The Song of Songs

The transcription is discussing the book of poetry called Wisdom Literature of the Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon. The interpretation of the book is debated, with no consensus on the meaning. The book is a love story, but it is unclear whether the groom is Solomon or a shepherd boy. The book mentions three main characters: the future bride, the male (either Solomon or a shepherd), and a group of ladies called the daughters of Jerusalem. There are references to Solomon as the king, but it is unclear if he is also the groom. The book is divided into sections, and the ESV study bible provides an outline for easier reading. The bride and groom are described as attractive, and their longing for each other is depicted. The book contains phrases that are repeated, emphasizing the importance of not rushing love. The book ends with the lovers joining in marriage. The book highlights the value of marriage between a man and a woman, physical love within marriage, and the importa I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at bab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are looking at a book of poetry which is also called Wisdom Literature of the Song of Songs, which is also called the Song of Solomon. How to interpret this book is hotly debated and so far I have not found two people that completely agree on their interpretation. I go into more detail about this in last year's episode entitled Song of Solomon, which aired on June 14, 2023, so today I am going to share the way I understand the book and I hope you take the time to read it to decide for yourself. It starts off the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. The thing about the Hebrew language which drove me crazy when taking the class is one word can mean various things, so this could mean these songs are written by Solomon, for Solomon, or about Solomon. It can also mean that this is a group of songs, or that this is one song and it is the best song of songs, like the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It is a love story, but people have debated if Solomon is the upcoming groom or is it a shepherd boy. Also with the Hebrew language, there are little divisions, so it is unclear how many characters are in this story and who is saying what when. This is why it is important to look to the pronouns throughout the book. Most interpretations have three characters at least, the future bride, the male who is either Solomon or a shepherd, and then a group of ladies that are mentioned as the daughters of Jerusalem. Some study Bibles, interpret it, and divide it up for an easier read, but I also like to read the ones which do not have it divided up just to see if I agree or not. King Solomon is mentioned seven times in the story. Chapter 1 verse 1, Solomon, Song of Songs. Chapter 1 verse 5, like the tinted curtains of Solomon. Chapter 3 verse 7, look it's Solomon's carriage. Chapter 3 verse 9, King Solomon made for himself the carriage. Chapter 3 verse 11, look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced. Chapter 8 verse 11, Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Haman. And chapter 8 verse 12, but my own vineyards is mine to give. The thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and 200 are for those who tend its fruit. With each of these references, it does not sound like Solomon is a lover, but that he is the king, and they seem impersonal and yet familiar. Also we learned in 1 Kings chapter 11 verse 3 that Solomon only married wives of royal birth and in verse 1 of that chapter we learned that they were all foreign wives, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonites, and Hittites. This young woman was a keeper of the vineyards and a shepherdess. Song of Song chapter 1 verse 7, she probably was an Israelite because she knew the land of Israel with her references to Zion, Jerusalem, and Gedi, a rose of Sharon which is northern Israel on the coast of the great sea, and details of Solomon's life like when he got married. She is defined as a Shulamite, but that is unclear if that means she is from the town of Shinnom which was located in the tribe of Issachar in the northern part of Israel, or it could mean peaceable one which is the feminine form of Solomon. This almost made me wonder if perhaps the bride to be was one of Solomon's daughters. We learned in 1 Kings chapter 4 verse 11 and then verse 15 that two of his daughters had married a governor over Israel. At the end of this song the female mentioned that Solomon had a vineyard and led it out to tenants and the tenants were to bring Solomon 1,000 shekels of silver. Then in chapter 8 verse 12 she says, but my own vineyard is mine to give. The 1,000 shekels are for you, O Solomon, and the 200 are for those who tend its fruit. It seems as if she owns her own vineyard, but because she is a servant of the king, she is paying her 1,000 shekels for her tax, but then she gives wages to those who tend to her fruit. One view holds that this is a parody about Solomon since he had so many wives and concubines and it was written by someone in northern Israel who was not a fan of Solomon, yet the writer seems to speak respectfully about the king, so I don't hold to that view anymore, it just makes me think of the old movie Princess Bride and that made me laugh at the thought. At this stage in my study of this book, I hold more to the outline of what my ESV study bible suggests. Chapter 1 verse 1 is the title, The Best of Songs. Chapter 1 verse 2 through chapter 2 verse 17, The Lovers Yearn for Each Other. Section 3 is in chapter 