Editor's note: Yesterday, we featured session one from Song of Songs Bible Study Guide by Lisa Harper. You can read it here and then enjoy today's devotion. Don't miss the Song of Songs Online Bible Study starting August 24th!
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Read Song of Songs 1:1–4
The first four verses of Song of Songs (after the introduction of the book in verse 1) are poetic verse from the perspective of the woman. This woman, Shulamite, is Solomon’s true love, and she describes her deep passion and love for him. Solomon in this poetry is the King Solomon, king over all of Israel. He falls in love with Shulamite, a woman with no royal status and who is much more lowly compared to him. He could have had any woman, but he chose and desires her. She may have been a servant at some point in his father’s palace, or he may have simply seen her from afar and loved her. Don’t ever forget, Solomon’s status in contrast to Shulamite’s mirrors the God of the universe being in love with you!
Notice the heightened language that is common in poetry and the way Shulamite describes the depth of their love in these very first verses.
Your love is better than wine (ESV), she declares.
While they are not yet married, it is clear from the start that Shulamite has felt love from Solomon and is experiencing a deep longing to be with him, not sexually, much more intimately and personally than the flesh. One thing Origen noted over and again in his commentary on Song of Songs was how the relationship described was so much greater than a bodily experience; it was deeply spiritual.1
Just as Adam and Eve were separated from the original nearness and union with God in the garden, we, too, feel a separation from Him ongoing in our souls. We long to be with Him, and Shulamite is expressing that sense in these opening verses. It’s interesting to note also that the allegorical interpretation of these opening verses is that Shulamite represents the soul’s quest for God and a deep relationship with the divine.
1. Read verses 2–3 slowly. Think about the purpose of poetry. While poetry can be analyzed, it is also meant to be treasured and experienced. Treasure and experience verses 2–3, first from the perspective of the woman and then from your perspective as you meditate on your relationship with God. How does slow meditation on these verses enhance its meaning for you?
2. In the ancient world, perfumes were expensive and beautifully fragrant. What do you think it means that Shulamite compares Solomon’s name to perfume? What would a modern-day comparison be that expresses that kind of love?
3. It is very countercultural that the woman’s voice would begin this poem. She is the one seen longing for and even pursuing the man in these early verses. Why do you think the author chose to highlight her voice at the start of this book?
All Scripture points us to Christ.
4. Read verse 4 below and circle each verb.
(She)
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
(Friends)
We rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
(She)
How right they are to adore you!
What kind of love do you think this is based on the verbs you circled? Is their love calm? Detached? Frenzied? Passionate? Describe what it sounds like to you.
Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. — Song of Songs 1:4
5. Isaiah 54:5 says,
For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
In the book of Genesis, God chooses Abraham to be the father of His chosen people, Israel. God makes a promise to Abraham, and later to Moses in Exodus, that He will be Israel’s God and they will be His people. These promises are called covenants. They are sacred promises, much like a marriage vow.
At the time of Isaiah, God’s people are fully in a covenant with Him, and Isaiah is challenging God’s people to live out that covenant faithfully.
Knowing Isaiah used marriage as a metaphor for God’s relationship with His people, what does that tell us about God? List the top three attributes of God that this metaphor evokes for you. Then describe why.
6. With Isaiah 54:5 in mind, return to Song of Songs 1:1–4. Reread the passage and notice each time the language evokes love, passion, and belonging in a relationship. How does Song of Songs invite us to meditate on God’s love for His people? And for us?
7. Today’s scripture, verses 1–4, invites us to imagine the longing of the woman as our own longing for intimacy with Christ. Write a prayer that reflects your own longing for God as the bride of Christ.
1. Origen. The Song of Songs, Commentary and Homilies: Ancient Christian Writers (The Newman Press, 1957).
Excerpted with permission from Song of Songs Bible Study Guide by Lisa Harper, copyright Lisa Harper.
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Your Turn
We feel a separation from God ongoing in our souls. He is inviting us to join in a close relationship with Him that’s passionate and fulfilling. Come join us for the Song of Songs Online Bible Study starting August 24th and we’ll learn all about His love for us! ~ Devotionals Daily