Again, it’s important when we apply Scripture that we don’t just apply it to others. Let’s not be guilty at pointing the finger and bishops and pastors, but not considering the truth of God for ourselves. How might these verses in Amos apply to us as individuals? Remember, the overall thrust of the passage is that God is warning His people by giving them difficulties and problems. He wants them to respond to the problems by turning to Him. So perhaps we could apply it like this:

“I gave you heartache and lack of peace in every way,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to you?

“I gave you problems at work and problems at home,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to you?

“I gave you unsatisfying quiet-times
and boring sermons at church,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to you?

“I gave you wall-to-wall entertainment
and unfulfilling leisure-times,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to you?

Again, what I said before still applies. I am not saying that I am sure that the Lord is warning you. I am not saying that if these things are true of you then you’re on the wrong road and are ignoring God. I’m just asking the question. Is God warning you through the events around you?

How did we know that God was warning the Israelites? Look at Amos 4:6. “I gave you empty stomachs in every city”. Does that tell us God was warning them? No. “And lack of bread in every town”? Does that tell us God was warning them? No. “Yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. Does that tell us God was warning them? Yes, it does.

“I gave you problems at work…”. Does that tell us God is warning you? No. “…and problems at home”. Does that tell us God is warning you? No. ““Yet you have not turned to me,” declares the Lord.” If that is true of you, or if it is true of me, that we need to heed God’s warning before it is too late.

How do we do that? Amos 4:12-13 has the answer:

Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.
He who forms the mountains,
creates the wind,
and reveals his thoughts to man,
he who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads the high places of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.

I don’t think Amos is simply warning the Israelities they might die. He’s telling them (and us) that if the Lord is warning us, the only solution is to meet with Him. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait until we’re dead for that – because if we did, it would be too late. We can meet Him now, in repentance and faith, and find that His warnings will turn to blessings. What a Saviour we have, and the Lord God Almighty is his name!

Today I want to explain further why blessings and warnings are often physical in the Old Testament, but spiritual in the New. The answer is very simple. It’s not that God was not concerned with spiritual things in the Old Testament. It’s just that the Old Testament is full of types and shadows of spiritual reality. So we understand, for example, that the cloud and fire that showed God’s presence during the Exodus is a type or shadow that points us to a spiritual reality in the New Testament. That spiritual reality is the presence of God by His Spirit today. What was a physical sign of a spiritual reality has become that spiritual reality.

So we took the physical warnings Amos gave to Israel, and applied them to today’s church. But we did so in such a way that applied mainly to denominations. That’s OK, but I’m not responsible for a denomination, and you’re probably not either. It’s easy to point the finger at others – but perhaps the Lord would like to point it at us. Let’s make sure the application can hit home to our own local church:

“I gave you half-empty evening services
and lack of souls in every prayer meeting,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to your local church?

“I gave you overworked Sunday School teachers
and lack of workers in many ministries,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to your local church?

“I gave you large expenses and lack of income
so your bank balance has sunk,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to your local church?

“I sent disunity among you as I did in the past.
I caused your young men to leave,
along with your recent converts.
I filled your nostrils with the stench of your unhappiness,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to your local church?

“Many times I struck your sermons and bible-studies,
I struck them with shallowness and empty platitudes.
Secular culture devoured your understanding and spiritual growth,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Is that what the Lord is saying to your local church?

Now before I get into trouble, let me be quite clear. I am not saying that I am certain that the Lord is judging your church. I am not saying that if you are experiencing any of these things then that is definitely a sign that you are on the wrong road and are refusing to return to God.

But the Lord’s question is clear. When difficulties come, do we turn to the Lord?

There are too many churches who are struggling, but simply shrug their shoulders and claim that we live in hard times, and the day of small things, but they never turn to the Lord. I fear that the Lord will do even harder things so that the church returns to him. There are too many churches who are bowing to cultural demands, but simply shrug their shoulders and claim that it’s the only way to reach a post-modern generation, but they never turn to the Lord. I fear that the Lord will do even harder things so that the church returns to him.

Is the Lord saying to them and to us: “Therefore this is what I will do to you… and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God (Amos 4:12).

It’s usually not possible – or at least very unwise – to give exactly the same application today as was given in the Old Testament. Too much has changed since then: language and culture for a start – not to mention the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ and the gift of the Spirit!

One simple thing to do is to take what God says to national Israel, and look to apply it to the church. But if that’s all we do, then often that’s not enough. Theologically, too much has changed since then.

