The greatest love song ever written

The books of scripture-history and prophecy are very much like one another, but this Song of Solomon’s is very much

unlike the songs of his father David; here is not the name of God in it; it is never quoted in the New Testament; we find not in it any expressions of natural religion or pious devotion, no,

nor is it introduced by vision, or any of the marks of immediate revelation. It seems as hard as any part of

scripture to be made a savour of life unto life, nay, and to those who come to the reading of it with carnal minds and corrupt affections, it is in danger of being made a savour of

death unto death; it is a flower out of which they extract poison; and therefore the Jewish doctors advised their young people not to read it till they were thirty years old, lest by the abuse of that which is most pure and sacred - the flames of

lust should be kindled with fire from heaven, which is intended for the altar only.

~ Puritan Commentator Matthew Henry

I give warning and advice to everyone who is not yet free of the vexations of flesh and blood and who has not withdrawn from the desire for

corporeal nature that he completely abstain from reading this book and what is said about it. Indeed, they say that the Hebrews observe the rule that unless some one has attained a

perfect and mature age, he is not even permitted to hold this book in his hands.

Origin (185-254)

Getting Our bearings

I. Setting the CONTEXT of the Book

A. The PLACEMENT in the Bible.

It is part of what is called the 5 Books of poetry in your Old testament.

• 1. The Book of Job—Finding God in our Suffering.

• 2. The Psalms—Praise through Prayer.

• 3. The Proverbs—Practicality through Precept.

• 4. Ecclesiastes—Key to life in reverse order.

• 5. Song of Solomon—Seeing our relationship with Christ.

NOTES

A. The PLACEMENT in the Bible.

B. The PATTERN in which it is written

Over 50% of the Old Testament was written in poetry form

• Our KJV is written in what is know as prose. Prose is the most typical form of language, which literally translates as 'straight-forward.

• Poetry is language spoken or written according to some pattern of recurrence that emphasizes relationships between words on the basis of sound as well as meaning. The English pattern is almost always a rhythm or metre (regular pattern of sound units)

• However the Hebrew form of poetry is done in a what is know as parallelism, in which the words of two or more lines of text are directly related in some way. (Proverbs)

NOTES

These style of writings were designed to be sung with emotion.

Songs and poetry was designed to be emotional.• Moses and the children of Israel after the

Red sea.• Deborah and children of Israel in Judges • Hannah after the birth of Samuel• Book of Psalms (palming)

Modern day • Sound of Music, Greece, Westside story,

High school musical• Love songs (Our song) • Weddings songs

NOTES

A. The PLACEMENT in the Bible.

B. The PATTERN in which it is written

C. The PENMAN of the book

The Title:• The Song of Songs which is Solomon’s

(vs.1)• The Song of Solomon (KJV short hand) • Lord of Lords, King of Kings ,Vanity of

Vanities• The best Song ever written

The Author:• The title alone makes obvious • He is mentioned 7 times in the book.

• (1Ki 4:32) And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

NOTES

A. The PLACEMENT in the Bible.

B. the PATTERN in which it is written

C. The PENMAN of the book

D. The PRESENT connection with modern Jewish ceremony

"The Song of Solomon is the first of the five Megilloth, the five scrolls read by the Jews at

various feasts: The Song of Solomon (8th day Passover), Ruth (Pentecost), Ecclesiastes (Tabernacle), Esther (Purim),

and Lamentations (anniversary of the destruction

of Jerusalem).

● Rabbi Akiba: "Perish the thought! No man of Israel

ever disputed about the Song of Songs, that it did not defile the hands. The whole world is not worth

the day on which the Song of Songs was given to

Israel, for all the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the

Holy of Holies…

I. Setting the CONTEXT of the Book II.Viewing the CORRECT

applications of the book

A. The PROPER historical in application.

This is not a episode of an early soap opera or skit or even a play. This is the story of a real living couple and the way they meet

There is a real Shulamite girl, that married the King of Israel

Now Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines; therefore there is a lot of options

What we know is that her only identity is from the place of origin and that she is name less

Maybe the Virtuous Women in Proverbs

NOTES

A. The PROPER historical in application.

B. The PROPHETIC doctrinal application

Ps. 45

A. The PROPER historical in application.

B. The PROPHETIC doctrinal application

C. The PERSONAL devotional application

From a personal level this book would apply to your relationship with your earthly spouse.

