What is the Song of Solomon?

General Rules and Guidelines states: I choose to totally ignore posters who go out of their way to be crass and or feel inflamatory street language will strengthen their points.It wasn't necessary to get into four letter words. This Bible Study room is a Fourm Discussion on theological themes and not the juvinile scribblings on the walls of an elementary school boy's room.Anyone else have a comment? Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Some may receive some help from a little overview of Song of Songs as it ia handled in like of the New Testament economy.This poem portrays the history of love in an excellent marriage. The love affair is between King Solomon and the Shulimite (6:13). Shulimite is a feminine form of the name Solomon.This fact alone has alerted some students that it concerns the bridal love between Christ as the Bridegroom and and His lovers as His Bride (John 3:29-30; Rev. 19:7). There is portrayed a mutual enjoyment of the Bride and the Bridegroom.Many times people are simply too "man centered" to understand that it is an enjoyment to God to have a loving pursuer. We tend to think God is only there to "fix" human problems. Don't we need to be saved and forgiven, etc? We need God to do this, that, and the other. But it should one day strike us that we need God Himself because He is altogether lovable. We grow to love God for Himself.Of course the Bible concludes with a marriage of the Bridegroom Christ and His Bride New Jerusalem in a great universal and romantic love affair of eternity.So of us take Song of Songs as a window into this final destiny of the Bible. Let the scoffers scoff and sneer. He who has ears to hear let him hear.Song of Songs stresses not so much the Body of Christ corporately but the believer in Christ individually, unveiling the progressive experience of an individual's loving fellowship with Christ.Witness Lee writes in one of his footnotes: Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

It is not that hard to suspect that the Spirit of God has something deeper in mind in the inclusion of this book in the revelation of the Bible.1.) Man is made in the image of God. His joys and enjoyments in some way reflect the being of God.Every form of life requires pleasure. God as the most living one probably requires the most pleasure.I think the romantic and sexual pleasure the human being experiences in some way mirrors the good pleasure of God.2.) I admit that there is no explicit claim in the New Testament that I can think of that Song of Songs concerns Christ and His church.But there is no such claim that Joseph is a type of Christ either. Yet when we examine the life of Joseph there are uncanny similiarities. He was betrayed by his brothers for his "dreams" of authority. He was cast into a pit. He was lifted out in three days. He was sold for pieces of silver.He ascended to a high position and was not recognized by his brothers. He cared for them and kept them alive even though they did not recognize him.Though there is no explicit claim that Joseph is a type of Jesus Christ many students of the Bible think it is quite obvious that he is.3.) Jesus said that something greater than Solomon was there when He was there. This indicates that what Solomon was is a shadow of the substance of a greater one.So I think also in the Song of Songs it points prophetically to the one greater than Solomon - Jesus Christ.4.) The whole Bible ends with a romantic scene of a marriage between the redeeming God and His people formed into a Bride and Wife. You really have no place to insist that. Perhaps it is not necessary to you. MAybe you don't care about Christ and the church so for you it seems not necessary.But to the apostles and prophets and teachers who are responsible to teach the depths of God's eternal plan it is necessary to dive below the surface. They teach to build up the Bride.I do not say that if one does not see all these things she or he can derive no benefit from the Song of Songs. I do think that an elementary grasp of it would probably take it purely as love poetry.That in itself could be a blessing. That is not wrong to only see love poetry about human sexual romance. I don't think such an appreciation of Song of Songs is necessarily wrong.Perhaps, I mistakenly gave the idea that one could not take it that way. That was an error if I did. My point is that for some of us there is the need to be led deeper into its significance. I think it also touches on the Second Coming of Christ. For example the last passage in the Song of Songs "Make haste my beloved, And be like a gazelle or a young hart upon the mountain of spices" (SS. 8:10) As the concluding word of this book, the lover of Christ prays that her Beloved would make haste to come back in the power of His resurrection. This the imagery of the gazelle or young hart. This speaks of the power of Christ's resurrection.The "mountains of spices" relates to Christ setting up His kingdom on the earth in His Second Coming. These sweet realms of His kingdom will fill the whole earth (Rev. 11:15; Dan. 5:35)The sweet and beautiful kingdom is expressed to the longing Shulimite as the mountains of spices. She longs for Christ to return to the earth in His resurrection power and fill the earth with His sweet kingdom.Such a prayer portrays the union and communion between Christ as the Bridegroom and His lovers as the bride and in their bridal love, in the way that the prayer of John, ends the whole Bible"Amen, Come Lord Jesus" (Rev.22:20)This lover of Christ, John, concludes the Bible with this loving invitation for Jesus to come back to the earth. The divine love between Christ and His church is expressed from John's prayer and also from Song of Songs in the concluding verse.Revelation 19 is about the Bride preparing herself to meet Jesus. And it is also about her figgting with Jesus against His enemies.In the same way, the Shulimite woman becomes in appearance in the end as a terrible army with banners."Who is this woman who looks forth like the dawn, As beautiful as the moon, As clear as the sun, As terrible as an army with banners?" (SS. 6:10)The mature church of Christ becomes looking for for God's enterests in the universe. She is bright now as the sun and reflects the glory of her Bridegroom. Towards the enemies of God she now becomes as terrible as an army with banners.She has matured not only to labor with Christ but to fight with Christ to defeat the Antichrist and give command that the Devil be cast into the bottomless pit until after the millennial kingdom.She becomes terrible in spiritual warfare yet beautiful as the romantic co-partner of Christ.All these images have clear corresponding teachings or passages elsewhere in the Bible. This is the picture in the Old Testament. The New Testament contains the caption underneath the picture. The mature can discern them. And we all can benefit from learning from their ministry.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

