In the Song of Solomon, we have possibly the most difficult book of the Bible. To get a feeling for this poetic work performed as a musical, I suggest you read it through several times using a modern translation. Written by King Solomon at about the same time as Ecclesiastes, it is first a celebration of human sexuality within a marriage relationship. God delights in the human body! It is then seen as an allegory of the binding love between Christ and the believer, and how that love is worked out in this world. The story is about a young girl from the town of Shunem who is snatched away by some of King Solomon’s men. She is placed in the king’s harem, where she stands out like a lily among thorns. Captivated by her simple beauty, the king attempts to woo the Shulammite with all the pomp and splendor that his royal throne can muster. But rejecting his advances, she continues to yearn for the shepherd boy to whom she is engaged. Failing to win her love and affection, King Solomon releases her. She returns to her home leaning on her beloved and, at last, they are married, never to be parted again. So, too, as Christians we find that there are days when the world system pulls at us with all the alluring beauty that it possesses. The pressure is on us to embrace the system and we may feel abandoned by God. But nothing could be farther from the truth! It is at those times that God is laying a deep foundation for our future life. By fixing our eyes upon Jesus, His eternal, unadulterated love for us and our love for Him are solidified; and we emerge from the wilderness of this present world leaning on our beloved Jesus.
OUTLINE OF SONG OF SOLOMON
ACT I
1:1 – 2:7 THE FIRST CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE SHULAMMITE AND SOLOMON 1:2-4b All made up and wearing their silks and satins, the women in the harem are each vying for Solomon’s attention. 1:4a Oblivious to the commotion around her, the Shulammite girl pines for her shepherd lover. 1:5-7 She admits that she is swarthy in appearance yet lovely, and she longs for her beloved who has told her so. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” Romans 8:1 1:8 the captive girl from Shunem is ridiculed and mocked by the other women in the harem, because she refuses to be captivated by the passing pleasures of this world. 1:9 – 2:7 In their first meeting Solomon attempts to win her heart through flattery, but she is not impressed. Instead, she recalled her handsome shepherd lover and their enjoyable days together. When the world puts on its best neon lights and calls to us, we can respond, “Who is like the Lord our God?” Psalm 113:5
ACT II
2:8 – 3:5 THE VISIT OF HER SHEPHERD FIANCEE, FOLLOWED BY HER SEARCH FOR HIM. 2:8-17 Despite the fact that she is kept in seclusion and jealously guarded, her beloved risks his very life to visit her. Even though God allows us to be placed in the middle of the world system and allows us to feel that pressure, He never abandons us. “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 3:1-5 In these verses the Shulammite tells of an awful recurring dream that she has, from which her shepherd lover is missing and cannot be found. Dreams are the expression of the subconscious. In the deepest part of her being, where love happens, she longs for the one whom her soul loves. Her actions are controlled by her deep commitment, not by external stimuli. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is not simply an intellectual acceptance of certain facts about Him, it is also a heart commitment– the surrendering of our innermost self to Jesus.
ACT III
3:6-5:1 SOLOMON’S PARADE OF GRANDEUR 3:6-11 The king puts on a royal parade to impress the Shulammite girl, contrasting his splendor with her peasantry. Wherever we confront the world person or system, there is the inevitable display of power and/or wealth. The dear little lamb that had been slain seems small and insignificant compared to the mighty Russian bear or the American eagle. 4:1-7 The girl from Shunem has a natural radiant and regal beauty about her, that Solomon seeks to possess by attempting to make her proud of her beauty. If Satan can’t bring us to our depths, he will try to bring us to our prideful heights. (Ezekiel 16:6-15) 4:8 – 5:1 The shepherd is speaking here. His fiancee may have caught Solomon’s eye, but she has captured the shepherd’s heart. This sit the poetic expression of the love theme of the Bible — the sinner has stolen God’s heart.
ACT IV
5:2 – 6:3 THE SHULAMMITE’S SECOND DREAM 5:2-8 Her beloved comes to her in a dream. She hesitates and he is gone. We cannot play with love. Never take His love for granted. 5:9-16 The Shulammite describes her handsome shepherd. We have come to know Jesus, and that knowledge separates religion from faith. “He is wholly desirable.” 6:1-3 The women in the harem ask her, “Where is your beloved?” She responds, in effect, that he is in her heart. The world cannot know Jesus, yet we know that He has taken up residence in our hearts.
ACT V
6:4 – 8:14 LOVE CONQUERS ALL 6:4 – 7:9 Solomon has changed. He recognizes that she is unconquerable. The villagers of Shunem are calling her to return home. Ultimately, because of the love of Christ in us and for us, the world person cannot prevail. 7:10 – 8:5 The Shulammite girl, leaning heavily on her beloved, returns to her village. Her strong love the for shepherd has matured and become even stronger. God allows us to be put in negative situations in order that our faith might be tested and subsequently strengthened. 8:6,7 These verses define and express the love between the girl and her beloved as contrasted against the king’s love. The world’s love is self-seeking and self-gratifying. God’s kind of love, based on commitment, says, “I love you for the sake of you. I want to be for you.” 8:8-14 The Shulammite’s brothers think back to when she was about the age when young men would court her. Would she be like a wall to any man who simply played to her emotions, or would she be like an open door to him? She reminds them that she was a wall and was not influenced by the riches and charm of King Solomon. She only desires the committed love of her beloved. As covenant believers in Jesus, we are not to be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, but to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
SUMMARY OVERVIEW:
Solomon the great king goes to look for more women to add to his royal harem. He finds a shepherdess. Brings her to the palace, even though she didn’t want to come. He lavishes her with gifts, perfumes, etc. All the while she keeps saying, “You should see my beloved. He is more fair than all the rest.” Her response to Solomon’s gifts is even, “Ah, but you should see my beloved!” She tells “all the daughters of Jerusalem” all about her beloved. Finally the beloved visits Jerusalem at night, and she goes running through the streets looking for him, saying, “Did you see him? Surely you couldn’t have missed him — He’s my beloved.” Finally Solomon gives up, and allows her to return. Last chapter you see her leaning on her beloved, and the response is “Such love, fire cannot burn it, and water cannot quench it!”
Application:
The church is betrothed to Christ The world keeps offering her riches, wealth, and perfumes. The real church responds with, “Oh yes, but you should see my Beloved. He is fairer than all the rest!” Finally the Bridegroom comes at the “end of the Book” and we see the bride leaning on her Beloved… “Such love, fire cannot burn it, water cannot quench it!” One of the names of Jesus is an affectionate title — Wonderful When you open a surprise gift… you respond, “Wonderful!” It has the idea of being unsearchable… past finding out. Every time you think you know all there is to know, you discover something else, and say, “Wonderful!” “THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB HAS COME AND THE BRIDE HAS MADE HERSELF READY!”