4/30/2021 – Day 348 – Song of Solomon – In this book: “There are shallows in which a lamb may wade and there are depths in which an elephant may swim.” (sometimes even in the same passage)
Referencing my title, Matthew Henry comments that: “It requires some pains to find out the meaning of the Holy Spirit in the several parts of the book.”
I will make one overall short and concise summary observation: We could be playing multi-dimensional chess here. How so? The highest level of God’s intent is to cover the love between Yeshua the Christ and his bride, the remnant church. But at a lower subordinate level, it is in fact a steamy story of love and passion between a husband and a wife. And God created us in His image, and I would add that He designed the family patterned on the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So that, the strongest of marriages put God first at the center of the relationship. God created us as sexual beings. That essence will not change I expect even though there isn’t physical sex as we know it in heaven. When we think of it in this light, it makes the mortal sins of fornication and adultery all the more grievous , and appropriately so.
Since last week in our first reading I gave a testimony from Brennan Manning, I am going to borrow exclusively from Brennan Manning to 1) give us a sublime and pithy overview of the book, and 2) a summary of chapters 3 and 4, starting with who are the voices in the passage, a good start , no?
Let me share with you Matthew’s summary of this book:
“In our belief both of the divine extraction of the spiritual exposition of this book we are confirmed by the concurring testimony both of the church and the Jews, and of the Christian church. The Song of Solomon is very unlike the songs of his father David; there is no the name of God in it; it is never quoted in the New Testament; we find no expressions of natural religion or pious devotion, nor any of the marks of immediate revelation. It seems as hard as any part of scripture to be made a savour of life unto life, and those who come to reading of it with carnal minds and corrupt affections, it is in danger of being made a savour unto death unto death; and therefore the Jewish doctors advised their young people not to read it till they were thirty years old, lest by the abuse of that which is more pure and sacred, the flames of lust should be kindled. But, on the other hand, with ray of heavenly light , admirably fitted to exite pious and devout affections in holy souls, and improve their acquitance and communion with God. It is an allegory, the letter of which kills those who look no further, but the spirit of which gives life. It is a parable which makes divine things more difficult to those who do not love them, but more plain and pleasant to those who do.
Experienced Christians find a counterpart in their experiences, and to them it is intelligible. It is an Epithalamium, or nuptual song, werein, by the expression of love between a bridegroom and his bride, are set forth and illustrated the mutual affections that pass between God and a remnant of mankind. It is a pastoral; the bride and the bridegroom are brought in as a shepherd and his shepherdess. 1. This betrothed the people of of Israel to himself; he entered into covenant with them, and it was a marriage-covenant.He had given abundant proofs of his love to them, and required of them that they should love Him with all their heart and soul. Idolatry was often spoken as spiritual adultery , to prevent which this song was penned. 2) it may be more easily taken in spiritual sense by the Christian church, because the condescensions and communication of divine love appear more rich and free under the gospel than they do under the law, and the communion between heaven and earth more familiar. God sometimes spoke of Himself as the husband of the Jewish church (Isaiah 54:5, Hosea 2: 16, 19), and rejoiced in it as his bride, Isaiah 62: 4,5. But more frequently is Christ represented as the bridegroom of his church (Matthew 25:1, Romans 7:4, Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:32) and the church as the bride, the Lamb’s wife, Revelation 19:7, 21:2,9. The best key to this book is the 45th Psalm, which we find applied to Christ in the New Testament….” (Reading assignment recommendation!)”
And here is Matthew Henry’s concise summaries of Chapters three and four , our reading today:
“Chapter 3: In this chapter, I. The church gives an account of a sore trial wherewith she was exercised through the withdrawing of her beloved from her, verses 1 – 5. II. The daughters of Jerusalem admire the excellence, verse 6, III. The church admires Jesus Christ under the person of Solomon, his bed, and the life guards about it. (verses 7, 8), his chariot, verses 9, 10, 11.
Chapter 4: In this chapter, I. Jesus Christ, having espoused his church to himself (chapter 3, 11), highly commends her beauty, verses 1-5, and again, verse 7. II. He retires himself, and invites her with him , from the mountains of terror to those of delight, verses 6, 8. III. He professes his love to her, verses 9 – 14. IV. She ascribes all she had that was valuable to her to him, verses 15, 16.
Soli Deo Gloria!