Dei Time

The “S” Word

kDei Break

Song of Songs 7:1 - 8:14

Over the centuries various groups of Christians have pushed sex into the realm of sin. Some have declared that sex is only for procreation and appropriate only if a couple is trying to conceive a child. Some sects of the Middle Ages forbade sex at any time. They died out rather quickly. All in all, for many Christian groups sex has been an embarrassing fact of life and they aren't too sure that it should ever be actually enjoyed.

Sex on the movie screen, infidelity, lewd jokes, lust, and pornography are a few of the sinful ways in which people use sex, but sex itself within the marriage of a man and woman is a God-given blessing for both. Song of Songs illustrates to us the beauty of a loving, physical relationship between a man and wife. It also paints a picture of the devotion between two souls united as one.

In 8:1-4 the wife speaks of her husband to herself first as a brother and then as a husband. The first two verses relate to the fact that a public display of affection between a man and woman was considered inappropriate, especially if initiated by the woman. A brother, however, could be kissed and doted on in public without criticism. In 8:8-10 the woman tells the story of her youth. Her family protected her from seeking sexual activity before marriage. In those days the marriage bed was delayed until the wedding day, even though betrothal was far more serious then than now. Back then the engagement was as binding as the marriage, but it was not a time of sexual intimacy.

Tomorrow we begin Isaiah. To be honest, most of us have probably grown to feel that the Wisdom Literature (Job - Song of Songs) got a little long. Good stuff-but long. In Isaiah we will get back into the story of Israel and one of its greatest prophets. We'll see what was happening in the world of Israel and in the culture. Why did God let them fall to Assyria and Babylon? What was life like? Was life comparable to today, or did they live in a time and place inconceivable to us? Have we grown up in 2,500 years? What did Isaiah know about Jesus?

Next Time: Isaiah

Love and Marriage

Dei Break

Song of Songs 4:1 - 6:13

Love may stay the same through the ages, but culture changes. Not too many women today would be impressed with, "Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead." Nor are women today often complimented for having all of their teeth.

Chapter 4 describes the wedding night. Solomon for the first time saw his wife unveiled and marveled at her beauty. "Sister" was a term of endearment that husbands used to refer to their wives in Solomon's time and culture.

In chapter 5 the beloved apparently describes a bad dream since the scenario would be difficult to picture in the life of a prince or king and his wife. In the dream the beloved neglects her husband, who had also been negligent by his time away from home, and loses him. Then she runs through the city trying to find her lost love. Like the wife in these verses, do we sometimes take our spouses for granted? After a fight or a drifting relationship, do we suddenly come to our senses and realize what we have almost thrown away? Are we willing to run after it?

When we find the two reunited in 6:4, it is clear that love has won the day. He describes her in the same glowing terms that had been used on their wedding night. When the beloved later walks in or toward the grove, the king drives up, sweeps her off her feet and into his chariot for all the people to see. He wants them to know that she is his true love. Chapter 6:13 appears to describe the people calling for her to return with him so that they can see her beauty again.

Next time: The "S" Word

Song of Songs

Dei Break

Song of Songs 1:1 - 3:11

Song of Songs has been argued by "experts" for almost 2,000 years. Some claim it is allegorical, with only a spiritual message and no actual truth. Others have said that it is a series of tales; some that it was about two people and others three. The best advice about reading the Bible is to understand it in the simplest way, which would make this a book about a man and woman in love and being married, spiritually and physically. Solomon wrote it a thousand years before Christ, but it still resonates today.

The story opens on or near the wedding day of Solomon and the beloved bride. Since premarital relationships in those days were rare, she has not yet been to his bed chamber. Apparently the king was very desirable and many maidens hoped to become his wives. From the tone of the book, however, we can pretty much assume that this is the first of Solomon's marriages, before he began practicing politically advantageous polygamy.

Unlike many of the maidens pursuing Solomon, the beloved was a worker in the vineyards. Undoubtedly the court ladies felt she was unworthy. Even in those days a "lady" of wealth and standing would not stoop to working with her hands or risk toughening and wrinkling her skin with too much sun.

The NIV translation treats the rest of chapter 1 as though it was a conversation between Solomon and the beloved, but the NASB labels these verses as the words of Solomon. Since even these well-known translations don't agree, maybe it's best to just read the passage considering the wonderful praise that each partner has for the other. Today many people enter marriage thinking of their own wants and needs, wondering whether the partner they have chosen will make their lives what they want them to be. Marriage is more apt to last if each partner longs to make the other's life complete.

Beginning in 3:6 the writer describes the wedding procession coming down the street. The day that the beloved has yearned for has arrived. The "crown" placed on the king's head by his mother is not the royal crown, but a wedding wreath.

Next time: Love and Marriage