March 1, 2024

Is the Risk of Heartbreak Worth It?

Song of Solomon 8

Elizabeth Ho
Friday's Devo

March 1, 2024

Friday's Devo

March 1, 2024

Friday's Devo

March 1, 2024

Friday's Devo

March 1, 2024

Big Book Idea

God's design for relationships is always best.

Key Verse | Song of Solomon 8:7

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.

Song of Solomon 8

Longing for Her Beloved

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 1 8:6 Or ardor is fierce as the grave. 2 8:6 Hebrew as Sheol
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 3 8:7 Or it would be utterly despised.

Final Advice

Others

8  We have a little sister,
    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.

She

10  I was a wall,
    and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
    as one who finds 4 8:10 Or brings out 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.

He

13  O you who dwell in the gardens,
    with companions listening for your voice;
    let me hear it.

She

14  Make haste, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
    on the mountains of spices.

Footnotes

[1] 8:6 Or ardor
[2] 8:6 Hebrew as Sheol
[3] 8:7 Or it
[4] 8:10 Or brings out
Table of Contents
Introduction to The Song of Solomon

Introduction to The Song of Solomon

Timeline

Author and Date

The wording of the first verse in Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs; 1:1) does not necessarily mean that Solomon wrote the book. It may have been written by Solomon himself, or it could have been written in his honor. When he is mentioned (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12), it is generally as a distant, even idealized figure. What is known about Solomon suggests that he probably was not the writer himself (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1–8). However, the book was probably composed during Solomon’s time, perhaps under his oversight, between c. 960 and 931 B.C.

Theme

The Song of Solomon contains beautiful poetry expressing romantic love between a young man and a young woman in ancient Israel. He is a shepherd (1:7) and she is a shepherdess (1:8). They are looking forward to their marriage and the pleasure it will bring.

Interpreting Literary Images

The Song of Solomon includes several extravagant comparisons. For example, the woman is compared to a horse in Pharaoh’s court (1:9), and her hair is compared to a flock of goats (4:1). It is helpful to remember that (1) the comparisons are figurative rather than literal, and (2) what the person has in common with what he or she is compared with is a certain quality, usually the quality of excellence, or of being the best of its kind.

Structure

The author has presented the Song of Solomon as a series of exchanges, mostly between the shepherdess and the shepherd, with the chorus-like “others” sprinkled in. These others usually pick up items from the lovers’ speeches and urge the two forward in love. There is also a refrain, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, . . . that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (2:7; 3:5; 8:4; variation in 5:8), spoken by the shepherdess. This is understood as her urging the other women not to push this love too fast, in order to let it reach its consummation at the right time (the marriage bed, which seems to begin in 8:5).

Key Themes

  1. God’s law commands sexual purity. Marriage provides the right framework within which his people may properly enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy (see Gen. 2:23–24). Thus God’s people honor him and commend him to the world when they demonstrate with their lives that obedience in such matters brings genuine delight.
  2. Marriage is a gift of God, and is to be founded on loyalty and commitment (see Gen. 2:24, “hold fast”), which allows delight to flourish. As such, it is a fitting image for God’s relationship with his people.

Outline

  1. Title: The Best of Songs (1:1)
  2. The Lovers Yearn for Each Other (1:2–2:17)
  3. The Shepherdess Dreams (3:1–6:3)
  4. The Lovers Yearn for Each Other Again (6:4–8:4)
  5. The Lovers Join in Marriage (8:5–14)
The Global Message of The Song of Solomon

The Global Message of The Song of Solomon

The Song of Solomon paints a beautifully passionate, pure, and even provocative picture of marriage and sexuality. It may seem remarkable, to Christians and nonbelievers alike, that such a book is a part of the biblical canon. And how different Scripture would be without this book! What, then, is the global message of the Song of Solomon? What message does the universal church need to hear from its pages?