A helpful guide is to understand that the blessings and warnings that we receive are more likely to be in the spiritual realm than the physical. I don’t want to make the difference between physical and spiritual too great, it’s not as if there are only physical blessings in the Old Testament, and only spiritual blessings in the New. There is both physical and spiritual in both Testaments. But it is true to say that in the Old Testament, spiritual blessings and warnings tend to be expressed in physical ways.

This is very easy to demonstrate. In the Old Testament, the chapter that best expresses Old Covenant blessings is Deuteronomy chapter 28. The chapter that best expresses New Covenant blessings is Matthew 5 (the beatitudes). Compare “The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.” (Deut. 28:4) with “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matt. 5:6). It’s the same truth being expressed in both cases, but can you see the contrast?

So whereas the warnings in Amos were primarily physical, when I preach this passage to a congregation today, I’m going to make sure my application is primarily spiritual. So perhaps I can re-interpret Amos 4:4-11 to make the application to today’s church clear^*. It will probably help to re-read Amos 4:4-11 before you continue, if you’ve not done so already.

“Go to chapel and sin;
go to church and sin yet more.
Do your good works every morning,
your direct debits every three days.
Put your gift aid forms on public display,
pin-up the record of your gifts —
boast about them, you Brits,
for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

“I gave you empty Sunday school classes in every city
and a lack of youth in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“I also withheld the local community from you
when Christmas was just three weeks away.
I sent a congregation to one church,
but withheld them from another.
One parish had revival;
another had none and dried up.
Ministers staggered from church to church for a congregation
but did not get enough to pay their stipends,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“Many times I struck your theological colleges and seminaries,
I struck them with modernism and liberalism.
Liberal scholars devoured your bibles and text books,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“I sent heresy among you as I did to Rome.
I closed your buildings through dry rot and vandalism,
along with your vicarages in the country.
I filled your church councils with the stench of your decline,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Is that what the Lord saying to your church or denomination?

Tomorrow, I’ll continue these thoughts with some more specific application, and a look at why blessings and warnings tend to be physical in the Old Testament but spiritual in the New.

“Go to Bethel and sin;
go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three years.
Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“I also withheld rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
People staggered from town to town for water
but did not get enough to drink,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
I struck them with blight and mildew.
Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt.
I killed your young men with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Because the Israelites had forgotten what the Scriptures said, and forgotten how to worship and serve God, the Lord wants them back. He gives them five different warnings, each one more intense than the one before, but each time the warning – and therefore Yahweh himself – is ignored. The same phrase is repeated five times in these six verses: ““Yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.”

Tragically, these Israelites in Amos’ day did not heed the warnings. They continued ignoring God. But what about us? It’s not always easy to apply Old Testament passages such as this to ourselves. But are we in danger of ignoring God, too? Over the next few days, I’ll be posting some suggestions as to how we might apply these verses to ourselves.

New Explorations

Remember that Song of Songs is a story, and you can see it unfolding in front of you. “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves.” (4:1). Now he’s said that before – do you remember (1:15)? But now he goes further. Now he’s married, he enjoys more of her than he enjoyed before. So he doesn’t just describe her eyes, he describes her hair. As you go through the verses, you can see Solomon in your mind’s eye, studying her face, being intimate in a way he’s not been before. “Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.” Try saying, “Hey girl, you’ve got all your teeth left – great!”

“Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely.” Do you see his eyes moving around? “Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.” He’s on his way down from her face now: “Your neck is like the tower of David”. She doesn’t look like a giraffe, but she is elegant. “Your two breasts are like two fawns,” he’s moving to parts of the body that he wouldn’t look at before. And that’s as far as he gets. The excitement of that is too much for him, I think – he doesn’t go any further.

But notice he’s not enraptured by verse 5 (her breasts) first. Although he stops there, he doesn’t start there. He enjoys her. We’ve already seen that he wants her to speak, he wants to see her face.

Then we come to verse six, which again should sound familiar. “Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,” but this time he’s not going to the rugged mountains (2:17), to the place where men are and ladies can’t get to. He’s going to the mountain of myrrh, the hill of incense. Not the rugged mountain, but the love mountain.

He thinks she is beautiful (4:7), and he wants to be alone with her (4:8). She’s stolen his heart (4:9). More than anything else he wants to be with her (4:10).

Only with consent

Now look at verse 12. “You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.” She’s his, and his alone. A garden locked up, for him. A spring enclosed, for him. She shows faithfulness before marriage, and faithfulness within marriage.

