Song of Solomon
Secrets To
Wondrous Passion
0 MIN READ
Psalm 71:14-24 Saved and Singing
and will praise you yet more and more. 15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge. 16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. 18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come. 19 Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed. 24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
who sought to do me hurt.
Application
Never abandon hope in a righteous and faithful God; He rescues His people who call to Him, so they can praise Him. Start singing...
Prayer
Mighty and Faithful God, You are righteous in all Your ways, and totally worthy of my trust and praise; help me proclaim Your praises to future generations, so they too can experience Your righteousness. Thanks. Amen.
Proverbs 18:17-21 Relationships Need Words to Live
until the other comes and examines him. 18 The lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders. 19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 20 From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Application
Do your words help or hurt your relationships? Try using the “forgiveness phraseology” (in italics in Observations above) on a failing relationship and see what happens (it couldn't hurt anything except your pride).
Prayer
God, may my words mirror Yours, and give life to others and to my relationships; and may my relationships reflect the unity You desire in Your children. I might need some supernatural help with this, so stay tuned. Thanks. Amen.
Song of Solomon - Secrets To Wondrous Passion
This Song of Songs celebrates the wondrous passion of love, and tells the readers how to achieve it. Any nonsense about the Song being about God's love for His people or the Church is just that. God does use illustrations and allegories to describe His love for His people, but they usually take a paragraph or two. The Song clearly describes the romantic relationship between Solomon [Lover] and his Beloved, possibly Abishag (1 King 1), erotically and explicitly, yet poetically. We'll keep it family friendly, and highlight the specific applications to both singles and marrieds. The path to a happily ever ending starts while one is single.
To correctly understand and interpret the book inductively, one looks at the imagery, then determines which possible meanings fit the context. Deductively, one could understand the principles for passionate relationships, and then see if there's any material which matches up with those precepts, but that's a poor way to do Bible study and theology, leading to subjective bias and misinterpretation.
The translators have put the [speaker] in brackets, based upon the gender and number of the Hebrew word forms, but aren't inspired. The chorus [Friends] serve a didactic purpose, to emphasize or provide a foil for a point (like "Don't waken love until the proper time").
The Song describes the progression (courtship, wedding, maturation) and various hindrances to a wondrously passionate relationship, and are equally applicable to a great friendship, sans the erotic elements. The overall structure of the Song is chiastic, with the center element being the consummation of the relationship, bracketed by the two dream sequences, which in turn are bracketed by developmental aspects of love, bookended by reflections of home (in the king's court and at home). You can find more correspondence on your own. The defining statement of marriage in Genesis 2:24 has three aspects: “leaving” (the “intellectual” social and legal declaration of intent to have the relationship, leaving behind the single life); “cleaving” (the emotional bonding, like that of two pieces of paper being glued together so that one can't be separated from the other with them both being ripped apart) and “one flesh” (the development of physical intimacy where one plus one equals one). All good enduring physical relationships are built on a pure friendship, which is noted in the comments.
Song of Solomon 1 Longing for Love
For your love is better than wine; 3 your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you. 4 Draw me after you; let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
we will extol your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon. 6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mother's sons were angry with me;
they made me keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not kept! 7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you pasture your flock,
where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your companions?
O most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds' tents.
9 I compare you, my love,
to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots. 10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
studded with silver.
my nard gave forth its fragrance. 13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
that lies between my breasts. 14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of Engedi.
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.
Our couch is green; 17 the beams of our house are cedar;
our rafters are pine.
Application
Self-worth and value are found in being pleasing to God and experiencing His pleasure and praise. Anything else is hollow.
Prayer
God, thanks that You delight in Your servants, and that I can be pleasing in Your sight, and not care what anyone else thinks. Amen.
Song of Solomon 2 Flame or Fire?
1 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
so is my love among the young women.
so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his banner over me was love. 5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am sick with love. 6 His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me! 7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
8 The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice. 10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away, 11 for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree ripens its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away. 14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely. 15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies. 17 Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.
Application
Don't start things you can't finish, and wait until God says “Go”.
PS
You can't know the subjective will of God (like who you should marry) if you're not doing the objective will clearly outlined in Scripture. If you're wholeheartedly seeking God's will, according to His word, it's impossible to miss it.
Prayer
God, help me guard my heart, trusting You to give what's best, when it's best. Amen.
Song of Solomon 3 Doubts
1 On my bed by night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not. 2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not. 3 The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves”? 4 Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I had brought him into my mother's house,
and into the chamber of her who conceived me. 5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
6 What is that coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant? 7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel, 8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh,
against terror by night. 9 King Solomon made himself a carriage
from the wood of Lebanon. 10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem. 11 Go out, O daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Application
Looking to a finite person to meet all your needs is folly. Looking to an infinite God who has boundless grace and resources (and who can create whatever you need) is far wiser. Otherwise, you'll be disappointed.