God’s Glorious Design in Marriage and Sexuality

Sexuality was God’s idea. Human sexuality is one of God’s most marvelous and blessed ideas. God is not boring, prudish, or ashamed of sex. To make the mating procedure whereby procreation takes place an experience of intense attraction, intense bonding, and intense pleasure was his idea! The beauty of human sexuality is expressed thoroughly and without hesitation in the Song of Solomon. The very first words of the young maiden express her intense desire for her beloved: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” (Song 1:2). There is a refreshing freedom, joy, and delight expressed by the couple in their passionate mutual admiration (1:9–10, 12–16; 2:9, 14; 4:1–15; 5:10–16; 6:5–10; 7:1–9), their intense sexual longing for marriage (1:2–2:17; 7:11–8:3), and the final and wonderful consummation of their marriage bond.

God’s gift to all humanity. The command to become one flesh pre-dates the fall (Gen. 1:28). Sex was not a concession to sinful mankind. It was a blessed provision and gift from God for humanity to enjoy. It is a gift of common grace.

God’s design for sexuality. God designed sex to be enjoyed within the marriage context. The repeated admonition not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases” emphasizes that there is a right and a wrong time for sex (see Song 2:7; 3:5; 8:4). Scripture strongly forbids the improper use and context of sex. For example, sex outside of marriage, or with someone other than one’s spouse, or with someone of the same sex are explicitly prohibited (Lev. 18:22; Prov. 5:20–23; 1 Cor. 6:9). Yet Scripture just as strongly commends the full enjoyment of sex within the God-ordained context of marriage (Prov. 5:15–19; 1 Cor. 7:3). Such sexual enjoyment between a husband and wife is a blessed expression of lifelong commitment and mutual delight. There is joyful celebration of the beauty of creation in the human body in all its features and distinctiveness. There is a wonder and glory in God’s creation of male and female, and the beauty of each gender complements the other. There is freedom and security found in unrivaled, exclusive, passionate, and lifelong commitment.

The Song of Solomon is refreshingly honest in acknowledging that waiting for love and not misusing sexuality are difficult. Sexual longing is not wrong, but sexual enjoyment before marriage defiles God’s design. Though sexual desire is great, sexual enjoyment must be waited for and enjoyed in God’s proper timing and design.

The World’s Broken Sexuality

This is a message that our world needs to hear. One of the most painful expressions of the fall of mankind in our world today is in the area of sexuality. Sexuality is broadly misunderstood, misused, and abused. While various cultures and each generation offer varied and supposedly “progressive” perspectives on sexuality, God’s view is timeless.

We live in a fallen world in need of a Savior. Marital conflict, divorce, sexual immorality, and sexual abuse teach us of the painful impact of sin and each person’s desperate need for a Savior. The Internet has radically transformed the nature of pornography, now that it is almost universally accessible. Around the world there is an unprecedented amount of trafficking in human beings, a large proportion of whom are exploited and abused in the sex industry. Such abuse of men, women, and even children, all of whom are made in God’s image and have inherent dignity, is wicked. Indeed, it is one of the most God-offending, pervasive, and evil forms of wrongful sexuality in our world today.

The Global Church’s Witness in Sexuality

Through Christ, God’s design for humanity in all its fullness is being restored and renewed. The Song of Solomon presents a picture of God-honoring sexual delight that is one expression of the blessed life that we have in Christ and his glorious redemption.

Christians, however, have often been among those who have misunderstood or misused sexuality. Some have taught or have been taught to be ashamed of sex. To lack joy and delight in the gift of sexuality within marriage is to miss God’s perfect design and provision. There is also brokenness in the global church because of failing marriages, adultery, and sexual abuse. Such sexual abuse has stained not only the church but also its leaders.

There is a need for discussion and teaching about sexuality within the church. This is utterly countercultural in some societies, where sex is not something openly discussed. Whatever its cultural situation, however, the church must take up its responsibility to teach about such topics rather than allowing its people to learn about sexuality from secular society.

Discussion and teaching about issues of sexuality should be forthright but also appropriately modest. It requires cultural sensitivity and biblical wisdom. The content of such teachings and discussions will likely challenge cultural norms. In addition to such discussion there is need for repentance, gospel renewal, mentoring, and encouragement.

Our Witness to the World regarding Sexuality

The area of sexuality and the beautiful picture presented in the Song of Solomon are opportunities to share with the world the blessed “otherness,” the holiness and beauty, of the Christian faith.

