, Word
Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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SONG OF SOLOMON 6
COMMENTARY NOTES |
This is a work in progress - please use "as is"
or as they say in business "Caveat Emptor"! |
Solomon...
Song 5:1 "I have come into my garden, my sister, my
bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my
honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends;
Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers." |
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Tremper Longman writes that...
The Song serves an important canonical
function with its explicit language of love. Allegorization in early times
arose from the belief that such a subject was unsuitable for the Holy
Scriptures. The church and the synagogue had been influenced by foreign
philosophy (Neo-Platonism) to the point where bodily functions were seen in
opposition to the things of the Spirit and thus to be avoided. The same
attitudes and beliefs that motivated the monastic movement led to the
allegorization of the Song. The Song, however, stands against such attempts
and tells the church that sexuality within the context of marriage is
something God created for the pleasure of his human creatures. Thus, the
woman delights in the physical beauty of the man (Song 5:10-16) and vice
versa (Song 4:1-15), and this physical attraction culminates in passionate
lovemaking (Song 5:1-2). God endowed humans at creation with sexuality as a
blessing, not as a curse. (Song
of Solomon, Theology of - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical
Theology)
TODAY
IN THE WORD - While the church has always valued moral purity, at some
points in history it has felt ambivalent about marriage. Sex in particular,
even within the confines of marriage, has been an uncomfortable subject. As
early as the second century, some Christian leaders reacted against growing
worldliness in the church by urging believers to practice extreme forms of
asceticism. They even urged married believers to abstain from sex
altogether–or at least not to enjoy it too much.
This point of view was reflected in
the “desert fathers” of the second century, who chose to live a solitary and
ascetic lifestyle. They told the married believers who came to them for
spiritual counsel to live like celibate monks. Augustine taught that sexual
intercourse, even in marriage, should not be enjoyed for its own sake. He
believed that it was only for the propagation of mankind.
This stands in sharp contrast with today’s sex-obsessed culture. Wendy
Shalit, in her book entitled A Return to Modesty, noted that sex on many
college campuses today is so frequent and impersonal that the two partners
may as well be “two airplanes refueling.”
Both views–the aversion of some in the early church to sex within the
confines of marriage, and modern society’s casual approach to sex–are
equally unhealthy and unbiblical. The Song of Solomon does not portray
sexual pleasures in marriage as a necessary evil that must be suppressed or
endured. Instead, the bride and groom are encouraged to enjoy themselves
until they are satisfied (v. 1).
Procreation is certainly one of the obvious purposes of sex within marriage.
The first command to the human race recorded in Scripture was the command to
“be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen. 1:22). But as we see in the Song
of Solomon, enjoying sex in marriage is also important.
Every day we face a constant barrage of sexual images from films, television
programs, and magazines. Passion, however, is not the problem. Society’s
problem is not that it enjoys sex too much. The problem is that our culture
has removed the boundaries God set in place for sexual expression. His rules
are not intended to spoil our fun, but to protect us from the consequences
of unbridled passion. Those who choose to quench the fires of passion by
having sex outside the confines of the marriage relationship are destined to
get burned.
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Shulammite...
Song 5:2 "I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking: 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, My
dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the
damp of the night.'
3 "I have taken off my dress, How can I put it on again? I have washed my
feet, How can I dirty them again? |
| TODAY
IN THE WORD - Not long after they were married, Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert had an argument. Afterwards the prince left the room in anger,
went to his private quarters, and locked the door. Victoria followed him and
knocked loudly at the door demanding that he let her in. “Who’s there?”
Albert answered, knowing full well that it was his wife. “The queen of
England, and she demands to be admitted.” This went on for some time. Each
time Albert refused to admit her. At last, Victoria gave the door a soft
tap. “Who’s there?” the prince asked again. The queen gently replied, “Your
wife, Albert.” The prince opened the door and let her in.
The phrase “the honeymoon is over”
alludes to the fact that people who have been married awhile sometimes act
differently from those who are recently married. The same can be true in the
spiritual realm. Those who begin the Christian life with great zeal can grow
cold. In our verse for today, we see Jesus’ criticism of the church of
Ephesus because they had forsaken their first love.
In today’s reading the groom comes seeking the bride at what seems to be an
inopportune time. Her initial response is one of reluctance. When she
finally does open the door, she discovers that the moment has passed. Her
lover has departed.
According to noted Bible teacher H. A. Ironside, this is a good picture of
our insensitivity to divine love. “We have an idea that the beloved one
should be ready whenever we are for a time of gladness together, but it is
not always so,” he explains. “And so when He comes to the heart’s door we
practically say, 'No; it is inconvenient. I do not want to drop things right
now.’ ”
One of the ancient spiritual
disciplines of the church is a practice known as a “vigil.” A vigil is a
time of prayer, worship or fasting, often during the night. |
Shulammite...
