Traditional wedding celebrations in the Middle East cast the bride and groom in the roles of a king and his queen. The festivities include love songs and also special songs that praise the physical beauty of the bride or the handsomeness of the groom. The custom has a long history and is reflected in the anthology of wedding songs we know as the Song of Songs. The individual songs may have been used repeatedly in marriage celebrations and eventually gathered together, just as the psalms were collected after years of use in worship. The title Solomon’s Song of Songs can be taken to mean that King Solomon, a renowned composer (see 1 Kings 4:29-34), was the author of its songs. However, it could also be a reference to Solomon as the kind of glorious king the groom represents.
The songs are arranged to tell the courtship story of a man and woman, of their marriage (described as a royal wedding) and its consummation, and of the beginning of their new life together. After a short introduction the book presents six episodes, each typically ending with a reference to the friends of the man and woman. This may refer to others attending the wedding to join in the celebration. Together the songs celebrate the delights of married love and the beauty of the human body, using vivid imagery from the natural world to show that these things are part of the creation that God declared very good.
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.
REFLECTION:
This chapter begins with the love song between two lovers. What sense do you get from this passage about how the “Beloved” and the “Lover” regard one another? From the images they used to describe each other, what do they reveal about their relationship?
What fears and insecurities does the Beloved feel (vv3-4, 5-7)? How does the Lover reassure her (vv9-11)?
This demonstrates a wonderful way to celebrate God’s good gift of sexuality to us. The entire book of Song of Solomon is a beautiful description of young lovers taking great joy in each other. Take some time writing down or telling your spouse how you delight in and appreciate him or her.
Reflect on your own sexuality and how you respond to this picture of passionate physical love. Talk to God about how you are feeling.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, …
7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity…
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
REFLECTION:
Ecclesiastes tells us: Without the spirit given by God, our body is nothing but dust; without God’s will, our work will be useless; without God’s love, our ministry will be in vain. We must put God first in everything we do and keep God as the center, because without God there is nothing. A God-centered life is bound to be fulfilling. Even when the “evil days” come, that is, when one cannot enjoy life due to disability or illness in old age, there is still satisfaction because of the hope of eternal life. Young age is beautiful, but if young people just enjoy the pleasure of a moment and abandon things of eternal value, the vitality of youth can also become an obstacle to getting close to God. Consecrate yourself to God while you are still young and strong. Don’t waste your youth on evil and vain activities, and fall into bad habits that make you insensitive. Start trying to seek God now!
In the conclusion of the book, Solomon once again warned those who have lost their purpose and direction in life to fear God and obey God’s commandments; to exhort those who believe that life is full of injustices, and remember that God will examine our life. We admit that the world is full of evil, ignorance, and unfairness, but we still have to live our lives with a positive attitude and have strong faith in God. Everyone will stand before God’s judgment seat and be judged for what we have done in our life. We cannot use the ups and downs of life as an excuse for living a frivolous or passive life. To live an upright life, we must (1) admit that all human efforts are futile if we leave God; (2) put God in the first place now; (3) receive the good and perfect gifts from God; (4) know that God will judge all good and evil.
PRAYER:
Pray to God for your relatives and friends who have lost their direction in life. Ask God to work through you so that they can know God and reorganize their life direction, seek the value of God’s kingdom, and receive the blessing of eternal life. Ask God to give you the heart to love your neighbour as yourself, willing to sacrifice yourself and be a precious vessel of God in preaching the gospel of repentance.
HYMN:
My Worth Is Not In What I Own – https://youtu.be/05jKxv8ApuI
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
REFLECTION:
These two short verses teach us a very important truth: what we do when we are young has a profound impact on our lives. If you are young, you must be especially cautious not to make mistakes that endanger your life. This is as Solomon taught in Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” What you do when you are young will definitely affect your future. You can enjoy your life, but don’t do things that will harm your body, morals, and spirituality and prevent you from enjoying your old age. For brothers and sisters who are no longer young, we do not need to be annoyed though past mistakes cannot be reversed. At any time, we can seek forgiveness from God through repentance, because God is a God of mercy and He will not despise a broken and contrite heart. We should forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal, and thence live a holy life that walks with God.
PRAYER:
Pray to God for the young people in your home and church, and for yourself, to protect the hearts of young people from being tempted by the vanity, pleasure, and prosperity of the world. Pray that God will remove our desires of the flesh and our desires of the eyes and pride of life, that we may share His holiness, and will confidently give an account of ourselves to God on the judgement day.
HYMN:
Lord Prepare Me To Be A Sanctuary – https://youtu.be/LVKHqq6uoMM
