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| SONG OF SOLOMON THE SONG OF SOLOMON IS A LOVE SONG SET IN BLOSSOMING SPRINGTIME, ABOUNDING IN METAPHORS AND A PROFUSION OF ORIENTAL IMAGERY, EXHIBITING SOLOMON'S FONDNESS FOR NATURE, GARDENS, MEADOWS, VINEYARDS, ORCHARDS AND FLOCKS ( I KINGS 4:33 ~AND HE SPAKE OF TREES, FROM THE CEDAR TREE THAT IS IN LEBANON EVEN UNTO THE HYSSOP THAT SPRINGETH OUT OF THE WALL: HE SPAKE ALSO OF BEASTS, AND OF FOWL, AND OF CREEPING THINGS, AND OF FISHES.) IT IS CALLED THE SONG OF SONGS, POSSIBLY INDICATING THAT SOLOMON CONSIDERED IT THE CHOICEST OF ALL THE 1005 SONGS WHICH HE WROTE. ALSO CALLED CANTICLES. THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN TO CELEBRATE MARRIAGE TO HIS FAVORITE WIFE. THIS BOOK WAS PROBABLY WRITTEN EARLY IN SOLOMON'S REIGN. THE KEY PEOPLE ARE KING SOLOMON, THE SHULAMMITE WOMAN AND FRIENDS. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* SEX IS GOD'S GIFT TO HIS CREATURES. HE ENDORSES SEX BUT RESTRICTS ITS EXPRESSION TO THOSE COMMITTED TO EACH OTHER IN MARRIAGE. GOD WANTS SEX TO BE MOTIVATED BY LOVE AND COMMITMENT, NOT LUST. IT IS FOR MUTUAL PLEASURE, NOT SELFISH ENJOYMENT. AS THE RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED, THE BEAUTY AND WONDER OF A ROMANCE UNFOLDED BETWEEN SOLOMON AND HIS BRIDE. THE INTENSE POWER OF LOVE AFFECTED THE HEARTS, MINDS AND BODIES OF THE TWO LOVERS. BECAUSE LOVE IS SUCH A POWERFUL EXPRESSION OF FEELING AND COMMITMENT BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE, IT IS NOT TO BE REGARDED CASUALLY. WE ARE NOT TO MANIPULATE OTHERS INTO LOVING US, AND LOVE SHOULD NOT BE PREMATURELY ENCOURAGED IN A RELATIONSHIP. THE POWER OF LOVE REQUIRES MORE THAN THE LANGUAGE OF FEELING TO PROTECT IT. SEXUAL EXPRESSION IS SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR SELFHOOD THAT WE NEED THE BOUNDARY OF MARRIAGE TO SAFEGUARD OUR LOVE. MARRIAGE IS THE CELEBRATIONS OF DAILY COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER. WHILE ROMANCE KEEPS A MARRIAGE INTERESTING, COMMITMENT KEEPS ROMANCE FROM DWINDLING AWAY. THE DECISION TO COMMIT YOURSELF TO YOUR SPOUSE ALONE BEGINS AT THE MARRIAGE ALTAR. IT MUST BE MAINTAINED DAY BY DAY. THE TWO LOVERS PRAISE THE BEAUTY THEY SEE IN EACH OTHER. THE LANGUAGE THEY USE SHOWS THE SPONTANEITY AND MYSTERY OF LOVE. PRAISE SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO PHISICAL BEAUTY; BEAUTIFUL PERSONALITY AND MORAL PURITY SHOULD ALSO BE PRAISED. OUR LOVE FOR SOMEONE MAKES HIM OR HER APPEAR BEAUTIFUL TO US. AS YOU CONSIDER MARRIAGE, DON'T JUST LOOK FOR PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS IN A PERSON. LOOK FOR THE INNER QUALITIES THAT DON'T FADE WITH TIME.....SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT, INTEGRITY, SENSITIVITY, AND SINCERITY. OVER TIME, FEELINGS, OF LONELINESS, INDIFFERENCE, AND ISOLATION CAME BETWEEN SOLOMON AND HIS BRIDE. DURING THOSE TIMES, LOVE GREW COLD, AND BARRIERS WERE RAISED. THROUGH CAREFUL COMMUNICATION, LOVERS CAN BE RECONCILED, COMMITMENT CAN BE RENEWED, AND ROMANCE REFRESHED. DON'T LET WALLS COME BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PARTNER. TAKE CARE OF PROBLEMS WHILE THEY ARE STILL SMALL. THERE ARE EIGHT CHAPTERS IN THE SONG OF SOLOMON. IF YOU WERE TO BREAK EACH CHAPTER DOWN INTO SUBJECTS IT WOULD GO SOMETHING LIKE THIS: CHAPTER 1 ~ THE BRIDE'S LOVE FOR THE KING. MOSTLY WORDS OF HER OWN DEVOTION, WITH BRIEF REPLIES BY KING AND CHORUS. CHAPTER 2 ~ THE BRIDE'S DELIGHT IN THE KING'S LOVE. MOSTLY HER OWN WORDS, IN SOLILOQUY, ABOUT THE KING'S EMBRACES. CHAPTER 3: 1 -5 ~ THE BRIDE'S DREAM OF HER LOVER'S DISAPPEARANCE AND HER JOY AT FINDING HIM AGAIN.. CHAPTER 