The original meaning of the word “martyr” is “witness.” This word was used in the early days of Christianity not merely for those who suffered death for the faith; it was more broadly applied to every Christian’s privilege to bear witness to Christ and the Christian faith, whether in life or death. As witnesses, Christians have the tremendous opportunity to share and to show to the world the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the glorious vision of a life renewed in the gospel. Such witness can be displayed to the world in each sphere of life—in finances, work, family, leisure, study, and even in sexuality.

Christians should have more accurate things to say about sex and a more rightful enjoyment of sex than anyone. This is a part of our living and visible witness to the world—that God and God’s ways are right and righteous and joy-filled. The enjoyment and the jealous protection of love are “flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD” (Song 8:6). Through Christ, God is jealously and graciously restoring humanity. A part of that restoration is in the blessed enjoyment of and witness to God’s wonderful gift of sexuality.

2 Samuel Fact #19: Song of Deliverance

Fact: Song of Deliverance

David’s Song of Deliverance is nearly identical to Psalm 18. Perhaps 2 Samuel 22 was meant to be read aloud for instruction and Psalm 18 was meant to be sung or prayed as part of worship.

Song of Solomon Fact #4: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees

Fact: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees

Vineyards, fields, and palm trees. The Song of Solomon takes place in a rural setting, and the lovers describe each other using images drawn from this context. The man is a shepherd, and the woman works in her family’s vineyard.

2 Samuel Fact #17: Kissing

Fact: Kissing

Kissing was a cultural means of showing respect, friendship, or reverence, as it is in many places today. A kiss was often given as a form of greeting or farewell (19:39). There are only three places in all of Scripture where kissing is connected with romance (Prov. 7:13, Song 1:2; 8:1.).

Song of Solomon Fact #3: Daughters of Jerusalem

Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem

The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.

Study Notes

Song. 8:1 This verse seems to indicate that, in Israelite culture, romantic kisses were reserved for private situations, while a kiss of family affection was considered appropriate in public. Thus, the woman wishes that her lover were a brother.

2 Samuel Fact #17: Kissing

Fact: Kissing

Kissing was a cultural means of showing respect, friendship, or reverence, as it is in many places today. A kiss was often given as a form of greeting or farewell (19:39). There are only three places in all of Scripture where kissing is connected with romance (Prov. 7:13, Song 1:2; 8:1.).

Study Notes

Song. 6:4–8:4 The Lovers Yearn for Each Other Again. The dream of 3:1–6:3 is over. The man and woman now offer words of praise to each other.

Song. 8:4 Here is the final instance of urging the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time (compare 2:7; 3:5). The period of waiting is almost over.

Song of Solomon Fact #3: Daughters of Jerusalem

Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem

The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.

Study Notes

Song. 8:5 The Hebrew word for leaning implies that the man and woman are now married. In 2:3 the apple tree was a place of love; here it is the place of childbirth, which is what romantic love ideally leads to. I awakened you indicates that the woman sexually awakens the man as they consummate their marriage.

Study Notes

Song. 8:6 Love, like death, is persistent, always accomplishing its goal. flame of the LORD. This is the only mention of the divine name in the entire Song of Solomon, but it is fitting in a book of covenant wisdom. Both love and the jealous desire to protect one’s marriage are gifts from the Lord.

Study Notes

Song. 8:7 The image of many waters that cannot quench love continues the image of love as a fire in v. 6. Likewise, floods are unable to drown it.

Study Notes

Song. 8:5–14 The Lovers Join in Marriage. The pair have gone from yearning to be joined together, to actually being married and consummating their union. The tension of the previous chapters—the anxious waiting, the concern for propriety—gives way to relaxed enjoyment.

Song. 8:14 For gazelle and young stag, see 2:7, 17. Mountains of spices refers to the woman (see 4:6). The Song of Solomon closes with the man and woman delighting themselves with their enjoyment of each other.

Introduction to The Song of Solomon

Introduction to The Song of Solomon

Timeline

Author and Date

The wording of the first verse in Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs; 1:1) does not necessarily mean that Solomon wrote the book. It may have been written by Solomon himself, or it could have been written in his honor. When he is mentioned (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12), it is generally as a distant, even idealized figure. What is known about Solomon suggests that he probably was not the writer himself (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1–8). However, the book was probably composed during Solomon’s time, perhaps under his oversight, between c. 960 and 931 B.C.

