Song of Solomon 3:1-11

Song of Solomon 3:1-11

Having spent a night together is the delight of their passion (chapter 2). We see a new development or aspect of the relationship. Many scholars believe verse 1 begins a dream sequence. Her love and passion for her lover are so powerful that they invaded her dream. The dream is a bit of a nightmare. She is looking for her lover. But he is not in bed with her, so she goes looking for him. She finds him and takes him to her childhood home, perhaps a picture of safety, security, and protection.

Verse 5 is a repeat of 2:7 and a reminder that such passionate love can be inconvenient and ought to be postponed until you are ready. But how could a girl not fall head over heels in love with such a hero as described in verses 6-11? Solomon is the perfect combination of all the masculine traits. There is here a depiction of the arousal within a woman that is pursued by a strong, honorable, and heroic man. This is not toxic nor effeminate masculinity but heroic masculinity.

“Lord, raise up men that are models of heroic masculinity. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 2

Song of Solomon 2

In an effort to maintain some sense of propriety, or unwise prudishness, this book is described as an allegory of the love of God for His people. A simple and more obvious reading is the description of a passionate but holy love story of two young lovers.

One can imagine a young couple deeply in love who have perhaps secretly married. Verse 7 makes reference to the complexity that such a relationship might produce. Verses 8-9 are about their fleeting glances that excite their passion for each other. They're excited by each other's sexuality and recognize that aroused sexuality is linked to fertility in verses 11-13. They are aware that in their passion they might overlook the real challenges that they will face in marriage. Verse 15 is about the reality that any newlywed couple will face. “Don't let little problems wreck your marriage.” Nevertheless, in verse 6 we see her description of making love, and in verses 16-17 we have a description of a night spent together. This chapter is a self-contained ode to holy sexual love.

“Lord, help us to recognize the holiness and purity of sexual love. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 1:1-17

Song of Solomon 1:1-17

God and the people of faith are often portrayed as the opposition party to love, sex, and joy. This book sets that misunderstanding on its head and shows the correct order of the beauty and wonder of proper erotic love. If Ecclesiastes reflects an old jaded king who looks back on life with regret, Song of Solomon looks forward in hope and anticipation. This collection of poems, sometimes romantic and sometimes erotic, tells us what might be.

Verses 5-10, for example, tell a story every couple can relate to. She feels she is not quite good-looking enough. She hasn’t been pampered, and so she feels her beauty has been diminished by hard work. But her fiancé actually finds the evidence of her hard work desirable. Verses 11-17 are descriptive of a woman at her work but mindful of the object of her desire in the same room. For his part, he is distracted from the table as he notices her. For her part, she wonders what it would be like to spend the night with him as he is breathing the atmosphere of her perfume. They confess their powerful attractions, and then the poem ends and another begins.

“Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful gift of human attraction. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

This last chapter has two parts. The first is Solomon’s parting advice, and the second is a sort of afterward. The old king gives a passionate plea to build life on the right foundation. In verse 1 he tells the young to form their lives around their Creator. It sounds as if the old king looks back at life with regrets, and those regrets are centered on the life that was lived without God as the focus. Having built his life on and around the wrong things, as the last stage of life is lived, there is now no delight. Verses 2-6 are symbolic descriptions of the decline of life, health, and body. Verse 7 describes death, and verse 8 describes life not built on faith as “smoke.”

In the afterword of this book, Solomon asserts that his work was a high-quality product. But he points out that the answers to life's greatest questions are never purely academic. The answer is rather a life of faith and holiness before God. That life is the life of greatest joy and peace and is one that is better to bring to Judgment Day.

“Lord, give me the wisdom to build my life on the foundation of my hope, Jesus Christ. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 11:1-10

Ecclesiastes 11:1-10

Solomon gives us in this chapter a series of proverbs. The meaning of some is up for debate or dispute. For example, verse 1 has been interpreted as a reference to planting rice, caring for the poor, transporting grain on ships, or sowing seed from a boat when a river is in flood stage. Deep study would be profitable, but for now let's look at the big picture.

Most of the book has been a search for ultimate meaning by a morose and dark teacher. His conclusion is that all of life is smoke, misery, and pointlessness. But here he gives advice more along the lines of “be active doing something productive, and that will make life enjoyable.” Consider, if you will, the days of the winter months, an academic semester, or the drudgery of work. The days are short, and it's dark by suppertime. The weather is gray, cold, and wet; everything is soggy and dull. Thinking work is grim, gray, and trending toward pessimism. We slog and slug through responsibilities at work with grim co-workers. 

But then there is the other side. One day spring comes; bright skies and pleasant warmth have replaced a cold winter rather than gray, cloudy days. The colors are bright with vivid blue skies, white clouds, and flowers of every hue. Rather than the company of grim coworkers or dour professors, we are in the company of delightful people. Rather than walking to class in a gray, cold mist or commuting to work to the rhythm of windshield wipers, we ride with the windows down to go on a picnic or to enjoy a pickup game of softball. Rather than come to the end of the day depleted and drained by the dark thinking and dull work, we end the day energized with joy and love of life.

It is good for us to think and work hard, but we need and must have the joy and delight of love and fun. The strength and energy of a life found in youth are fleeting. The wisdom of years comes slowly. We must have both experiences and make the most of them.

“Lord, in the dull days, moments, and seasons of life, give me the hope of the coming of joy. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

As Solomon moves toward the conclusion of his book, he starts to offer a series of proverbs. Proverbs are short, pithy observations that have a much wider application. These proverbs illustrate the point of the last line of Ecclesiastes 9:18, “One sinner destroys much good." For example, in verse 1 it is clear that rotting flies ruin the scent of perfume. But there's a wider application, which is that foolish behaviors ruin the bigger context in which they occur.

Verse 2 sets the pattern for understanding many of the Proverbs that follow. Many contemporary political conservatives apply this jokingly to contemporary political theory, but that is not the point. You can understand this verse by means of a simple test. Write your name and address with your right hand and then with your left. Most of the time we will do our best with our right hand. The point Solomon is making is that a wise person always works from and toward their strength, but a fool doesn't. In the proverbs that follow, Solomon will illustrate that a fool's direction is toward weak decisions.

“Lord, help me move toward the strength you provide. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

If we are not careful, it would be easy to reach wrong conclusions based on this chapter. Remember verse breaks are imposed on the text and we're not in the original text. 

So we need to look back at the text as a whole. A critical turning point in this passage is in the second part of verse 3. Solomon laments the universality of human evil and madness. Madness is not insanity or mental illness; it is a behavior contrary to God's will or way. Solomon would have known about the palace intrigues of men with godless agendas. Successful or not, sooner or later all of these plotters die. Think for a moment of the plots and plans of great political movements whose leaders are dead. Do you think Lenin, Marx, Washington, Lincoln, or Alexander the Great currently cares about all their political aspirations? It is pure folly to pour one's life into something that is so transitory as politics, business, or culture shaping. Better is a day spent on a date with your wife than in high-level plotting. Even the rescue of a city by a humble man is soon forgotten.

“Give me, Lord, the right priorities for the life You have given me. AMEN."