Editor's note: Enjoy today's devotion from Song of Songs Bible Study Guide by Lisa Harper. Don't miss the Song of Songs Online Bible Study starting August 24th! Here's session one:
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Opening Group Activity (10–15 Minutes)
What You’ll Need
• A notecard for each person
• Pens or markers
1. Each participant is invited to write down the name or description of one of their favorite love stories. It could be from a book, a movie, a song, a cultural story, or their own life. On the other side of the notecard, each participant should write down words or phrases that come to mind when they reflect on that story.
Example: (front of card) Romeo and Juliet, (back of card) desire, longing, passion
2. After each participant decides on their love story and writes down their descriptive words, discuss the following questions:
Why is that story one of your favorites?
What words/phrases did you write on your card and why?
What common themes or patterns did you notice from each participants’ choices?
Do any of those themes reflect the love of God for you? Why or why not?
Scripture covered in this session:
Jeremiah 2:1–2; Isaiah 54:5–7; Ephesians 5:25, 32; Revelation 19:6–8; Luke 24:13–21, 27;
Watch Session One Video (37 Minutes)
As you watch, take notes on anything that stands out to you.
God loves you very intimately, even when you shrink back from His embrace.
Some scholars prefer to consider Song of Songs as psalms and wisdom literature together.
The title, Song of Songs, is a Hebrew superlative (best song ever!). Rabbi Akiva describes this book as the Bible’s “holy of holies.”1
Scholars who considered Song of Songs one of the most important books in the canon: Origen (AD 185–254), St. Jerome (c. AD 347–420), Martin Luther (1483–1546), Dietrich Bonhofeffer (1906–1945)
Five biblical interpretations (senses/styles/methods): allegory, drama, political, literal, or mythical/cultic
Marital language is used throughout Scripture for God’s relationship with us.
A Christological interpretation considers the historical significance of the text (literal) then moves into how the text informs our relationship with Christ using symbolism (allegorical).
The man and woman of Song of Songs are King Solomon and a woman named Shulamite (the male version of Solomon’s name).
It is surprising that Shulamite starts the story, which would have been considered culturally shameful in the tenth century BCE.
θεόπνευστος (theopneustos) means “God-breathed.” All Scripture is God-breathed, including Song of Songs.
Song of Songs is a declaration of the level of intimacy Christ wants with us (Jeanne Guyon, in the 1700s, was imprisoned for saying so).2
Group Discussion Questions Group Discussion Questions (30–45 Minutes)
Leader Note: Spend time discussing the questions below together. As the leader, you can decide which questions to discuss, allowing flexibility for conversation and group interest.
1. For many of us, Song of Songs is a book we only hear about in the context of marriage.
What experience, if any, have you had with Song of Songs?
When you think of this book, what comes to mind for you?
How do you feel about framing Song of Songs as informing our view of our relationship with God?
2. Select a volunteer to read Song of Songs 1:1–3 aloud to the group.
What word or phrase that Shulamite uses to describe her beloved stands out to you?
Why?
3. Lisa talked about how she has sometimes viewed God as disappointed in her, causing her to strive to "do better, be better." Have you ever been tempted to frame your relationship with God as one of constant striving?
Why do you think that seeing God that way hinders our relationship with Him?
4. Have a participant read Luke 24:25–27 out loud to the group. The interpretive method, or style, we will be using for studying Song of Songs is what is called the Christological (or Jesus-centered) lens. Christological interpretation combines literal and allegorical interpretations.
How familiar are you with the idea of interpreting Scripture through a Jesus-centered lens?
Jesus came to delight in us. That delight is reflected in the poetic descriptions in Song of Songs.
Can you think of other stories in the Old Testament that point to Jesus or tell us about Him in an indirect way like Song of Songs?
5. Many Scriptures utilize marital language to describe God’s relationship with His people. Select a volunteer to read Ephesians 5:25–32.
What are two to three aspects of marriage that help us better understand God’s relationship with us?
6. The metaphor of Christ as the Bridegroom and the body of believers as Christ’s bride is a beautiful picture throughout Scripture that uses relational intimacy to express Christ’s love for us. Select volunteers to look up and read Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:25–29, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:7–9, Acts 20:28, and Isaiah 54:5 aloud to the group.
What is one practical step you can take this week to lean deeper into the embrace of Christ, as Christ’s bride?
Closing Prayer
Consider these prompts as you pray together for:
• An openness to receive God’s love in new and more intimate ways
• God’s Spirit to challenge each of you to reflect on the areas in your life where God’s love is harder to believe
• A commitment to lean deeper into God’s embrace throughout this study
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.3 ~ A. W. Tozer
1. Jonathan Kaplan. “The Holy of Holies or the Holiest? Rabbi Akiva's Characterization of Song of Songs in Mishnah Yadayim 3:5,” in “It’s Better to Hear the Rebuke of the Wise than the Song of Fools” (Qoh 7:5): Proceedings of the Midrash Section, Society of Biblical Literature 6, (2016): https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.31826/9781463236809-004/html.
2. Madame Guyon. A Short and Easy Method of Prayer: Discovering Peace and Intimacy through Fellowship with God (1685).
3. A. W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life (HarperOne, 1978), 1.
Excerpted with permission from Song of Songs Bible Study Guide by Lisa Harper, copyright Lisa Harper.
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Your Turn
What if Song of Songs was also written as a love letter to you from God? Are you ready for the kind of closeness He wants with you? Do you know how much He truly loves you? ~ Devotionals Daily