Theme

The Song of Solomon contains beautiful poetry expressing romantic love between a young man and a young woman in ancient Israel. He is a shepherd (1:7) and she is a shepherdess (1:8). They are looking forward to their marriage and the pleasure it will bring.

Interpreting Literary Images

The Song of Solomon includes several extravagant comparisons. For example, the woman is compared to a horse in Pharaoh’s court (1:9), and her hair is compared to a flock of goats (4:1). It is helpful to remember that (1) the comparisons are figurative rather than literal, and (2) what the person has in common with what he or she is compared with is a certain quality, usually the quality of excellence, or of being the best of its kind.

Structure

The author has presented the Song of Solomon as a series of exchanges, mostly between the shepherdess and the shepherd, with the chorus-like “others” sprinkled in. These others usually pick up items from the lovers’ speeches and urge the two forward in love. There is also a refrain, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, . . . that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (2:7; 3:5; 8:4; variation in 5:8), spoken by the shepherdess. This is understood as her urging the other women not to push this love too fast, in order to let it reach its consummation at the right time (the marriage bed, which seems to begin in 8:5).

Key Themes

  1. God’s law commands sexual purity. Marriage provides the right framework within which his people may properly enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy (see Gen. 2:23–24). Thus God’s people honor him and commend him to the world when they demonstrate with their lives that obedience in such matters brings genuine delight.
  2. Marriage is a gift of God, and is to be founded on loyalty and commitment (see Gen. 2:24, “hold fast”), which allows delight to flourish. As such, it is a fitting image for God’s relationship with his people.

Outline

  1. Title: The Best of Songs (1:1)
  2. The Lovers Yearn for Each Other (1:2–2:17)
  3. The Shepherdess Dreams (3:1–6:3)
  4. The Lovers Yearn for Each Other Again (6:4–8:4)
  5. The Lovers Join in Marriage (8:5–14)
The Global Message of The Song of Solomon

The Global Message of The Song of Solomon

The Song of Solomon paints a beautifully passionate, pure, and even provocative picture of marriage and sexuality. It may seem remarkable, to Christians and nonbelievers alike, that such a book is a part of the biblical canon. And how different Scripture would be without this book! What, then, is the global message of the Song of Solomon? What message does the universal church need to hear from its pages?

God’s Glorious Design in Marriage and Sexuality

Sexuality was God’s idea. Human sexuality is one of God’s most marvelous and blessed ideas. God is not boring, prudish, or ashamed of sex. To make the mating procedure whereby procreation takes place an experience of intense attraction, intense bonding, and intense pleasure was his idea! The beauty of human sexuality is expressed thoroughly and without hesitation in the Song of Solomon. The very first words of the young maiden express her intense desire for her beloved: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” (Song 1:2). There is a refreshing freedom, joy, and delight expressed by the couple in their passionate mutual admiration (1:9–10, 12–16; 2:9, 14; 4:1–15; 5:10–16; 6:5–10; 7:1–9), their intense sexual longing for marriage (1:2–2:17; 7:11–8:3), and the final and wonderful consummation of their marriage bond.

God’s gift to all humanity. The command to become one flesh pre-dates the fall (Gen. 1:28). Sex was not a concession to sinful mankind. It was a blessed provision and gift from God for humanity to enjoy. It is a gift of common grace.

God’s design for sexuality. God designed sex to be enjoyed within the marriage context. The repeated admonition not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases” emphasizes that there is a right and a wrong time for sex (see Song 2:7; 3:5; 8:4). Scripture strongly forbids the improper use and context of sex. For example, sex outside of marriage, or with someone other than one’s spouse, or with someone of the same sex are explicitly prohibited (Lev. 18:22; Prov. 5:20–23; 1 Cor. 6:9). Yet Scripture just as strongly commends the full enjoyment of sex within the God-ordained context of marriage (Prov. 5:15–19; 1 Cor. 7:3). Such sexual enjoyment between a husband and wife is a blessed expression of lifelong commitment and mutual delight. There is joyful celebration of the beauty of creation in the human body in all its features and distinctiveness. There is a wonder and glory in God’s creation of male and female, and the beauty of each gender complements the other. There is freedom and security found in unrivaled, exclusive, passionate, and lifelong commitment.