So in verses 13 through to 15, Solomon imagines all that is there. He pictures this wonderful garden, all the exotic fruit. The finest spices – that’s what he’s going to find in his garden. That’s what she is to him.

But look at verse 16. Now the woman speaks. “Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.” Now they’re not two different gardens, are they? It’s not that she’s over there in one garden, and he’s over here in another garden. Not at all! Her garden has become his garden. And he doesn’t go in, until she invites him. This is consensual.

So Solomon takes up the invitation (5:1). “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk.” He takes what she offers. And in the physical side of any relationship, you need to be invited in. Don’t force yourself into the garden, that will never, never do. Don’t try and push and persuade, it’s so much better to be invited. See how happy Solomon is!

In conclusion

To know real, consensual love within the marriage bonds is a glorious blessing from God, as each partners gives himself to the other, and is satisfied in the other. How tacky and fake is the love that is sung of in popular music and portrayed on the big screen. How inferior. How shallow.

How gracious of God to give so many this amazing love. And, even more incredibly, how gracious that he not only gives many of us partners, but that He Himself loves us and gave Himself for us. The love of Solomon and the Shulammite woman was special – but it pales into comparison when viewed in the light of the cross.

Wedding Day Glory

As you go through this section, we read a little bit about Solomons ‘best men’ (vv7-8), a little bit about the wedding car (vv9-10), a little bit about Solomon himself (v11), and that’s it! We’ve had two and a bit chapters on their courtship. We’ve got four chapters ahead of us on their wedded life. And just six verses on their wedding.

There’s a lesson here isn’t there? Important though weddings are, marriage is much more so. If you spend more time planning your wedding that you do preparing for marriage, then you’ve got your priorities wrong.

When you read these six verses, you immediately notice something: where’s the bride!? She was there, of course, and I’m sure played a very prominent role. But the story of the wedding day is told by the bride, just as the story of the wedding night is told by the groom. That in itself tells us a great deal of the differences between men and women!

But I think the woman’s perspective gives a very helpful insight into ‘what women want’, as we saw in an earlier post. Of all the things that she could have remembered, what was it that stood out for the Shulammite woman? There are three things:

His Protection (vv 7-8): Solomon comes with 60 ‘best men’, all armed with swords, “prepared for the terrors of the night”. Solomon could not be clearer in marking his intent to protect his new wife. The fact that Solomon could command such a force says much about his leadership and the respect in which he his held.

His Involvement (vv 9-10): As the Shulammite goes on to describe the wedding car, her emphasis is not on it’s beauty, but on the fact that “King Solomon made for himself the carriage”. Only men are impressed by horsepower and turbochargers. What impressed the bride was that her new husband had given of himself in it’s construction. Men, you must be fully involved in the preparations for your wedding – even if that means spending hours cutting out little paper hearts that you didn’t even want to be stuck on your invitations in the first place! This is your (plural) day, nor just her day.

Him (v 11): It’s fitting that she ends her song with thoughts of Solomon himself. She wants everyone to see him! She remembers that he is full of joy – she is delighted that she is his delight. And so it should be. Men, we have a grave responsibility here, don’t we? Is your wife, your girl, delighted that she is your delight?

In thiking of the joy that the bride has in knowing the love of her bridegroom, perhaps your mind goes back to your own wedding day, as you remember the love you have for your spouse, and (s)he has for you. Dwell on that thought – but do not stop there. Because the Christian will think not just of his wedding day, but his mind will leap to the Bridegroom. The Christian’s mind will linger on the total protection that Christ brings from all terrors. It will marvel at the deep, personal involvement of the Saviour in the lives of sinners. But more than anything the church of Jesus Christ knows that He, the King, loves us! It is He that must fill our thoughts – not all the worldly paraphernalia that so often crowds in.

Crown Him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.

All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.

2:1-2: And what does this do for the woman? It fills her with confidence: She was “darkened by the sun”, but now she is “a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys”. Men, we have a real responsibility for our girls. Because Solomon has accepted her for who she is, she has confidence in herself. And it gets better, because Solomon disagrees with her. You’re not a lily, he says to her. You’re the lily, “a lily among thorns”. Not very fair on the groupies, but he wants her to be confident that it’s only her. Even on this first date, and this very early stage, he wants her to know that she’s the only one for him. Remember: if your girl or boy is only a lily among lilies – then don’t go out together. Wait. A lily among thorns – that’s the right time.