Prayer
God, thanks that You are utterly sufficient for all my needs, and will bring about Your perfect will in my life as I depend upon You. Amen.
Song of Solomon 4 Passion and Purity
behold, you are beautiful!
Your eyes are doves
behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them has lost its young. 3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil. 4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
built in rows of stone;
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors. 5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that graze among the lilies. 6 Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense. 7 You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no flaw in you. 8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Depart from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace. 10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! 11 Your lips drip nectar, my bride;
honey and milk are under your tongue;
the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a spring locked, a fountain sealed. 13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
with all choicest fruits,
henna with nard, 14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
with all trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes,
with all choice spices— 15 a garden fountain, a well of living water,
and flowing streams from Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my garden,
let its spices flow.
and eat its choicest fruits.
Application
Someone who gives parts of themselves away to a number of lovers, has less to give to the one they marry.
Prayer
Lord, help me keep my heart and body pure, regardless of my marital status. Amen.
Song of Solomon 5 Trouble in Paradise
I gathered my myrrh with my spice,
I ate my honeycomb with my honey,
I drank my wine with my milk.
and be drunk with love!
A sound! My beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love,
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my locks with the drops of the night.” 3 I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had bathed my feet;
how could I soil them? 4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me. 5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke.
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer. 7 The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls. 8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
I am sick with love.
O most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus adjure us?
distinguished among ten thousand. 11 His head is the finest gold;
his locks are wavy,
black as a raven. 12 His eyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool. 13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are lilies,
dripping liquid myrrh. 14 His arms are rods of gold,
set with jewels.
His body is polished ivory,
bedecked with sapphires. 15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.
Application
The essence of love is sacrificing yourself for doing what is in the best interest of another. Self-sacrifice is rarely convenient.
Prayer
God, You are the great giver; thanks for giving Yourself and your grace to me; help me give myself to benefit others. Amen.
Song of Solomon 6 Paradise Restored
O most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?
to the beds of spices,
to graze in the gardens
and to gather lilies. 3 I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies.
lovely as Jerusalem,
awesome as an army with banners. 5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me—
Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
not one among them has lost its young. 7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil. 8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
and virgins without number. 9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to her who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.
10 “Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
awesome as an army with banners”?
to look at the blossoms of the valley,
to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom. 12 Before I was aware, my desire set me
among the chariots of my kinsman, a prince.
return, return, that we may look upon you.
as upon a dance before two armies?
Application
If both parties take responsibility to reconcile the relationship, happiness is rapid.
Prayer
God, keep me from being bitter or resentful in my relationship, so that I may experience the joy and delight You intend. Amen.
Song of Solomon 7 Mutual Appreciation
1 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O noble daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a master hand. 2 Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with lilies. 3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle. 4 Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are pools in Heshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon,
which looks toward Damascus. 5 Your head crowns you like Carmel,
and your flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
6 How beautiful and pleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights! 7 Your stature is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters. 8 I say I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.
Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples, 9 and your mouth like the best wine.
gliding over lips and teeth.
10 I am my beloved's,
and his desire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages; 12 let us go out early to the vineyards
and see whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love. 13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and beside our doors are all choice fruits,
new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
Application
Expressing appreciation builds a relationships to new heights.
Prayer
God, thanks that in Your goodness, You created the capacity for delight, and the means for fulfilling it. Amen.
Song of Solomon 8 Purity and Commitment Yields Passion
1 Oh that you were like a brother to me
who nursed at my mother's breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
and none would despise me. 2 I would lead you and bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate. 3 His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me! 4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
5 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD. 7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he would be utterly despised.
and she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for? 9 If she is a wall,
we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he let out the vineyard to keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. 12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
with companions listening for your voice;
let me hear it.
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.
Application
Happily ever after starts with purity and is sealed with commitment.
Prayer
God, thanks for Your instruction on how to get the most pleasure out of Your creation. Amen.
Digging Deeper
Us in a nutshell: We can only experience God's best if we do what's best, and trust Him with the rest. Wondrous passion is not automatic, but requires effort to align our desires and actions with God's will. Waking love before the proper time is not the way to live happily ever after, but winds up burning people. An unwillingness to eliminate the little foxes, such as insecurity, selfishness, and an inadequate relationship with God, doesn't yield delight either. A commitment to forgive, communicate, accommodate, and appreciate, builds and feeds the fires of passion.
Where to go for more
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