The Song of Solomon is refreshingly honest in acknowledging that waiting for love and not misusing sexuality are difficult. Sexual longing is not wrong, but sexual enjoyment before marriage defiles God’s design. Though sexual desire is great, sexual enjoyment must be waited for and enjoyed in God’s proper timing and design.

The World’s Broken Sexuality

This is a message that our world needs to hear. One of the most painful expressions of the fall of mankind in our world today is in the area of sexuality. Sexuality is broadly misunderstood, misused, and abused. While various cultures and each generation offer varied and supposedly “progressive” perspectives on sexuality, God’s view is timeless.

We live in a fallen world in need of a Savior. Marital conflict, divorce, sexual immorality, and sexual abuse teach us of the painful impact of sin and each person’s desperate need for a Savior. The Internet has radically transformed the nature of pornography, now that it is almost universally accessible. Around the world there is an unprecedented amount of trafficking in human beings, a large proportion of whom are exploited and abused in the sex industry. Such abuse of men, women, and even children, all of whom are made in God’s image and have inherent dignity, is wicked. Indeed, it is one of the most God-offending, pervasive, and evil forms of wrongful sexuality in our world today.

The Global Church’s Witness in Sexuality

Through Christ, God’s design for humanity in all its fullness is being restored and renewed. The Song of Solomon presents a picture of God-honoring sexual delight that is one expression of the blessed life that we have in Christ and his glorious redemption.

Christians, however, have often been among those who have misunderstood or misused sexuality. Some have taught or have been taught to be ashamed of sex. To lack joy and delight in the gift of sexuality within marriage is to miss God’s perfect design and provision. There is also brokenness in the global church because of failing marriages, adultery, and sexual abuse. Such sexual abuse has stained not only the church but also its leaders.

There is a need for discussion and teaching about sexuality within the church. This is utterly countercultural in some societies, where sex is not something openly discussed. Whatever its cultural situation, however, the church must take up its responsibility to teach about such topics rather than allowing its people to learn about sexuality from secular society.

Discussion and teaching about issues of sexuality should be forthright but also appropriately modest. It requires cultural sensitivity and biblical wisdom. The content of such teachings and discussions will likely challenge cultural norms. In addition to such discussion there is need for repentance, gospel renewal, mentoring, and encouragement.

Our Witness to the World regarding Sexuality

The area of sexuality and the beautiful picture presented in the Song of Solomon are opportunities to share with the world the blessed “otherness,” the holiness and beauty, of the Christian faith.

The original meaning of the word “martyr” is “witness.” This word was used in the early days of Christianity not merely for those who suffered death for the faith; it was more broadly applied to every Christian’s privilege to bear witness to Christ and the Christian faith, whether in life or death. As witnesses, Christians have the tremendous opportunity to share and to show to the world the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the glorious vision of a life renewed in the gospel. Such witness can be displayed to the world in each sphere of life—in finances, work, family, leisure, study, and even in sexuality.

Christians should have more accurate things to say about sex and a more rightful enjoyment of sex than anyone. This is a part of our living and visible witness to the world—that God and God’s ways are right and righteous and joy-filled. The enjoyment and the jealous protection of love are “flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD” (Song 8:6). Through Christ, God is jealously and graciously restoring humanity. A part of that restoration is in the blessed enjoyment of and witness to God’s wonderful gift of sexuality.

2 Samuel Fact #19: Song of Deliverance

Fact: Song of Deliverance

David’s Song of Deliverance is nearly identical to Psalm 18. Perhaps 2 Samuel 22 was meant to be read aloud for instruction and Psalm 18 was meant to be sung or prayed as part of worship.

Song of Solomon Fact #4: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees

Fact: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees

Vineyards, fields, and palm trees. The Song of Solomon takes place in a rural setting, and the lovers describe each other using images drawn from this context. The man is a shepherd, and the woman works in her family’s vineyard.

S3:045 Song of Solomon 8

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Dive Deeper | Song of Solomon 8

Despite facing conflicts and insecurities, the couple's love and passion endure, demonstrating the strength of their bond. The Shulammite is still excited about seeing her husband, so much so that she wants to be able to show affection openly in public. She wishes he was like her brother because it was culturally acceptable to display affection to family members in public. She also cherishes the intimate and tender moments they share in private. They continue to invest time in nurturing their love and deepening their intimacy.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 vividly portrays love as "the very flame of the Lord," an unstoppable force that no waters can quench or floods drown. This divine love finds its source in God Himself, as stated in 1 John 4:7-8.  The intensity of human love serves as a testament to an even greater love, the love of God for us. 