2:3-5: Now the Shulammite speaks at length. We could call this section “What women want”, and the biblical version is much better than the Hollywood one. “I delight to sit in his shade”. Girls, do you like to do that? Perhaps you’ve got a real battle here, because you don’t really like being in the shade sometimes, you want to be in charge – and this is all part of the problem going back to the fall. But God has designed women to sit in the shade – not in the sense that men dominate, but in the sense that her man is to protect her from the harsh desert sun. He provides for her (“He has taken me to the banquet hall”), loves her (v4), he strengthens her (v5), he gives her support and care (v6). That’s what women want! At least, that’s what godly women want, isn’t it? Protection, provision, love, support, care. So if you’re looking for a girlfriend, that’s what you should be looking to offer. If you’re looking for a boyfriend, you should be looking for someone to give you that.

2:6-7: Perhaps for the first time, Solomon embraces her (“His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.”) Her knees go weak, her heart starts beating, and she’s got to pull herself back down to earth! Be careful, she says to herself, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Be careful of touch. Don’t go too far. Take your time, she says.

2:8-13: Still the Shulammite speaks, but the scene has changed. The first date is over, now she is at home. Her lover comes there for here, letting nothing get in his way (“leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills”), and invites her out of the house to join him (“here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.’”). You know in those cheesy romantic films, whenever the lovers are together the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and the sun is up. It’s like that in Song of Songs, too: “the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.” Love is in bloom!

2:14-15: Solomon explains what he wants from this next date. He wants to see her face, he wants to hear her voice. Men, take note! We’re to be trees so that our girl can sit in our shade (2:3), but we’re not to dominate. We must delight to hear her, not the sound of our own voice. We’re not to oppress. If when you’re together, it’s only you speaking all the time, and you’re not interested in what she’s got to say, there’s something wrong with your relationship. But he wants more: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” What on earth does that mean? He’s asking her to deal with the little problems that could come and spoil their relationship and their love. It is the little things often, isn’t it? It’s the toilet seat not being closed, the bath not being cleaned. I know a very well-known evangelical preacher who has a separate tube of toothpaste than his wife, because they just couldn’t tolerate the way each other used to squeeze the tube! But deal with the little things, Solomon says. Why does Solomon ask his lover to do this? Two reasons. First, because (speaking generally, of course!) women are often not very good at dealing with the little things. Something happens and you get upset, but you don’t say anything! We know there’s something wrong, but we don’t know what. So we ask what the matter is, and then we’re in trouble for not knowing what we’re supposed to have done, so then we try and guess what the problem is, and we guess wrong, and then you get upset about those things as well! So girls, “catch for us the little foxes”. Deal with the little problems, because very often we don’t see the little things.

2:16-17: Now the Shulammite speaks again: “My lover is mine and I am his”. Do you see the total acceptance? They’re still courting, they’re not married, but they belong to one another. Is that how you view your boyfriend or girlfriend – that you belong to him or her? “He browses among the lilies”, but look at the next verse, “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee. Turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills.” Do you see what she’s saying? Turn! Go back! He cannot be with her at the moment – he must be away, on the rugged hills until the day breaks. It’s got late. She’d long to be with him, but she can’t. Until the morning comes, he must be absent, back where he came from (2:8).

3:1-5: So, Solomon has gone away because it’s night, and they shouldn’t be together then. The woman is therefore left “All night long on my bed”, and on her bed “I looked for him but did not find him”. She’s longing for her man. He’s not in her bed, and she’s really missing him. All lovers who wait will find this. So what does this desire drive her to do? It doesn’t drive her to go and grab him and put him in her bed, does it? It doesn’t encourage her to go and get into his bed. It does encourage her to go and find him: “I will search for the one my heart loves”. Eventually, “I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go.” What does she do with him? She doesn’t take him to her bed, she doesn’t go to his bed, but she takes him to her mother. Why would you take your girl home to see her parents? Well, the very next verse is their wedding day – that’s why he’s taken her home, to ask for her hand in marriage! That’s what she wants! And why does she know she wants it? Because she’s been without him, because she’s missed him, because she’s waited and as she’s lying alone on her bed her heart cries out ‘I must have him’, but in doing so she reminds herself again, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Wait for the wedding day!

The first scene I’ve described as wooing, waiting and winning. Here is the Shulammite woman in her quest to win her man. It’s the longest of the seven scenes in the book – three chapters (1:1-3:5). So rather than try and cover everything in one post, I’ll split this first scene up.

