Song of Solomon 6:1-13

Song of Solomon 6:1-13

This book is at times challenging, to say the least. This chapter is no exception. But love is, at times, challenging and difficult to understand. This chapter opens with other women showing an interest in the groom and the bride’s feelings of jealousy. She doesn’t answer their questions directly; rather, in verse 2 she refers to their intimacy and in verse 3 asserts their commitment to each other.

In verses 4-9 the groom renews his declaration for her but adds a couple notes. First he says he has been conquered by her beauty, so much so that when she looks at him, he is unable to think straight (v. 4). Second, he next describes her beauty again in verses 5-7. But in verses 8-9 we see he desires her over his whole harem. This harem of 140 women indicates a younger Solomon, who later had a harem of nearly 1,000 women. Among all the options available in his harem, she was unique. Verse 12 may be the most difficult verse to understand in the whole book. In the context of jealousy, self-doubt, and a multitude of women in the harem, we see the bride in the difficult reality of harem life. Perhaps verse 13 is an attempt of the harem to make her only one of many. But why?

“Thank You, Lord, for Your plan of one man with one woman for one lifetime. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 5:1-16

Song of Solomon 5:1-16

Perhaps you can relate; you have a bad dream in which something is amiss in your dearest relationship. The dream is so vivid as to disturb the moments soon after awakening. We sometimes feel inadequate for our lover and believe that they could have done better. One's insecurities may be unfounded, but that does not alleviate the anxiety.

In verses 1-8, the bride has a dream sequence in which the groom comes to her, but she rejects him as a bother. Changing her mind, she finds he is gone. The dream gets worse; she searches for her lover but rather encounters abuse. Verse 8 may be part of the dream, or it may be the panicked, disoriented pleas of her as she has just awakened from the nightmare. In verse 9 her friends ask why she is so panicked about her lover and what makes him special. The bride, in verses 10-16, gives a highly sexualized description of her man. We should not assume that this is a moral, intellectual, or spiritual attraction or metaphor. Rather, in this godly marriage there is a raw physical sensual attraction. She wants his body and wants to do things with his body. One aspect of a godly marriage is powerful sexuality.

“Lord, draw husbands and wives to each other in every way. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 4:8-16

Song of Solomon 4:8-16

As we consider this passage, we can understand, even if we do not agree with the Jewish tradition, that this passage was not to be read by teenage boys. The groom calls his bride out of a dangerous situation. Perhaps their relationship was not approved by family and community, and so they are depicted as lions and leopards. The rush of testosterone and sexual arousal is evident in verses 9-10. In verse 11 we see heavy petting, or making out, to use older terms. To his delight, in open-mouth kissing, he discovered that his bride had placed honey under her tongue. The sight, smell, and now taste of his lover are driving the young man wild with passion. The reference to “my sister, my bride” is not a reference to incest. In that culture, the bond between siblings was considered the strongest of all possible bonds. This couple has a bond that is even closer than that of close siblings. Even in all this heated passion, there is the holy bond and covenant between them. Their marriage is described in verses 12-15 as a beautiful, fertile, well-watered, and private garden; and those delights are exclusive. Their marriage is restricted to each other but open between them. In v 16, she wants her allurements to draw in her husband to the highest level of physical intimacy. We see here heavy foreplay that leads to copulation. 

“Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of sexual attraction and consummation. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 4:1-7

Song of Solomon 4:1-7

In verse 1:6, the bride is concerned that she does not look good enough for her husband. This love poem is about the husband being enraptured by her beauty. Here is a picture from the husband's perspective of the seductive beauty of his bride. Her body is behind a veil with only her eyes exposed, but they are enough to draw him in. What great seduction there is in modesty. With only her eyes uncovered, her husband sees more. Perhaps the veil is sheer because he sees the perfect smile and the very kissable lips. The charm of the profile of her face or temples is evident. She holds herself erect with a good posture like a tall tower. Her shapeliness is not hidden even if covered; it is not hard for her husband to see, even if only in his mind's eye, her breasts, a perfect pair. He wants to go to one that is perfumed with myrrh and then to the other that is scented with frankincense. He finds her faultless and perfect in body. How powerful and seductive is the beauty of a wife for her husband, and may she not have planned to seduce him?

“Lord, give us an ever-growing appreciation for the beauty of modesty. AMEN.”

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.”