February 14 - Solomon & his Song of Songs

February 14 - Solomon and his Song of Songs

I've skipped ahead a bit in my schedule to find something a little more appropriate to Valentine's Day. I'll get back into sync tomorrow.

Solomon was well known to have had many wives and hundreds of concubines during his reign as King of Israel. I suppose that makes him uniquely qualified to write this poem. It is believed, however, that this was written in the early days of his reign, so he would not have yet built up the immense harem that he ended up with during his later years.

The title of the book is actually the Song of Songs taken from the Hebrew "Shı̂r hash-shı̂rı̂m." When a word was doubled in that manner in Hebrew, it signifies something greater than the singular. So, this is the best or the greatest of songs! 1 Kings 4:32 tells us that Solomon wrote over 1000 songs. This was the greatest of them.

I probably read this once while I was in Junior High or High School. It seemed a bit illicit and of course, since it was in the Bible, who could tell me no! I would be interested to know, though, how many have actually sat down to read this. I'm betting that not very many of you would respond in the positive. The only time I see it spoken of is during marriage seminars where people want to ensure that we all know sex is good and that God approves of it.

But, there is so much more to this than simply a love story filled with Biblical erotica. Yes, it is true that Jewish young men were actually not allowed to read it until they were 35 years old (during the Old Testament and New Testament periods). But, it describes so much more.

The Jews saw it as an Allegory of the story of God's love for His people. It is a Drama - telling the story of Solomon falling for a young Shulamite girl and bringing her to his palace. It is also looked at as the love story of Christ and his church. It is also simply a story of what human love can look like.

Because we still have a bit of restraint in our hearts regarding sex, the Song of Songs will remain an under-read book in the Bible. It is a book that means to tell us that within the bounds of marriage, freedom is greater than puritanical ideas and that God views sex as a gift. Love is meant to excite the heart and bring two people together in a marriage that God blesses.

So, read the love story with great joy. Whether you see it as the love story of Solomon and his wife or Christ and his church, it remains a beautiful song of love. It is the Song of Songs.