by Ken Alexander

Created on: June 25, 2008

The Song of Songs

The Song of Solomon (hereafter Song) is certainly the most poignant expression of love in the entire Bible. It portrays love in its most intense and erotic sense. God is love. This is Him opening His heart and showing us how He wishes us to perceive that love. This book tells us some of what it is like to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength", the greatest of all the commandments.

There are many interpretations of the meaning of the cryptically worded book, full of symbolism, inferences and mysticism. Without going into detail, all agree that the book is about true love. Applicable to all ages, we here will provide understanding of the Book that is most applicable to us today.

In Revelation 19:7-9 it is said "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride [wife] has made herself ready."
It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints [holy ones].
Then he said to me, "Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' " And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

This scripture likens our ultimate perfection as Sons of God to a marriage, which is the likely result of the pursuing of each other of the lovers depicted in Song. And isn't our relationship with God a pursuit? We love Him, we pursue Him. He loves us, He pursues us. Both are lovesick, as are we, and God is longing for that perfect relationship, culminating in the full expression of love through intimacy. Both lovers are driven to obtain this full expression of their love for each other and will not be deterred.

In the first chapter of Song, it appears as if the lovers are seeing each other from afar but desiring each other. The Bride tells of her life of service to her family (tending the vineyards) but she notes she has come to the point she wants something real for herself. The Bridegroom also thinks how he will adorn her when they come together, and how he sees her now: "Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with strings of beads. We will make for you ornaments of gold with beads of silver" (Song 1:10-11)

And: How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves" (v.15).

Chapter 2 focuses on the pursuit. Our lives are a pursuit after God. God plays hide and seek with us, and we with Him but our human nature seems to hide us from Him. Yet the lovers remain

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