Song of Songs: The book of Intimacy
This book is not just ‘The song’ but the ‘song of songs’. The title indicates, in what esteem this beautiful book was held by Solomon and perhaps also to subsequent Jewish tradition that had incorporated it as part of its community and spiritual life. It’s the Psalter of the young. The young don’t always have the blues that a mature audience would experience. You can imagine young Jewish men and women, girls and boys, perk up while its read in a synagogue. It adds balance to a spirituality that might be devoid of romance, physical love or intimacy. It validates the love God had obviously intended to be there between couples. But does this book hold another mystery key related to our own spiritual life?
7I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. Song 2:7 (KJV)
This is obviously a book about love and its intricacies. Love is a wonderful and necessary emotion that adds meaning and substance to all human experience. There is much sense to the notion that it was written while a young Solomon inspired by an immense love he has for a mysterious Shulamite woman, authors a short two or three character musical play about their love. Solomon waxes poetic about this Shulamite woman. The bible codex generally uses modest language in describing the relationship between a man and woman but here one gets more intimate language that affirms the love between a man and a woman.
Who is the Shulamite woman?
One might speculate, maybe the long legged models in ancient Israel dwell in region of Shulam or shunem. The New American Bible has the following footnote as to her identity. “Shulammite: so called either because the girl is considered to be from Shulam in the plain of Esdraelon (cf 1 Kings 1:3) or because the name may mean "the peaceful one," and thus recall the name of Solomon”.[1] We know of a Shunamite woman in the Bible who was given to David as a wife in his latter years. [2] Therefore, Solomon’s Shulamite could have been from the land of Shunem or (Shulam). Since we know Solomon to have had many wives she may have been the one among the many that made his heart skip.
The Theme of Song of songs
8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. [3]
Love is the one prevailing theme of this book. So in its content it’s New Testament counterpart would be John’s gospel and his 1st epistle which have an over abundance of the word love (more than twenty times each). The word love is used many times in the sense of the love between God and man. What a profound concept! The love between a single soul or a collection of souls, which is his church and God can be said to be the greatest love of all loves without it being considered a travesty of interpretation. It’s no wonder then that this book has been allegorized to indicate this great love. Even while applying a literal interpretation it still can be used to illustrate that great love between Christ and his church[4].
30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
It’s Application: Speaking the Language of spiritual love and doing God’s works
The application of this book cannot just be thought of as a call to keep the home fires burning or rekindle romance with one’s spouse, although that is perfectly valid. We should be able to use intimate language in our worship and prayers to express our love for the Lord. We should ask, when was the last time that we told The Lord, “I love you Lord!” and sang the love songs of the church with a genuine and a true heart? Sometimes the cares and problems of this world can make our hearts cold and make us forget to tell The Lord how much we love him. Jesus had predicted that in the iniquitous last times “The heart of many will wax cold[5], and faith will have disappeared[6].
It was also a charge he had brought against the Ephesians church “You have left your first love… Do the first works”[7] We should also then love the Lord by doing the ‘first works’ and continue in the works he has ordained for us to do since the foundations of the world.[8] Do we still pray, read our Bibles, go to church and pray? If not we may have left our first love and may need to repent. The question is, how is our love life today not what have we attained so far? Jesus had said in another place, “If you want to abide in my love, keep my commandments”[9] In other words he was saying for us to do the things He cares about not the things we ourselves want to do. Such was also the call for Peter to take care of His Sheep, “Do you love me Peter, if you do, feed my sheep and flocks”[10]
Opening up to Intimacy with God
The language of intimacy is not unique to Song of Songs, David says, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”[11] Jesus goes even further in wanting to share himself with the materially rich but otherwise wretched Laodicean church.
17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[12]
2I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 3I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 5I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. 6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.[13]
Transcending the elementary principles of hermeneutics for a minute and seeing the Bible as one whole unit that is God breathed we can glean the following understanding. When we see the above two scriptures in tandem we see illustrated, the problems that emanate from substituting intimacy with The Lord with something else like politics. The solution also becomes glaringly apparent. Many times we can be closed to the type of intimacy God wants to have with us which would have availed us much. Put simply, It’s all about Loving The Lord and spending time with Him. When was the last time we had a long deep intimate time of prayer?