I grew up in a troubled family; and as a result, I thought love was conditional, based on being good enough or performing to gain acceptance. How wonderful that God's love for me remains steadfast even when I make mistakes or fail to live up to societal standards. His love for us knows no bounds; it is vast, indestructible, and eternal (Romans 8:38-39). Out of the abundance of God's love for me and His work in me, I can love others (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13). God has saved me from my old life of fear, insecurities, and darkness; and in response to His grace, I want to love others and "be imitators of God . . . . And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us . . . ." (Ephesians 5:1-2).

God has designed marriage to last. He doesn't want us to give up on marriage when things get tough or when we think our spouse has become boring and dull. The metaphor of "floods" representing overwhelming challenges emphasizes that true love endures even in the face of life's toughest trials. When we follow God's way and allow Him to work through us, the "floods" that a couple experiences will bring them even closer together.

This month's memory verse

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

– Romans 5:8

Discussion Questions

1.  After going through the insecurities, trials, and forgiveness experienced in marriage, the couple reaches a point where they can delve even deeper into the joys of romance and marriage. How can couples nurture and sustain romance and passion in their marriage over time? Why doesn't it just happen naturally?

2.  We see in the Song of Solomon that marriage takes place in a larger social context. Family, friends, and society at large play a role in this book. How has your study of the Song of Solomon influenced your understanding of the importance of the wider community in choosing a spouse?

3.  The Song of Solomon reveals that love is "the very flame of the LORD" (Song of Solomon 8:6) and "[m]any waters cannot quench love" (Song of Solomon 8:7). How have you grown in your understanding of human love through your study of the Song of Solomon? How does this differ from what you see in culture?

4.  How can single people trust God to bring a potential spouse into their lives and develop their relationships? Can single people who desire to be married take a passive approach in finding a spouse?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

MS

Michael Scaman

I see the closing chapter as an enjoyment of the happily ever after, real deal one-ness, close intimacy of mutual one and only's. This is in in contrast to passing flings, playing around, leaving a person as a one and lonely. While many have regrets it might be noted that Solomon hisself was the result of a tragic trainwreck of choices by King David and sexual misconduct. Yet, Solomon would not look at himself as 'a mistake' but as 'beloved' and so does the Shulamite. A divine irony? God calls order out of even this apperant chos and has Solomon write three books of wisdom. On the subject of good and bad choices a poem. Title: Seal my heart for what's true, not passing mistakes An imagined poem by Sylvia Plath, the themes of regret, introspection, and the search for redemption in Song of Solomon chapter 8 In the poetry of my soul's lament, My heart still fixed on enduring love, where forever is meant. In the shadows of my mind, I dwell, Haunted by the echoes of regret's knell. Each missed chance, a dagger in my soul, As I wander through the ruins of what was once whole. I longed for love lasting, hoped for better, Made myself vulnerable, seeking forever. Like a specter, my past follows me, A ghostly reminder of what could never be. Oh, the roads not taken, the words left unsaid, The dreams abandoned, the love left for dead. Through the valleys of regret, I roam, Guided by the promise of love's sweet home. Yet still, amidst the wreckage of my past, I search for meaning, for peace at last. For in the depths of regret's despair, I find the seeds of hope, fragile and rare. Real love, enduring as death's cold grip, A steadfast flame amidst passion's fleeting trip. Though I cannot undo what has been done, I hold onto the promise of a new dawn. And in the quiet of my darkest night, I embrace the possibility of redemption's light. In this journey, seeking forever love, A quest beyond fleeting flings, far above.
GJ

