#950 Song of Solomon 1 & 2 First Love

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

The Bride Confesses Her Love

She

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!

For your love is better than wine;

3 your anointing oils are fragrant;

your name is oil poured out;

therefore virgins love you.

4 Draw me after you; let us run.

The king has brought me into his chambers.

Others

We will exult and rejoice in you;

we will extol your love more than wine;

rightly do they love you.

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?

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

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.

9 I compare you, my love,

to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.

10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,

your neck with strings of jewels.

Others

11 We will make for you ornaments of gold,

studded with silver.

She

12 While the king was on his couch,

my nard gave forth its fragrance.

13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh

that lies between my breasts.

14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms

in the vineyards of Engedi.

He

15 Behold, you are beautiful, my love;

behold, you are beautiful;

your eyes are doves.

She

16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful.

Our couch is green;

17 the beams of our house are cedar;

our rafters are pine. Song of Solomon 1 ESV

I am a rose of Sharon,

a lily of the valleys.

He

2 As a lily among brambles,

so is my love among the young women.

She

3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my beloved among the young men.

With great delight I sat in his shadow,

and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banqueting house,

and his banner over me was love.

5 Sustain me with raisins;

refresh me with apples,

for I am sick with love.

6 His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embraces me!

7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles or the does of the field,

that you not stir up or awaken love

until it pleases.

The Bride Adores Her Beloved

8 The voice of my beloved!

Behold, he comes,

leaping over the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Behold, there he stands

behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

looking through the lattice.

10 My beloved speaks and says to me:

“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,

and come away,

11 for behold, the winter is past;

the rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove

is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree ripens its figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

Arise, my love, my beautiful one,

and come away.

14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

in the crannies of the cliff,

let me see your face,

let me hear your voice,

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely.

15 Catch the foxes for us,

the little foxes

that spoil the vineyards,

for our vineyards are in blossom.”

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;

he grazes among the lilies.

17 Until the day breathes

and the shadows flee,

turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle

or a young stag on cleft mountains. Song of Solomon 2

Song of Solomon 1 & 2

“There are those who treat this Book as a song of human love. There are those who consider its only value is that of its mystical suggestiveness. Personally, I believe that both values are here.” (Morgan)

I must admit, I have never spent much time in this book, only a surface reading, but it is in the Old Testament, and I believe because it is in the Word of God, that every word must be precious. It is rather daunting to know that Spurgeon preached some 59 sermons on this book; it is, after all, only 8 chapters long. I must also admit that it has always seemed, or I should say, been treated by me more as an opening act to Isaiah. Isaiah was a pivotal book for me, and a large influence upon my view of Sola Scriptura, but there have been times when the opening act has amazed me. Lord, give me understanding. 

1-4 The Song of Songs which is Solomon's - He composed some 1005 songs, of which this is the pinnacle, song of songs. It is referred to by some older Jewish writers as the Holy of Holies. It is 8 chapters long but it is all the same song, yet too long to do in one post. I will put two chapters in each so they are not overly separated.

…31 He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations. 32 Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.… 1 Kings 4: 31-33

So, I think it may be important, since God picked Solomon to write this, that we know some things about him first. He was a king of Israel, after his father, a prince, but chosen by God to rule and build his temple. His father David was a shepherd, who God developed into a mighty warrior and respected king. Solomon was the second son of David's union with Bathsheba, a woman that David took from another man, who he also sent to be killed. Their first offspring was taken from them by God. Solomon asked God for wisdom and it was granted to him, but he did not always act upon God's wisdom. He also had a harem that most rock stars would envy, some 700 wives and 300 concubines. His kingdom would cause billionaires and tyrants to drool, but over and over again, in Ecclesiastes, he considers all these things chasing the wind, vanity of vanities. 

1 The bride confesses her love - I think this is about Solomon's first wife, and this makes sense when taken with God's counsel on marriage. This gives some feeling of lament as well, when we consider Ecclesiastes, the beauty of this song, and Solomon stepping outside the walls of such a garden for the lures of this world.

…8 Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head. 9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life which has been given to you under the sun— all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun. 10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.… Ecclesiastes 9: 8-10

…13 And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. 14 Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.… Malachi 2: 13-15

2-4 She is attracted to her husband physically, but the love is steeped in deep respect and reality. His love is better than wine which gladdens the heart. His love is valuable, and this is known because he is respected not just by her, but his name is also a good one, like oil poured out. Solomon was known abroad for his wisdom, and we admit at times that love is blind, but a wise woman would check that this is not mere fancy, not just feelings, is he truly a good man? Would my parents consider him just, a man of integrity, kind? If you want to marry one of my daughters then you have to know that I would give my life for theirs, are you willing to do that? The others in verse 4 seem to be her ladies in waiting, girlfriends, a choir that affirms the beauty of their relationship, "rightly do they love you."