The situation with man is not that simple.Man fell from a great height of perfection. So on one hand he is made in the image of God and there is something still "very good" about his created being. On the other hand he has been damaged by sin and attached to the opposition party against God.As much as we would like things to be as simple as possible, the situation with mankind today is a little complicated. I do not mean that the perverted desires of fallen sinners reflect God's character. They reflect the Satanic spirit. Of the twelve blessings that Jacob pronounced upon his sons the most extensive was upon Joseph. So Joseph is special in the Old Testament.Every positive trait in all of the patriarchs point to Christ. And Paul says that all the promises of God have their Yea and Amen in Christ.And the book of Hebrews potrays Christ as the climax of God's speaking through many prophets to the fathers."God, having spoken of old in many portions and in many ways to the fathers in the prophets has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son, whom He appoined Heir of all things ..." (Heb. 1:1)Many of us therefore have no problem seeing such a positive example of godliness as Joseph also as a precusor to Christ. It is not necessary that we be explicitely told so. Our appreciation for Christ informs us.And it stands to reason that if Jesus taught that He was the greater Temple, the greater Solomon, the greater Jonah that He is also the greater Joseph." ... behold something more than Jonah is here." (Matt. 12:41)

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"... behold, something more than Solomon is here." (12:42)

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" But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here." (12:6)We believe that He well could have added that something greater than Joseph was here also. As with the temple, Jonah, Solomon so also we regard Joseph as a positive Old Testament matter pointing to Christ to come. That is not in the Bible. So the comparison between Christ and Odin does not match that between Christ and Joseph, the temple, Jonah, Solomon, Aaron, Moses, etc.What similarities you might muse on would not cause me to say that Odin (a mythological character ) was a foreshadow of Christ in that same sense. I would have the same attitude towards the mythological Premetheus.I don't lump Odin, Prometheus, and Joseph all in the same catagory. I think the story of Joseph is history under the sovereignty of God and part of His progressive revelaton which has a climax in the incarnation.Prometheus and Odin are something entirely different whatever similarities one might want to imagine. Hebrews 1:2 doesn't include Premetheus and Odin in either the prophets or the fathers. The question here is not parellels between any two stories. The question concerns stories specifically involving men used by God in the Scriptures.Had any of them done totally perfect job then there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to finally come. These positive people were therefore precursors of Christ.You should remember how when Elijah and Moses appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus. Peter foolishly wanted to build three taberbnacles for each of them somewhat placing them on the same level.The voice of divinity said "This is My beloved Som with Whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." They looked up and saw Jesus only.Elijah and Moses were now to take a back seat to the Son of God. The same is true for Joseph. The foreshadowed the Son of God.Odin and Prometheus are altogether pagan mythology and have nothing to do with the incarnation of the Son of God. Maybe. But that's still how I feel.We needed quite an education to lead us up to the incarnation of the Son of God. The incarnation is so profound we needed many types, shadows, precursors, and symbols to prepare us for this Person - Christ. Portions of it a romantic. You have the universal bright woman in chapter 12 with her manchild. You have a Wife and her nemesis a Harlot.And the New Jerusalem is a consummate Bride and Wife extending the metaphor of Paul in Ephesians 5 that the church is the wife of Christ. And also you have the Bride preparing herself for Christ in chapter 19. It all depends upon how much revelation you see.It is not wrong to see less. But Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened that we would know what is the hope of His calling and what are the glory of the riches of His inheritance in the saints.Perhaps you should just be a little open that there are more riches of wisdom and revelation concerning God's eternal purpose.This is not a request to receive without discernment all manner of teachings. But there is more to see than perhaps you previously imagined. Maybe. I think we're on solid footing though.When I stand before Christ at His examination from His judgement seat, I will take the responsibility.I will say, Lord Jesus this is what I received in form of the teaching on Song of Songs. And this is how it effected my life. This is how I applied these teachings. And this is how I passed these teachings on to others.I trust that He will be the wise Judge to evaluate whether or not I handled the truth or pursued vanities.I will bear the responsibility for what I taught you. I think you should prove all things and hold fast to that which is good. If none of it seems good to you ignore it. Then again I see no reason for you to FIGHT against it.All that I have said I think glorifies Christ. I gave brief samples of rather extensive expositions. And my warning was that such concise examples would of course invite easily made objections.Now you are coming on with such expected easily made objections. But I stand with the examples. Too bad you seem not open to read more or go to the source and read the comments in their entirety. That's your opinion. I don't agree with it. However I can appreciate that you may not be at all ready for teaching like this. Here's another Apparently the writer of the book of Hebrews had some further spiritual lessons to pass on to his audience. But for one reason or another it was not the time to do so.This proves that the Holy Spirit did have further significances which could have been helpful to the Hebrew Christians. We do not know exactly what the writer would have said. But we do know that in principle there was more light to be obtained from Scripture on these details.The old hymn says "The Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from His word."I believe I have given some possibly open minded ones a sample from the Song of Songs. If you think there is nothing there that is OK. Perhaps some of the Hebrews recipients of that letter thought that nothing else needed to be said about the ark of the covenant.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Now I acertain there is perhaps one and one half person out there that may be open to my samples of comments on the Song of Songs.Here is a good note in the Recovery Version on this passage."My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. Now he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, He is glancing through the lattice. My beloved responds and says to me, rise up, my love, My beauty, and come away ..." (Song of Songs 2:9,10a) Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

