| | Introduction When I was in my early teens (12-13ish), someone in the youth group showed me some passages in the Song of Songs. I was stunned! I could not believe that such expressions could be included in my HOLY bible! I did not know how to think about the Song of Songs, because it was so explicit in its descriptions about love and the people involved. The question is, does this book belong in the canon of Scripture? Such expressions that unabashedly celebrate sexual love between the lover and the beloved seem so out of place with the rest of the canon. The common religious themes are absent—there are no literary references to law, grace, sin, salvation or prayer. Other than one disputable translation in 8.6, there is no direct reference to YHWH. Why was such a book included in the first place? In Israel, the book is read on the eighth day of the Passover. “During the first fifteen centuries of the Christian church, most major Christian writers turned their attentions to this little work (Expositor's Bible Commentary).” Origen (2nd-3rd cent.) wrote a 10 volume commentary and a series of homilies on the Song. Whether Jew or Christian, the book has maintained the attention of believers through the centuries. So, if the people of God over the years have been so captivated by this little book, then there is something for us to gain from it today, after all, it is God's word. :) Then what is the purpose of book? Well, it seems to be that the Song of Songs is written: To celebrate human and divine love Even from the title of the book, the reader can see that this book is praising, celebrating love - "the Song of Songs," in the other words, "the greatest song of all." The celebration of love is further evidenced in the direct beauty of its words. In the past, church leaders have usually used allegory to interpret the Song of Songs. Their motives were indeed Christ-centered, but their interpretations were imaginative. A literal reading of the Song of Songs shows a celebration of love between a lover and the beloved. This does not mean that a spiritual understanding of the book is to be omitted. Rather, a balance between the literal and spiritual must be maintained to have an accurate understanding of the book. If the human part of the book is overemphasized, then it can lead to carnal interpretations and understandings, which is not the purpose for any book of Scripture. If the spiritual aspect is overemphasized, then the human aspect is lost, leaving us with arbitrary interpretations which confuse rather than build and unify the body of believers. Hence, the balance must be maintained. The celebration of human and divine love can be divided into three general aspects throughout the book: (1) marriage, (2) intimacy, (3) faithfulness. 1. In marriage (Songs 1.4; 4.8-12; 5.1) The king's bedroom (1.4) and references of "my bride" (4.8-12; 5.1) point to celebration of human love WITHIN the bounds of marriage. This does not mean that individuals cannot biblically celebrate human love while dating or courting, as long as it's done with purity. However, even a surface reading of the Song of Songs shows that this celebration goes far beyond the premartial affections of a dating relationship. There is a sexual, physical element that can only exist within the bonds of marriage. Since it was God who had established marriage in the first place (Gen 2.18-25), there is nothing inherently unbiblical about celebrating human love in marriage. This leads to the spiritual aspect. Throughout the Scriptures, there are repeated references to the relationship between God and His people as being like marriage (Isa 54.5-6; Eph 5.22-25; Rev 19.7-8). Marriage is a covenant relationship between husband and wife (Mal 2.14). Our relationship with God is a covenant relationship which is testified throughout Scripture (Gen 6.19; Exo 19.5; Lev 26.15; Jer 34.18; etc). Hence we are in a marital relationship with God. When the Song celebrates love in marriage, it celebrates not only human martial love, but also the human-divine love that exists within the covenant relationship that God has established for His people. 2. In intimacy (Songs 1.2, 4; 2.6; ch.7; 8.3) There is no difficulty in finding passages that show human intimacy in marital love (Songs 1.2, 4; 2.6; 8.3; 7.1ff). These are just a very small selection from the abundance of verses detailing the intimacy shared between the lover and the beloved. Although we may not have physical intimacy with our God (unlike the divine-human fornications and adulteries abundant in Greek mythology), we do have a spiritual intimacy that is enjoyed and expressed in Scripture. For example, the book of Hosea is a humbling, heart-breaking, and hope-inspiring, beautiful book about how God's people have been adulterous against its Maker and how God longs for their faithfulness and their fellowship through the restoration and redemption that He will bring to them. The intimacy of Hosea 11.1-4, 8-9, though using other analogies to express the intimacy (e.g. parent-child relationship) there is nonetheless the intimacy that is existent between God and His people. 3. In faithfulness (Songs 2.4, 16; 3.1; 4.12; 6.3; 7.10; 8.6) There is a celebration of marital faithfulness in the Song. The picture of a warrior-hero who is victoriously expressing his exclusive ownership of affection through the "his banner over me is love" is present in Songs 2.4. The idea of a loving ownership is evident in repeated expressions of "my beloved is mine, and I am his" (2.16; 6.3; 7.10). There is a focusing on the lover in seeking him night after night and in saying that it is not just an infatuation but a soul-stirring love (3.1). She is a locked garden (4.12) to which only her lover has exclusive access. The seal of ownership and personal identification (8.6) is on her heart, it belongs to no one else. This is the God-intended, edenic marriage between a man and a woman. In addition, this is the ideal for the Christian and his God. Whenever God's people would break the covenant love, whenever His people would wander from His words, the unfaithful hearts would be described as playing the harlot, prostituting their lives at God's expense (Isa 1.21). God is a jealous for His people and wills their faithfulness and loyalty to their Maker (Zech 1.14-17). Though jealous is many times ascribed negative connotations in human relationships as a result of the role of sin in human life, with God, there is not this negativity, rather the jealousy of God emphasizes the exclusive, private, and special aspect of the divine-human relationship/covenant. There is no room for any other gods, no room for unfaithfulness. Conclusion The lack of religious references to law, sin, grace and the like would seem like the Song of Songs is deficient in being included as Scripture. Not only this, but the almost carnal-like expressions seem to almost strip holiness from this literary work. However, this is definitely not the case, rather it strengthens the message of Scripture as a whole. With an intense passion, the Song of Songs joyfully celebrates divine and human love. The question is not, "Does this book belong in the Bible?" but rather it is, "Am I intensely passionate and joyfully celebrating the love I have for God and for my spouse?" I would think that this would be a challenging question to many of us. The Song in its pure and direct exultation of love is not deficient as a book of Scripture. Rather, it is WE who are deficient as Christians when we lack a pure and direct exultation/celebration of our love for God and for our spouses. What is true holiness? Does the Song's candid expressions defy holiness by enjoying the divinely established covenant of marriage and our covenantal relationship with God, or is it we, who by not being captivated and soulfully faithful with our marriages and our relationship with God, are rejecting a life of holiness? In reading the Song, we must read ourselves and see if we are intoxicated by God's love for us and mesmerized with our spouses regardless of our external and internal circumstances. Songs 1.2 "May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine." (NAS) |