3 verse 1 through chapter 6 verse 3 which covers the Shepherdess Dreams. In chapter 6 verse 4 through chapter 8 verse 4, The Lovers Yearn for Each Other Again and it ends with chapter 8 verse 5 through 14, The Lovers Join in Marriage. I believe Solomon is king not the groom and that it is a shepherdess and shepherd that are in love and about to be married and she has her maids of honor with her throughout this story. In chapter 8 verse 8 and 9, there may be a group of men like the groomsmen talking about their younger sister, but depending upon how your bible divides it up, some just call them the friends throughout. So now just a few things as we look at these different sections. In chapters 1 and 2, When the Lovers Yearn for Each Other, we find that both the bride and the groom are attractive people. It seems clear that they are not married yet. Some religious leaders have a difficult time with the descriptiveness of the language, but I like what C. Hasselbullock said in An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. If we can agree that a book that celebrates virtuous love between a man and woman deserves a place in the canon of holy scripture, then we will have no difficulty with interpreting the song in its literal sense. In chapter 2 verse 7, we get a phrase that is repeated throughout the song, sort of as a refrain, and it says, Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. In other words, don't rush it. Another phrase that is used throughout is found in chapter 2 verse 16, My beloved is mine and I am his, he browses among the lilies. In verse 1 of chapter 3, it starts, All night long on my bed, and this seems to start what is called the dream section. She is looking for her lover and can't find him. Verse 5, Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. If she is dreaming, then in her dream she saw King Solomon coming in his carriage on the day of his wedding, on the day his heart rejoiced. To me this seems past tense, like it already happened. She continued to dream about her lover, and chapter 5 verse 2 says, I slept, but my heart was awakened. It seems she is still having dreams about her lover, and she opened the door to him and he had left, and her heart sunk. She went out looking for him again, and this time when the watchmen found her, they beat her and bruised her and took away her cloak. It seems she has had a nightmare in the midst of her long night of dreams. Verse 8 of chapter 5 starts in a similar way, but with a different ending, Oh daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you, if you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love. One of my favorite verses is chapter 5 verse 16b, this is my beloved, this is my friend, oh daughters of Jerusalem. Then in chapter 6 verse 3 we have again, I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies. It then switches back to their yearning for one another, and in chapter 7 verses 11-12 they are talking about when they consummate their vows. Then chapter 8 verse 4 again says, Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. Then in chapter 8 verse 5b it reads, Under the apple tree I roused you. It was time for love to be awakened, and their marriage came to fruition. The NIV version ends in chapter 8 verse 14, Come away my lover and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice laden mountains. They go off and live happily ever after. One thing I am thankful for in studying this book again, is when I think of this book I don't think of it in dread as I did before. There are some takeaways from this small book. Number one, this book shows marriage between a man and a woman and that it's good, plus this marriage is monogamous. Number two, physical love within marriage is good. Number three, there is a warning to not be quick about arousing love. It is good to set boundaries and wait. Number four, in this book there is no mention of having children. The female is valued and the male for who they are, not for what they can bring to the marriage. Even though I hold to the literal interpretation of this song, in the New Testament the Apostle Paul mentions that marriage is a picture image of Christ and his church. Christ is the groom that is coming for his bride, the church. The Apostle John also described it this way in Revelation chapter 21 verse 2, with believers being a bride adorned for her husband. So ladies, if you are married or not, this book does remind us of our loving relationship with the Lord. Can you say, I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine? I always marveled at the Gospel writer, the Apostle John, when he described himself as the Apostle whom Jesus loved. Can you describe yourself like that? Sometimes that is still hard for me to say, partly because of how I was raised. I have to fight against the idea that I am loved because of what I bring to the table, by what I do, but the truth is, I am loved, period. Now the other stuff may affect rewards when I meet my Savior face to face, but as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am loved and as Paul the Apostle wrote in Romans chapter 5 verse 8, but God demonstrated his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I am of the opinion that the only promise in scripture that is not conditional is the fact that the Lord loves us. Jesus would love it if we could say, he is my beloved and this is my friend. Is Jesus that to you? If you have heard his voice today, please don't harden your heart, instead let's be women who hear from the Lord, accept his love and love him back. Until next time, and thanks so very much for listening.