Eph. 5 NOTES

I. Setting the CONTEXT of the Book II.Viewing the CORRECT

applications of the bookIII.Understanding the literary

CHARACTERISTICS of the book

A. The historical PRACTICE for a King’s wedding

Through the centuries we have lost our knowledge of the customs of the marriage ceremonies of the Kings in the east.

Till the 1800’s when the discovery of ancient records revealed the way a king’s wedding was practice

The wedding would last a total of 7 days and on the 4th day the King and his bride would act out a melodrama of there court ship. And it was never in Chronologic order.

But to the guest that know them it would make since, by piecing it together

NOTES

When these Melodramas were written down , it would be a form of writing called “idylls”

These “idylls”are poem, or more accurately several short poems combined into one. An idyll is a little picture. It is a short pictorial poem; a short descriptive or narrative poem. The Song of Solomon is not a consecutive story.

With this in mind these lyric idylls may with perfect decorum, pick on different parts of the story, passing from the later to the earlier, without restriction to the order of time.

The other confusion is that the bride groom and the bride are not the only people speaking or singing. There are those that sing choruses

NOTES

THE SONG OF SOLOMON: A SUITE OF SEVEN IDYLLS

1. THE ROYAL WEDDING LIVED OVER AGAIN 1:1-2:7

2. THE BRIDE'S COURTSHIP REMINISCENCES 2:8-3:5

3. THE OCCASION OF THE BETROTHAL RECALLED 3:6-5:1

4. THE BRIDE'S TROUBLED DREAM RELATED 5:2-6:3

5. THE KING'S MEDITATION ON HIS BRIDE 6:4-7:9

6. THE BRIDE LONGS TO SEE HER OLD HOME 7:10-8:4

7. THE RENEWAL OF LOVE AT LEBANON 8:5-14

I. Setting the CONTEXT of the Book II.Viewing the CORRECT

applications of the bookIII.Understanding the literary

CHARACTERISTICS of the bookIV.Getting to know the main

CHARACTERS of the book

A. The PRETTY bride

(Son 6:13) Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

(1Ki 1:3) So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of

Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the

king.

(2Ki 4:12) And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood

before him.

She has a mother still living (3:4)She has a little sister that has not reached

puberty. (8:8) She is from an aristocratic family (8:12)She is drop dead gorgeous. (6:8)She has committed a sin where she was

punished (1:6)Vineyard keepers and Shepherds were of the

lowest degree of people

NOTES

A. The PRETTY brideB. The POOR

shepherd

Chapter 1:7This shepherd is out looking for a new field in

which to lead his sheep to graze and he comes and makes eye contact with the most gorgeous women he has ever seen and he breaks out in song (4:12-15)

This is the picture of Christ during his 1st coming

(Joh 10:27-28) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

NOTES

A. The PRETTY brideB. The POOR

shepherd C. The Powerful King

Solomon

(Son 3:6) Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

with all powders of the merchant?

(Son 3:7) Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are

about it, of the valiant of Israel.

The 1st times she meets him he has left the throne of his father and went out to attend to the sheep

But the 2nd time he meets her, she is sees him as the king with his army coming to get her for the marriage.

NOTES

A. The PRETTY brideB. The POOR

shepherd C. The Powerful King D. The PRINCESSES of

Jerusalem

The Repetitive Chorus(Son 2:7) I charge you, O ye daughters of

Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till

he please. 

(Son 3:5) I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till

he please. 

(Son 8:4) I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my

love, until he please.

The Theme Of The Song Of Solomon

(Son 1:4) Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath

brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in

thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright

love thee..