Song of Solomon E-Book

Jay Harvey

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Knowing the Bible
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 96

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. The book of Song of Solomon recounts the romantic love between a young man and a young woman, written in the form of poems. The depiction of marriage in this book—characterized by beauty, passion, difficulty, and commitment—offers modern readers a divine perspective on human love. This 12-week study highlights the practical wisdom embedded in this poem and its place in the larger biblical story, reflecting God's love toward his people and offering a much-needed message for our world today. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

Leseprobe

SONG OF SOLOMON

A 12-WEEK STUDY

Jay Harvey

Knowing the Bible: Song of Solomon, A 12-Week Study

Copyright © 2018 by Crossway

Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Some content used in this study guide has been adapted from the ESV Study Bible, copyright © 2008 by Crossway, pages 1211–1228. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design: Simplicated Studio

First printing 2018

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard ­Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News ­Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-5558-9 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-5561-9 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-5559-6 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-5560-2

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover PageTitle PageCopyrightSeries Preface: J. I. Packer and Lane T. DennisWeek 1:     OverviewWeek 2:     The Desire of the Woman (1:1–4)Week 3:     The Restoration of Honor (1:5–11)Week 4:     Anticipating Marriage (1:12–2:7)Week 5:     The Discipline of Waiting (2:8–17)Week 6:     A Night of Insecurity (3:1–5)Week 7:     The Wedding (3:6–5:1)Week 8:     The Dream (5:2–6:3)Week 9:     Renewed Contemplation (6:4–12)Week 10:   Renewed Consummation (6:13–8:4)Week 11:   Epilogue (8:5–14)Week 12:   Summary and Conclusion

SERIES PREFACE

KNOWING THE BIBLE, as the series title indicates, was created to help readers know and understand the meaning, the message, and the God of the Bible. Each volume in the series consists of 12 units that progressively take the reader through a clear, concise study of one or more books of the Bible. In this way, any given volume can fruitfully be used in a 12-week format either in group study, such as in a church-based context, or in individual study. Of course, these 12 studies could be completed in fewer or more than 12 weeks, as convenient, depending on the context in which they are used.

Each study unit gives an overview of the text at hand before digging into it with a series of questions for reflection or discussion. The unit then concludes by highlighting the gospel of grace in each passage (“Gospel Glimpses”), identifying whole-Bible themes that occur in the passage (“Whole-Bible Connections”), and pinpointing Christian doctrines that are affirmed in the passage (“Theological Soundings”).

The final component to each unit is a section for reflecting on personal and practical implications from the passage at hand. The layout provides space for recording responses to the questions proposed, and we think readers need to do this to get the full benefit of the exercise. The series also includes definitions of key words. These definitions are indicated by a note number in the text and are found at the end of each chapter.

Lastly, to help understand the Bible in this deeper way, we urge readers to use the ESV Bible and the ESV Study Bible, which are available in various print and digital formats, including online editions at esv.org. The Knowing the Bible series is also available online.

May the Lord greatly bless your study as you seek to know him through knowing his Word.

J. I. PackerLane T. Dennis

WEEK 1: OVERVIEW

Getting Acquainted

The Song of Solomon is a love poem that celebrates the love between a woman and a man both before and after they are married. The Song of Solomon is part of the biblical genre of wisdom literature. In wisdom literature, God provides divine perspective concerning the good and righteous life. In the Song of Solomon, the reader encounters a divine perspective on human love. We see in this song an ideal of human love displayed between a young woman and a young man. We see them before their wedding as they anticipate the day in which their love will find expression in sexual union. We also see them after their wedding, dealing with the insecurities and challenges that come in even the best of marriages. The Song of Solomon is a rich and vivid account of human love, an account that is desperately needed in our own time. So much confusion about love and sexuality persists in our culture. Here God provides clarity that leads to greater holiness, joy, and fulfillment.