5-7 She is very dark because the sun has kissed her. This is in contrast to someone born in aristocracy, like Ruth she works outside. I have known people from more caste like systems that carry umbrellas and wear long gloves in order to keep their skin pale. They viewed being an outdoor worker as lower, not a part of high society where they were trying to fit in, and which became the model of high fashion. America has seen it's fair share of these times, when women wore corsets, bled themselves, powdered themselves as some ideal, but now they have tanning beds to look like those who naturally gain this from playing or working outside. She is called the Shulamite, which many commentators believe means that she came from a place in lower Galilee called Shunem. Her brothers, does not mention her father, put her to work in the vineyards. The tents of Kedar, these were Bedouin tents of black hair. Vineyards were a part of Solomon's many business pursuits as well as livestock; perhaps her family tended these, since she mentions, "my own vineyard I have not kept." There is an economic distinction.

…4 I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.… Ecclesiastes 2: 4-6

She ask Solomon where he pastures his flock, for she is his wife, which in her mind, should grant her access to the one her soul loves. There is friendship here as well, they are one now, so why should she veil herself as an outsider; she seeks what should belong to her. Above her there should only be God. Now there is also and always, in a fallen world, that influence of culture and sin which must be kept at bay by God's design and intent, His grace made known to us through His word. She is not nor does she desire to be, a queen in the predicament of Esther, who must fear the worst when she comes uninvited. She would like to always be invited, loved, esteemed, cherished by the one she holds so dear. 

…23 And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.… Genesis 2: 23-25

…24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her 26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,… Ephesians 5: 24-26

8-11 She is reassured that to him she is the most beautiful among women. The other orators, singers, will make her ornaments.

12-14 Nard, also Spikenard , a very expensive perfume oil from the East.

Chapter 2

1-2 It seems a building confidence in her worth, one of the plentiful flowers, as she describes herself, yet still humble. His estimation of her reduces the other flowers (girls) to but thorns; she is that much preferred. Some have allegorically interpreted most of the Song of Solomon, and I remember songs that were sung in my youth that referred to Jesus as the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, but that interpretation does not fit well here. 

…26 So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!… Luke 12: 26-28

According to Trapp, the Septuagint translates rose of Sharon as flower of the field. We do know that the rose of Sharon describes not a proper rose, but a flower found in the Sharon, the low coastal plain stretching south from Mount Carmel in the northern part of Israel. The word translated rose here actually means “to form bulbs.” Some think it refers to the bulb-like fruit produced by a rose bush, the rose hips. Yet according to Carr, “The general consensus is that the plant described here is one of the bulb family. Crocus, narcissus, iris, daffodil are the usual candidates.”

 3-7 She goes on to describe Solomon as an apple tree, a tree fruit, sustenance, refreshment in a forest of  ordinary trees. When I lived in the mountains there were many Locust, oak and pine, but on occasion you would come across a persimmon tree, or wild grapes. His banner over me is love; this is my love, and he has made it known most unashamedly. Love sick:

According to Dr. Jeffrey Schloss, there is a brain hormone that mediates the feeling of being in love or being infatuated. One of these neurotransmitters is known as phenethylamine, and it floods our brain when we fall in love (it is also in fairly high quantities in chocolate). This chemical gives us feelings of exhilaration and thrill and well-being, and in high amounts can lead to a loss of appetite. This chemical works somewhat in a cycle, at least in a relationship. At the beginning of the relationship it spikes up; after four or five years it begins to decline. Across cultures there is spike in the rate of divorce at about 4.5 years of marriage.

ii. This leads some scientists to say that we are made for monogamy, but only in the sense of one partner at a time, and then changing partners every five years or so. Yet Dr. Schloss says that we know this is not true. In the brain there are completely different pathways, with completely different chemical mediators. These begin to form at about the four-year point in a relationship, and they contribute to different feelings. Instead of feelings of thrill and “I can’t eat,” they are feelings of deep contentment and gratitude. One of the chemicals that mediates these feeling is oxytocin, which is the same chemical related to the bonding of a mother together with her infant.

iii. Some suggest that relationships have two major phases: attraction and attachment. The attraction phase is powerful, and the kind of condition that makes one say, “I am lovesick.” Yet the key to a long-term fulfilling relationship is staying with it past the attraction phase into the attachment phase. There are some counselors who devote almost their entire counseling practice trying to help what they call “love junkies”; people who are so addicted to the phenethylamine phase that they bounce from relationship rush to relationship rush without ever really coming into a greater, longer lasting relationship fulfillment.

iv. One could say that we are engineered for the longer lasting attachment phase, and the attraction phase is meant to be a portal into the attachment phase, and not something unto itself. The good news is that as a relationship moves into the attachment phase, the attraction phase recycles, and long-married couples often experience the sense of falling in love all over again – several times through their marriage.

v. This is why it is sometimes – or often – unwise to rush ahead in a relationship when it is still in the “I am lovesick,” attraction and phenethylamine phase. Adam Clarke observed of the lovesick person: “But while we admit such a person’s sincerity, who can help questioning his judgment?”

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’ Revelation 2: 1-7

8-17 She is the speaker again in this marvelous dream. It seems that what is important for him to say or do, she expresses. This is her ideal that he comes to find her, wants to spend this time with her; he does not feel under obligation but rather love and desire. 

I am going to include a link at the end of each of my 4 blogs on this book. Please read, it is sad how some have interpreted this passage. I am not a preacher myself. I am going through the Bible, studying, and sharing my thoughts, but we must be careful to look for the Author's intent rather than forcing our will or cultural preferences upon God's word. J Mac, as usual, states it well.

The rape of Solomon's song