The bride is also the sister of the Beloved because the incarnation has made both parties partakers of both human nature and divine nature. They are related in life (2 Peter 1:4; Heb. 2:11,14)Verse 1 - the Bridegroom, Christ, the Son in the Divine Trinity, answers and invites His beloved "friends" to enjoy His garden. The "friends" of the Son are the Father and the Holy Spirit.God the Father and God the Holy Spirit enjoy with God the Son Christ going down into His garden - the His lover and other lovers of Christ.He goes down to gather lilies (6:2). Lilies here represent faith. The flower fully flat opened wide to the sunlight symbolizes here the faith of Christ's lovers."I sleep, but my heart is awake" This means that the lover of Christ realizes that his old man has been crucified with Christ.For example:" I sleep " equals = "Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves." (Romans 6:6)Or also this NT passage:" I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)The lover of Christ appreciates that Christ's death on the cross was not only to shed redemptive blood to cleanse his sins away. It was also a death to terminate his old fallen Adamic self freeing him to live in union with Christ as the new man."My heart is awake" represents that thought the outward man, the old man is terminated, the new man, the inward manis living (my heart is awake - 2 Cor. 4:16)The Shulimite hears her Beloved knocking and asking her to open to Him as He reminds her of His suffering at Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion - (His head drenched with dew and His locks with the drops of the night).In 5:2 through 6:3 the lover of Jesus Christ is called more strongly to live within the viel. This deeper spiritual living in the sphere and realm of the indwelling Spirit is accomplished though the experience of the cross after resurrection.The lover of Christ sinks deeper in the spiritua life by applying the cross to one aspect or another of her old manner of life. The growth and transformation of the soul through the co-death with Christ sink her deeper and deeper in the love union.Even after she has ascended with Him as a new creation (3:6 - 5:1) she still needs to experience the cross. The flesh is with the believer throughout life until the physical return of the Lord Jesus. So the lover never graduates from the need have faith daily that she has been crucified with Christ.By doing so the lover of Jesus goes deeper into the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of heavenly tabernacle (Hebrews 8:2; 9:11-12,24) This is within the viel, signifying our flesh (Hebrews 19:19-20). This flesh, this fallen Adamic old man must be split through the stronger experience of the cross (Matt. 27:51)This brief word touches on the need for the Christian to know the terminating union obtained through the indweling of Christ. He not only died for our sins. He died to apply the cross to terminate that fallen flesh that we inherited from the fall of Adam. To walk in newness of the regenerated inner man we must go on to a deeper experience of the cross.These are not elementary spiritual teachings of the Christian life.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.