Today we read the Song of Solomon also called the Song of Songs indicating that this might be Solomon’s best song. This book has been highly debated over the years. Some say it is an allegory of God’s love for Israel. Others say an allegory of Christ’s love for the church. Some say it’s a love poem between either Solomon and his Shulamite bride, or between a shepherd and a shepherdess.
At face value the song tells the story of a young man and woman looking forward to their marriage and then the pleasure of a sexual relationship within the boundaries of marriage. The couple experiences separation in the story but ultimately they are restored back to each other. The story points out that sex is meant for marriages between one man and one woman. Couples that honor sexual boundaries and the marriage covenant honor the Lord and reflect their love for the Lord to the world. The Lord uses the image of marriage as an illustration of His relationship with His people all throughout the Bible.
Later in the Story Malachi is going to tell us, “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence…” (Malachi 2:16) And then Jesus will be questioned by the Pharisees about marriage and divorce in an attempt to get Him to misrepresent the law. Jesus will respond saying that the Lord allows divorce under certain circumstances (Deuteronomy 24) bc of our hardened hearts but it was never God’s intent for a married couple to separate. ”Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate… Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:6-8) God desires us to show compassion, love, forgiveness, and restoration in our marriages which displays the character of Christ to the world.
Well, tomorrow we get to read about Solomon and all his marriages. 😬 We are all a mess, even Solomon.
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(Song of Solomon 1:1-8:14) #bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching
Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 