This book is not just ‘The song’ but the ‘song of songs’. The title indicates, in what esteem this beautiful book was held by Solomon and perhaps also to subsequent Jewish tradition that had incorporated it as part of its community and spiritual life. It’s the Psalter of the young. The young don’t always have the blues that a mature audience would experience. You can imagine young Jewish men and women, girls and boys, perk up while its read in a synagogue. It adds balance to a spirituality that might be devoid of romance, physical love or intimacy. It validates the love God had obviously intended to be there between couples. But does this book hold another mystery key related to our own spiritual life?
7I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. Song 2:7 (KJV)
This is obviously a book about love and its intricacies. Love is a wonderful and necessary emotion that adds meaning and substance to all human experience. There is much sense to the notion that it was written while a young Solomon inspired by an immense love he has for a mysterious Shulamite woman, authors a short two or three character musical play about their love. Solomon waxes poetic about this Shulamite woman. The bible codex generally uses modest language in describing the relationship between a man and woman but here one gets more intimate language that affirms the love between a man and a woman.
Who is the Shulamite woman?
One might speculate, maybe the long legged models in ancient Israel dwell in region of Shulam or shunem. The New American Bible has the following footnote as to her identity. “Shulammite: so called either because the girl is considered to be from Shulam in the plain of Esdraelon (cf 1 Kings 1:3) or because the name may mean "the peaceful one," and thus recall the name of Solomon”.[1] We know of a Shunamite woman in the Bible who was given to David as a wife in his latter years. [2] Therefore, Solomon’s Shulamite could have been from the land of Shunem or (Shulam). Since we know Solomon to have had many wives she may have been the one among the many that made his heart skip.
The Theme of Song of songs
8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. [3]
Love is the one prevailing theme of this book. So in its content it’s New Testament counterpart would be John’s gospel and his 1st epistle which have an over abundance of the word love (more than twenty times each). The word love is used many times in the sense of the love between God and man. What a profound concept! The love between a single soul or a collection of souls, which is his church and God can be said to be the greatest love of all loves without it being considered a travesty of interpretation. It’s no wonder then that this book has been allegorized to indicate this great love. Even while applying a literal interpretation it still can be used to illustrate that great love between Christ and his church[4].
30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
It’s Application: Speaking the Language of spiritual love and doing God’s works
The application of this book cannot just be thought of as a call to keep the home fires burning or rekindle romance with one’s spouse, although that is perfectly valid. We should be able to use intimate language in our worship and prayers to express our love for the Lord. We should ask, when was the last time that we told The Lord, “I love you Lord!” and sang the love songs of the church with a genuine and a true heart? Sometimes the cares and problems of this world can make our hearts cold and make us forget to tell The Lord how much we love him. Jesus had predicted that in the iniquitous last times “The heart of many will wax cold[5], and faith will have disappeared[6].
It was also a charge he had brought against the Ephesians church “You have left your first love… Do the first works”[7] We should also then love the Lord by doing the ‘first works’ and continue in the works he has ordained for us to do since the foundations of the world.[8] Do we still pray, read our Bibles, go to church and pray? If not we may have left our first love and may need to repent. The question is, how is our love life today not what have we attained so far? Jesus had said in another place, “If you want to abide in my love, keep my commandments”[9] In other words he was saying for us to do the things He cares about not the things we ourselves want to do. Such was also the call for Peter to take care of His Sheep, “Do you love me Peter, if you do, feed my sheep and flocks”[10]
Opening up to Intimacy with God
The language of intimacy is not unique to Song of Songs, David says, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”[11] Jesus goes even further in wanting to share himself with the materially rich but otherwise wretched Laodicean church.
17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[12]
2I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 3I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 5I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. 6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.[13]
Transcending the elementary principles of hermeneutics for a minute and seeing the Bible as one whole unit that is God breathed we can glean the following understanding. When we see the above two scriptures in tandem we see illustrated, the problems that emanate from substituting intimacy with The Lord with something else like politics. The solution also becomes glaringly apparent. Many times we can be closed to the type of intimacy God wants to have with us which would have availed us much. Put simply, It’s all about Loving The Lord and spending time with Him. When was the last time we had a long deep intimate time of prayer?
[1]http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/songs/song7.htm
[2] 1 Kings 1:3)
[3] Song 5:8 (KJV)
[4] Ephes. 5:30-33 (KJV)
[5] Matthew 24:12
[6] Luke 18:18
[7] Revelation 2:4,5
[8] Ephesians 2:10
[9] John 15:9
[10] John 21:17
[11] Psalm 42:1 (KJV)
[12] Revelation 3:17-20
[13] Song 5:2-6 (KJV)
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