Song of Songs - A moving story, drama and poem. It is a dialogue between a simple Jewish maiden and her lover King Solomon.
A historical story with two layers of meaning:
- We learn about love, marriage and sex
- We see God’s overwhelming love for His people
A wedding song honouring marriage.
The poetry is beautiful. Take your time reading the passage.
At the beginning of Chapter 3, the Jewish maiden is recalling a dream that has her concerned about her lover’s whereabouts. In her dream, she gets up to search for him.
“The one my heart loves” is a phrase used four times, showing a real feeling of deep love.
There are two layers here:
Person to person – When you love someone, you will do all you can to ensure the safety of that person and care for his or her needs; even at a cost to your own personal comfort.
Jesus and You – (v. 4) “ I held him and would not let him go.”
Jesus must be held.
Jesus is willing to be held.
Jesus can be held.
Seek Him daily and don’t stop until you find Him. Then hold Him close.
“Draw near to Christ and He will draw close to you.” (James 4:8)
The rest of Chapter 3 and 4 is the maiden’s recollections of her engagement to Solomon.
- 6-11 expresses his love for her
4:1-5 is the proposal
- 7-15 is her acceptance
There are two layers here also (and a bit of a challenge!):
You and your Spouse – If you are married, beware of familiarity that can cause you to forget the overwhelming feelings of love that you shared at the beginning of the relationship. Partners should be refreshing each other daily through encouraging words, unexpected gifts, a surprise and calls or notes.
You and God – As Christians, we should be refreshing our relationship with God daily. Can you remember your first love for God? Read the Bible so that you can receive those words of encouragement. Pray at all times and in all situations so that God can give you unexpected gifts. Allow God to surprise you!
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If you can, listen to the song “First Love” by Chris Tomlin on YouTube and use the words as a personal prayer.