This poem is called the Song of Solomon because it was either written by or dedicated to Solomon. Solomon is not the groom in the poem but rather seems to appear more as a negative counterexample. This poem shows that two ordinary people can enjoy the extraordinary blessings of marriage and, in this way, surpass the earthly glories of King Solomon. Solomon had great riches but also many wives and concubines. Thus he is not a good example of God’s design for marriage, in which one man and one woman are to commit to each other for a lifetime. Does this mean that Solomon could not have written the book? No; it may be that Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon toward the end of his life when he had repented of the lifestyle that so characterized his reign. In this sense, the Song of Solomon could be the wisdom that comes from repentance: Solomon is seeking to persuade and instruct the reader to live more wisely and righteously than he did.

(Readers should note that the subheadings in ESV Bibles identify Solomon as the bridegroom. For a thorough discussion of this and other views, see the ESV Study Bible.)

Because of its romantic content and vivid imagery, the Song of Solomon has often been seen as appropriate for those entering or enjoying marriage, but not for wider study. However, as part of the canon of inspired Scriptures, this book is given “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). In the Song of Solomon, readers catch a glimpse of the joy and dangers of romantic life and sexual intimacy while being spared from the pains that come with sexual experimentation. In so doing, readers are likewise being equipped to be faithful spouses relationally and sexually. Even for those who have experienced sexual woundedness or brokenness, the Song of Solomon may provide additional insight that can aid healing. For those who are called to singleness (whether by conviction or by providence), the Song of Solomon can also point to Christ. Indeed, the marriage put on display in this book is intended ultimately to point all readers to Christ’s love for his bride, the church1: “‘. . . a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:31–32). Thus, regardless of one’s station in life, the Song of Solomon is intended to minister to each reader as the very Word of God.

Placing the Song of Solomon in the Larger Story

The Bible begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth. Adam and Eve are the capstone of creation. To this first couple God gives the mandate to subdue the earth to his glory. He also instructs them to be fruitful and multiply. The first indication of the significance of marriage is seen in how it is the God-ordained institution to fill the earth with his glory. Sexual intimacy is an integral part of this institution, providing powerful pleasure for procreation and as a means of strengthening and nurturing the marriage bond. As the biblical narrative unfolds, however, we see an even greater purpose for marriage. The love a man has for a woman is patterned after the greater love that Christ has for the church—a love that led him to give himself for her. In the Song of Solomon, we see a righteous expression of human love and sexuality. The Song thus functions at two levels: as a guide to the purposes of marriage instituted at Eden, and as a poetic metaphor for Christ’s love for the church. As a metaphor, however, its details are not to be pressed for doctrinal precision.

The fall2 of the human race is also a part of the biblical story. The first couple sinned and came under the judgment of God. As a result, the sexual dimension of the human race is fallen, as seen in the many sinful expressions of sexuality prevalent today. As a reaction to the pervasive presence of sexual sin, some in the history of the church have drifted to the unbiblical position that all human sexual desire is sinful. The Song of Solomon reminds us, however, that it is by God’s good design that the love between a man and a woman finds elaborate verbal and sexual expression. Indeed, the Song celebrates the physical dimension of human love. This portion of God’s Word should be studied and read today because it brings clarity and balance to a church living in a sexually confused world. Avoiding this book creates a void of teaching about human sexuality, a void that will be easily filled by the culture.

Additionally, the Song of Solomon can teach us about our relationship with Christ. Jesus declares in John’s Gospel, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14–15). Insofar as the Song of Solomon presents an ideal love of the shepherd for his bride, we can rightly draw inferences about the Good Shepherd’s love for his bride. Likewise, we can draw insight from the shepherdess’s love of the shepherd for our love of our Shepherd. Reading the Song of Solomon in this manner requires us to give full attention first to the Song as a divinely inspired love poem, which will allow us then to seek insight rightly into what analogy3 may exist for the church’s relationship to Christ or the dependence of individual believers upon and love for Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep.