Song of Songs – Conclusions

Song of Songs Conclusions (Chapter 8: 5 – 14 )

Following on from the Fifth Poem we can now consider what the concluding verses contain and how once again that might be important in maintaining our covenant love to God and embracing both human and divine love to each other for the benefit of all the communities we live in.

The song of Solomon with flowers Thanks renuga stockadobe.com

At this point it might be helpful for you to read the concluding verses as found in Chapter 8: 5 – 14.  Your understanding will vary according to what version of the Bible you may use!

Backstory

As we have thought about the various aspect of love within the five poems I am reminded of that old Matt Monroe song: Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He sings “It’s the April rose that only grows in the early spring. Love is nature’s (and the Lord’s) way of giving a reason to be living. The golden crown that makes a man (woman) a king (queen). Once on a high and windy hill, in the morning two lovers kissed and the world stood still. Yes true love’s a many splendid thing”.

Matt’s outline of love sits in a different context to the one found here in Chapter 8: 6 “love is as strong as death and burns like a blazing fire and mighty flame”. So let’s see how the final drama unfolds in the love story of the bride and the bridegroom.

Characters

Once again we seek to understand who are the main characters in these concluding verses? We have the bride, her household and her beloved shepherd. Also a final reference to King Solomon and a comment from the young women of Jerusalem.

Dialogue – The Beauty of Mature Love

Chapter 8: 5

The young women of Jerusalem speak out “who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her husband”.

The Bride describes how under the apple tree, where his mother gave birth to him, it was there that she awakened their love for each other!

Chapter 8: 6 – 7

The girl responds and asks that her love may be made sure by a permanent offer of betrothal. The maiden in vivid tones gives her own interpretation of what love is like for her. ”Love is strong as death itself. Jealousy is hard and as cruel as Sheol, the place of death”.

“The flashes of love are like the flames of a very hot fire as directly from the Lord Jehovah himself.  Torrents of water cannot quench the flame of love and neither can a flood drown it”. “If a man offered all the goods of his home for love, he would be utterly scorned and despised and not achieve it”.  

Chapter 8: 8 

The bride speaks in the company of her gathered family and the wedding guests when housed in her mother’s cottage. She recalled what her step brothers said when she was a little girl. “What shall we do for our sister who is too young to have breasts on the day when she is spoken for in marriage”? 

Chapter 8: 9 

The Bridegroom King replies. “If she has no breasts, like a wall that is discreet and womanly, we will build upon her a turret that represents a dowry of silver. If she is a door, bold and flirtatious, we will enclose her with boards of cedar”. 

Chapter 8: 10 – 14 

The girl replies as a mature bride to her bridegroom on their wedding day and before all their guests. She describes herself as slim and tall. Her breasts are full and like towers. I have found love and favour from my beloved. King Solomon has many vineyards at Baal-hamon which he rents out to farmers nearby and collect silver income from them.

In regards to my own vineyards I will give to Solomon one thousand pieces of silver and those who care for the vineyards and gather the fruit I will give two hundred pieces of silver. My own vineyard with all its radiant joy I will keep for myself!

At this point the radiant bride who lives in her own garden declares how wonderful the bridegroom’s friends listen to his voice and she wants to hear their voices as well. She described him back in Chapter 5: 16 and 10, as “the altogether lovely one: radiant and ruddy, outstanding amongst ten thousand” In her soul and with unconcealed eagerness she wants to share a life of sweet companionship with him.

Thank you bible.art

The bride concludes in verse 14, by calling out to her bridegroom which seems to end the collection of poems in quite an abrupt but successful manner. “Come away with me, let’s make haste and arrive quickly, just like a gazelle or a young stag/deer to our allotted home on the spice-laden mountains”.

Takeaway

Poem One

The Song represents two peasants in love and includes ‘a love triangle’ wherein Solomon attempts to woo the maiden. The maiden’s love for the shepherd is a central theme in the book and she turns down the love and wealth of the King to remain loyal to her shepherd love. Going beyond the literal story many interpret the shepherd as a symbol of Christ and his love for the Church. 

Poem Two

Hudson Taylor, who was a great missionary of faith and action said: “Fewer portions of the Word will move the devout student more in pursuit of God than the Song of Solomon”. Yet it is one of the least read and most misunderstood books in the whole of the Bible, particularly in our modern era.

There has been many commentators expounding their own particular views in respect to The Songs purpose and meaning. It is important for each one of us to recognise how it may enhance human relationships and our connection to a loving and caring God who sees and hears us.

Poem Three

One of the lessons we may glean from this very expressive Poem is that both in human and spiritual relationships, we should not let the activities and responsibilities of life undermine expressions of love in all its fullness,

Each one of us seeks and requires love and tender words of appreciation and affirmation, both as a single or as a married person and within a wider family and community setting. 

As a metaphor all the Poems represent God’s covenant love. Christ is the bridegroom and Israel and the Church as the bride. The common theme throughout the Poems is one of love being sought, found, lost and reunited.

Poem Four

This Fourth Poem is similar to the other Poems in that it gives us a greater appreciation of marriage and committed relationships that include physical intimacy alongside companionship and spiritual harmony.

Any couple that are in tune with each other’s feelings expressed or otherwise will appreciate as found in Ecclesiastes 3, that there is a ‘time to embrace and a time not to embrace’ and in both cases it should not hinder a couple’s love but hopefully strengthen it. In this Poem the couple are beginning to learn how such love develops and in what ways each one should adapt and be accommodating.

Poem Five

Our love for each other and the Lord should pulsate strongly, just like the flow of blood in a person’s temple in their head. The couple showed loving affection that brought them happiness, compared to the sound of victorious army chariots. 

Our human bodies are very special and serve different purposes at different times. The eyes represent a window of the soul and what we see will affect how we think and act. The neck when compared to a tall ivory tower may grant us foresight and wisdom as how to navigate relationships and avoid trouble and danger.

Thank you keyway.ca

May we continue to fully appreciate every aspect of God’s human creation and to use our bodies, minds and spirits to bring honour and glory to the Lord and not to abuse them or others during our journeys of life?

Throughout the Song of Songs there has been various themes, within an overall theme, of how human love interacts and how divine love can be applied. We all seek love, lose love and can experience a restoration and full enjoyment of human and divine love in different ways that are exclusive to our own life experiences.

Selah: (Pause to think calmly on what has just been read) and check out A Time to Worship and Motivational Moments

Graham   

Check out the previous Poems

The Song Poem 1 – The Song Poem 2 – The Song Poem 3 – The Song Poem 4 – The Song Poem 5