greg jones

Song of Solomon has been associated with Passover and the exodus out of Egypt for thousands of years now. Nobody is really sure why. Many of the poems are set in the spring and Passover is a spring festival so for the people who study such things they’re pretty sure that has something to do with it. One thought is that whoever put this compilation together wasn’t thinking about Passover so the link between Passover and God’s relationship with his people comes later. Another thought is that the compilation is put together and is immediately linked with Passover. Who can know? What has bothered most people who have weighed in on the opinions for the past couple of thousands of years is the overtly sexualized depiction of the love between the man and the woman to represent a relationship between God and man in any kind of Jewish sense. Another thing that troubles them is that there is no plot to Song of Songs and that just adds more difficulty to placing meaning to it. Hosea depicts a similar type of challenging relationship but is easier to figure out. “When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord’” (Hosea 2:1). The idea of marriage as a metaphor for God’s relationship with his people is announced. So as the story goes Hosea married Gomer and she conceived and gives birth to a son. And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel” (Hosea 1:4). The purpose of the name is to cause Israel and Judah to reflect back on the history of Jezreel and Jehu 2 Kings 9:1-10:36. Interesting side note 2 Kings 10:30 God is recorded as telling Jehu he has “done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart.” But picking back up in Hosea two more children are going to be born No Mercy and Not My People because of what was carried out by Jehu at Jezreel. Elizabeth makes this point, “When we follow God's way and allow Him to work through us, the "floods" that a couple experiences will bring them even closer together.” I agree with that. But according the Word in Hosea God’s way can apparently trip us up in a moment. 2 Kings 10:30 it’s believed by the writer that God has approved of Jehu’s blood letting in Jezreel. Hosea the prophet has God condemning it. I love the Bible’s honesty about that. Talking about Song Of Songs again. I like it as a song that can be the theme song for many events in Israel’s history. When you apply the song to unjust scenes you associate a sexual perversion with what is going on in the foreground. The longings, which are many throughout S of S convey a desire for a lover of justice and peace, with a power to do justice and bring peace, to show up. Though the song has no plot, it brings to a narrative a desire as strong as a sexual desire to the plot it accompanies. It has a power to expose the difference between strong desires that are born out of a sense of entitlement and strong desires that are born out of a sense of justice. I love the book Song of Songs for that reason. Everyone wants justice 2 Samuel 12:5-6. Rarely am I aware of how my own sense of entitlement can pervert my desire for justice until someone or something points it out to me 2 Samuel 12:7-8. Good morning Elizabeth. Song of Solomon sounds pretty amazing playing in the background of your story and how you are ministering. Great deeper dive.
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Michael Sisson

Re: Song 8:1 Song of Solomon 8:1 (NASB1995) “Oh that you were like a brother to me Who nursed at my mother's breasts. If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you; No one would despise me, either. Like Joseph, Yeshua (Jesus) presently goes unrecognized by His own brethren. Were Yeshua recognized as a brother, none would despise those who embrace Him. However, today when Jews publicly embraced Him as the Bridegroom, those who do so are despised and even declared dead by their own families.
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Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Elizabeth. I learned from the NET Bible notes that the first two verses can be classified as a "lover's wish song." They are similar to an ancient Egyptian song, so Solomon was borrowing from another culture in this last part of his book. "The Beloved expresses her desire for greater freedom to display her affection for Solomon. In ancient Near Eastern cultures the public display of affection between a man and woman was frowned upon—sometimes even punished. For example, in Assyrian laws the punishment for a man kissing a woman in public was to cut off his upper lip. On the other hand, public displays of affection between children and between family members were allowed. Accordingly, the Beloved hyperbolically wished that she and Solomon were children from the same family so she could kiss him anytime she wished without fear of punishment or censure." I love learning cultural things that enlarge my understanding of God's word!
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Amy Lowther

1. Couples can nurture and sustain romance and passion in their marriage over time by “making” time for their marriage, being true and intentional. Romance and passion can also be nurtured and sustained by listening to God and applying what is learned in daily life. Romance and passion can happen naturally, but they won”t happen instantly. 2. It encourages me organization is important. 3. The book of Solomon is interesting but love is love. In today’s culture, some people work and talk about love. Some people don’t. 4. If we trust ourselves as God prefers, we believe in ourselves and have a better idea of what we need and don’t need. We value ourselves and thus will trust and value others. Yes, but it’s always best to be active in practicing good health (which includes relationships). Elizabeth - Thank you for sharing your ideas. You make a good point in saying, “The intensity of human love serves as a testament to an even greater love, the love of God for us”. Well said!