Song 5:4 "My beloved extended his hand through
the opening, And my feelings were aroused for him.
5 "I arose to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my
fingers with liquid myrrh, On the handles of the bolt.
6 "I opened to my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and had gone! My
heart went out to him as he spoke. I searched for him, but I did not find
him; I called him, but he did not answer me.
7 "The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, They struck me and
wounded me; The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me. |
| TODAY
IN THE WORD - “God will not accept a divided heart,” D. L. Moody once
observed. “He must be absolute monarch. There is not room in your heart for
two thrones.” Because of this, God sometimes leads us through difficulties
that test our motives and enable us to develop an undivided heart.
This also happened to the bride in
Song of Solomon. After her initial reluctance, she finally responded to her
lover’s overtures. The delay was costly. Once her interest was aroused and
she opened the door to him, he could not be found. His absence sparked her
desire and motivated her to seek him with renewed passion.
The search, however, was not an easy one. She did not find him immediately,
and during her travels she encountered the city watchmen. They badly
mistreated her and stole her cloak, which some scholars suggest was a
wedding gift from her groom.
The bride’s experience is analogous to what happens to human relationships
and our relationship with God. In marriage, neglect inevitably leads to a
loss of intimacy. If we look for help from the wrong source, we may end up
bruised by the experience. Likewise, God sometimes uses the bumps and
bruises of life to show that only He can provide ultimate comfort. The
sufferings we experience drive us closer to Him.
Our verse for today captures this. The psalmist is thankful for his
affliction, but this doesn’t mean that he enjoyed suffering. Rather, he
learned to rejoice in the lessons he learned as a result of his suffering.
Think of a time when hardship or disappointment prompted you to renew your
determination to seek Christ. How did God use it to sift through your
motives and give you singleness of heart? Would you say that you feel the
same degree of devotion to Him today? If so, give thanks to God. If not,
give some thought to the steps you might need to take to seek Him with a
more fully devoted heart. When you are finished, write a love letter to
Jesus telling Him of your fresh resolve to follow after Him.
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Shulammite...
Song 5:8
"I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what
you will tell him: For I am lovesick."
Daughters of Jerusalem...
9 "What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What
kind of beloved is your beloved, That thus you adjure us?"
Shulammite...
10 "My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 "His head is like gold, pure gold; His locks are like clusters of dates,
And black as a raven.
12 "His eyes are like doves, Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk, And
reposed in their setting.
13 "His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, Banks of sweet-scented herbs; His
lips are lilies, Dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 "His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl; His abdomen is carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.
15 "His legs are pillars of alabaster Set on pedestals of pure gold; His
appearance is like Lebanon, Choice as the cedars.
16 "His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my
beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." |
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Tim Jackson alludes to the Song
of Solomon in his column "Answers to Tough Questions", specifically in his
discussion of the question is "What's the purpose of sex?"...
In the Song of Solomon, the husband's
description of his bride's body (Song of Solomon 4:1-15) and her description
of his (Song 5:10-16) reveals the joy of love and sexual intimacy that God
extols for a married couple. While sexual intimacy between a couple is not
to be observed by anyone outside of the relationship, God, the One who sees
and knows all, must smile with delight when He sees two of His children
enjoying the good gift of sex He has given to them. (What's
the purpose of sex - Answers to Tough Questions) TODAY
IN THE WORD - According to a story in the Christian Reader by Ida Pardue,
shortly before four-year-old Kathie was to serve as a flower girl in a
wedding, her mother told her: “The next time you see Kim, she’ll be
radiant.” During the wedding, Kathie watched the bride with a growing sense
of disappointment. When she couldn’t contain herself any longer, the little
girl went up to the bride, pulled at her gown to get her attention, and
demanded, “Kim, when are you going to glow?”
One of the highlights of any wedding is
the moment when the bride first appears. The music swells, the congregation
rises, and the groom looks down the aisle to see the one he loves dressed in
a “radiant” gown.
In today’s passage, it is the groom who is described as “radiant,” a Hebrew
word that literally means “dazzling.” Like David his father, Solomon is also
characterized as “ruddy.” This was a mark of physical attractiveness in
Solomon’s day (cf. 1 Sam. 16:12). The bride admires Solomon’s dark hair and
beautiful eyes, commenting on her beloved’s physical features from head to
toe.
Some commentators have interpreted this image of Christ in her description.
But we shouldn’t think of this as a picture of His physical appearance, or
we’ll miss the powerful imagery of Christ as our Bridegroom. Just as the
bride was overwhelmed when she saw the one she loved in his splendor, we too
will be overcome when we see Christ in His glory (Rev. 1:13–17).
What is the most beautiful sight you have ever witnessed? Perhaps it was a
beautiful sunset or waterfall that you saw while on vacation. It may have
been the look on someone’s face when they opened a special gift from you. Or
it may have been the moment when your spouse first came into view on the day
of your wedding. |
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