The Song of Songs: This Veiled Book Holds Great Surprises (Song of Songs 2-8)
Do you dread when something is read from the Song of Songs? It can be quite awkward, depending on the situation! Though it seems it is the least talked about book, it is still a part of the Bible for a reason.
The Song of Songs wraps up what is referred to as the Wisdom Books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Songs. It is best to understand our viewpoint in light of this association.
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The wisdom books…
Each book has a distinctive character.
Proverbs consists of long poems dealing with moral conduct, which introduce collections of aphorisms reflecting on the experiences of life.
The Book of Job is a literary presentation of the problem of the suffering of the innocent and God-fearing Job.
Psalms, the book of prayer par excellence, derives from varied origins, especially liturgical celebrations; it contains personal cries of agony as well as of praise and thanksgiving. Some betray a wisdom influence, and the very first Psalm serves as an invitation to learn about the ways of the just and wicked in the rest of the psalter.
Ecclesiastes examines the hard questions of life, and has become famous for the expressive phrase “vanity of vanities.”
The Song of Songs is a collection of poems that give meaning to human and divine love.
Biblegateway.com, in part
By the time we get to The Song of Songs in the Bible, we have already read about Creation, God’s intention for marriage, how the Israelites came to be a nation, how their struggles are so similar to ours (unbelief, untrusting, etc.), the importance of relying on the sovereignty of God in all situations (Job), the importance of praising God and understanding His worthiness of such never changes (Psalms), moral and wise advice for our day-to-day walks (Proverbs), and a healthy dose of reality regarding our one life on earth (Ecclesiastes).
Then The Song of Songs comes along seemingly unrelated.
In light of the covenant…
Marriages are often represented in the Bible as real-world imagery for us to understand the relationship between Jesus and the Church. It is depicted as a marriage because a covenant is involved.
The covenant [God makes] is mutual, and it binds to obedience both ways.
(1.) That we may perform our part of the covenant, and answer the intentions of that (Deuteronomy 26:17)…. Now this obliges us, in fidelity to our word, as well as in duty to our Sovereign, to keep His statutes and His commandments. We really … violate the most sacred engagements, if, when we have taken the Lord to be our God, we do not make conscience of obeying His commands.
(2.) That God’s part of the covenant also may be made good, and the intentions of that answered (Deuteronomy 25:18, 26:19). The Lord has avouched, not only taken, but publicly owned thee to be … His peculiar people, as He has promised thee, that is, according to the true intent and meaning of the promise….
The greatest honour we are capable of in this world is to be taken into covenant with God, and to live in His service.
Matthew Henry’s Complete Bible Commentary, in part
A marriage covenant is held in high regard as it represents a picture of something greater. It is no small matter to marry nor to divorce… and neither are to be entered into lightly.
The Song of Songs contrasts with the long-held view that the Song is an allegory of the love relationship between God and Israel, or between Christ and the church, or between Christ and the soul.
NIV Study Bible
What is marriage?
God granted a special gift for marriage. Defining what Biblical marriage is helps us understand this gift.
One man, one woman. This is the Biblically ordained model for marriage and not exactly popular in today's culture. This is really important: we need to formulate our viewpoint on worldly issues from the stance the Bible takes, not… Share on XTherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
One man, one woman. This is the Biblically ordained model for marriage and not exactly popular in today’s culture. This is really important: we need to formulate our viewpoint on worldly issues from the stance the Bible takes, not the other way around. This verse is backed up throughout the entirety of the Bible and does not change in meaning or because of the times.
This verse established marriage as the coming together of a man and woman by leaving their families to become their own family unit… keep in mind, this was before parents were ever a thing on this earth… Adam and Eve had not even become parents at this point. God’s standard for marriage was part of Creation.
A gift for marriages…
God gifted, ahem, intimacy, and directed it toward being a healthy part of marriage. Yes, sin enters in and can taint what was intended to be good. However, this was designed as a gift. And when the Bible talks about the sins of the nations or the churches, it most often represents a perversion of this gift (through use of it outside of the Biblical marriage design).
The Song of Songs is a collection of poems that explores a healthy romantic love in an ideal marriage, cleaving together as one flesh.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.
The Song of Songs 8:6
Culturally, a seal meant something was precious to its owner and as personal as their name (NIV Study Bible, paraphrased).
[The feminine voice here] hints, without saying so explicitly, that it is a gift of the Lord to man.
God intends that such love–grossly distorted and abused by both ancient and modern people–be a normal part of marital life in His good creation.
NIV Study Bible
A surprising gift for us to look forward to as single people, relish while in marriage, and remember fondly when a spouse passes. This is also a gift for us, and we ought to look forward with a similar anticipation for the gifts God has blessed us with through our ‘marriage’ with Jesus.
A motto that should hold fast to every area in our lives… why not grab a daily reminder to boast of Our King!
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Good teaching on this.
An under- appreciated portion of scripture!
Thanks!