3: 6 - 11 ~ THE BRIDAL PROCESSION. GREETINGS, IN THE PALACE GARDEN, OF THE NUPTIAL CHARIOT, BY THE PALACE LADIES. CHAPTER 4 ~ THE KING ADORES HIS BRIDE. SHE REPLIES, INVITING HIM TO HER GARDEN OF MARITAL DELIGHTS. CHAPTER 5 ~ ANOTHER DREAM OF HER LOVER'S DISAPPEARANCE, FOLLOWING THEIR NUPTIAL UNION; AND HER DEVOTION TO HIM. CHAPTER 6 ~ THE SHULAMMITE THE LOVELIEST AMONG THE 140 BEAUTIES OF THE PALACE, AND SO RECOGNIZED BY THEM AND THE KING. CHAPTER 7 ~ THEIR MUTUAL DEVOTIONS, TOLD EACH TO THE OTHER IN A PROFUSION OF SPRING-SONG METAPHORS. CHAPTER 8 ~ THEIR LOVE UNQUENCHABLE, AND THEIR UNION INDISSOLUBLE; WORDS PARTLY OF BRIDE, AND PARTLY OF CHORUS. AS A POEM IT IS CONSIDERED BY SCHOLARS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE STRUCTURE OF HEBREW POETRY TO BE A SUPERB COMPOSITION. BUT ITS SUDDEN TRANSITION FROM SPEAKER TO SPEAKER, AND FROM PLACE TO PLACE, WITH NO EXPLANATION OF ITS SHIFTING SCENES AND ACTORS, MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. IN HEBREW THE CHANGE OF SPEAKERS IS INDICATED BY GENDER: IN SOME BIBLES, BY EXTRA SPACE. IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT THE SPEAKERS ARE: A BRIDE, CALLED SHULAMMITE (6:13): THE KING; AND A CHORUS OF PLACE LADIES CALLED, DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM. SOLOMON'S HAREM WAS AS YET SMALL, ONLY 60 WIVES AND 80 CONCUBINES, WITH INNUMERABLE VIRGINS ON THE WAITING LIST (6:8). IT AFTERWARD GREW TO INCLUDE 700 WIVES AND 300 CONCUBINES. A COMMON OPINION, AND PROBABLY THE BEST, IS THAT THE SHULAMMITE WAS ABISHAG, OF SHUNEM, THE FAIREST MAIDEN IN ALL THE LAND WHO ATTENDED DAVID IN HIS LAST DAYS, AND WHO, NO DOUBT, BECAME SOLOMON'S WIFE, FOR HER MARRIAGE TO ANOTHER MIGHT HAVE ENDANGERED HIS THRONE. ***HOW COULD A MAN WITH 1000 WOMEN HAVE A LOVE FOR ANY ONE OF THEM THAT WOULD BE FIT TO BE TYPICAL OF CHRIST'S LOVE FOR THE CHURCH?**** WELL, A NUMBER OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WERE POLYGAMISTS. EVEN THOUGH GOD'S LAW WAS AGAINST IT FROM THE BEGINNING, AS CHRIST SO PLAINLY STATED, YET IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES GOD SEEMED TO HAVE ACCOMMODATED HIMSELF, IN MEASURE, TO PREVAILING CUSTOMS. KINGS GENERALLY HAD MANY WIVES. IT WAS ON OF THE SIGNS OF ROYALTY, AND SOLOMON'S DEVOTION TO THIS LOVELY GIRL DID SEEM TO BE GENUINE AND PRODUCE THE MESSIAH. AND IT SEEMS NOT UNFITTING THAT HIS MARRIAGE SHOULD, IN A SENSE, PREFIGURE THE MESSIAH'S ETERNAL MARRIAGE TO HIS BRIDE. THE JOYS OF THIS SONG, WE THINK, WILL FIND THEIR CLIMAX IN THE HALLELUJAHS OF THE LAMB'S MARRIAGE SUPPER (REVELATION 19: 6-9) *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* NO GREATER LOVE In Solomon's day the Bible relates Of love and marriage and what it takes. The tradition and meanings are not quite the same In the days in which we live, it would be shame. But with the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, There have been many changes in daily life. True love is a wonderful and sacred affair, And true love in marriage has to be there. *~*~*~* As two become one, as we do with the SON Love and honor, trust and obey only one. Two people who unite together in love, Need a foundation that comes from above. The greatest love story that ever has been told, Was the love God gave to save our souls. He gave His only Son that we might live. No other love can be greater than His. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* POEM BY SHIRLEY BARR REFERENCES USED WITH PERMISSION WORLD'S BIBLE HANDBOOK COPYRIGHT 1991 BY ROBERT BOYD HALLEY'S BIBLE HANDBOOK COPYRIGHT 1962 BY ZONDERVAN COMPILED MAY 10 , 2005 |
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