All I’m going to do in this and future posts is to retell the story in the text, and make a few applications as I go along. It would be good for you to have a Bible handy.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers. (1:1-4)

1:1-4a: It’s very easy to identify with the Shulammite woman – she’s quite taken with this man, Solomon, isn’t she? She’s imagining all the things she would love to do with him. She wants to kiss him, and she wants him to take her away. Perhaps she’s letting her imagination run away with her a little bit as she sees this knight in shining armour coming to whisk her off her feet! And it appears there’s quite some competition for Solomon (“no wonder the maidens love you”), but she wants to be alone with him (“let the king bring me into his chambers”), as all lovers do.

1:4b: In response to these powerful thoughts, comes the chorus – this group of friends who seem to sit on the sidelines and interject occassionally. They underline the fierceness of the competition for Solomon’s heart. (“We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.”) So how can the Shulammite woman triumph over the multitude of would-be admirers. How can she woo a prince?

1:5-7: She’s particularly concerned she won’t catch his eye – she’s too tanned (“I am darkened by the sun”). Nowadays, the ladies of leisure who take the time to make themselves look beauty have the time to lie on beaches becoming bronzed, whilst ordinary mortals say indoors slaving over the stove. In Solomon’s day, the opposite was true – it was fashionable to be fair-skinned. The upper classes would spend the day in the cool indoors, with the working-class girl sent out into the fields to work. But despite insecurity about her looks, she wants to be with the one she loves (v7). She’s not going to do anything special – just be with him. That’s what love is, isn’t it? It’s not just about going to cinemas or theatre, wining and dining, or walking hand in hand down the beach. This is real love! She wants to be with him when he’s doing the normal things of the day. She just wants to be “where you graze your flock”. And not only is she going to share her time with his sheep, but also “the flocks of his friends”. She’s not going to take him alone, yet. It’s too early for that – she’s got to win him, and woo him. And she’s going to do it whilst in the company of others. There’s real wisdom there. If you want to win a girl or a boy, then be with his or her friends. Safety in numbers. Take things carefully. And bear in mind too that the Shulammite woman has a definite plan of action. Boys, beware! Girls often have plans of action! If they happen to bump into you somewhere, and a few days latter happen to bump into somewhere again, it might be planned!

1:8-11: With the help of the chorus (v8), the Shulammite finds her man, and now it’s Solomon’s opportunity to speak for the first time (vv 9-11). Men – don’t try this at home: “I liken you, my darling, to a mare”. Don’t tell your girlfriend she looks like a horse! But it is a compliment. 1 Kings tells us that Solomon loved his horses – and they were quite a rarity. They were seen as a beautiful, elegant, strong and noble creature, and he sees those qualities in her. And now Solomon starts to imagine her (“Your cheeks are beautiful with ear-rings, your neck with strings of jewels.”) I’m not sure she was even wearing those things at the time, as verse 11 tells us “We will make you ear-rings of gold”. But he’s imagining what she would look like. After all, she’s working now, isn’t she – she’s with her young goats (v8). She’s not all dolled up for a night on the town, she’s in her jeans and baggy t-shirt. There’s another lesson here, isn’t there? True beauty shines doesn’t need tight tops and short skirts. True beauty can be seen in all circumstances.

1:12-17: Now we start to see a bit more of the Shulammite woman’s plan unfolding. She’s perhaps a bit shy to approach him, so she’s put on her best perfume, and just quietly walked past his table (v12). It worked – Solomon notices her (v15)! And he sees her at close range, noticing the beauty of her eyes – not just her face generally as before. Their eyes have met across the crowded room. It seems then that Solomon takes her away from the tent, and they sit down together on the grass, looking up at the trees where “the beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs”, just enjoying being with one another on their first date.

We’ll find out how their date went tomorrow, but before we leave the passage, what does this show us of Jesus Christ?

Does the dark-skinned (must be the blackness of sin) church catch the eyes of Jesus by putting on sweet-smelling perfume (OT incense, perhaps)? No, this is not allegory. But look at the esteem that Solomon is held in by the Shulammite woman. Look at how she pursues him. Look at how she wants to be with him – how much she wants to be with this sinful, fallen creature.

Then think of Jesus. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. The Son of Righteousness. The Lamb of God. And reflect on your own heart. Do you see His beauty? Do you want nothing other than to be with Him? Do you spend your time thinking of Him?

King of all days,
oh, so highly exalted.
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came
to the earth you created
All for love’s sake became poor.

And here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely.
altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.

For those not familiar with it, Song of Songs is a series of poems that tell the story of two lovers: Solomon, and a lady we call the Shulamite woman. The book is almost entirely their own words, though just occassionally a few others add their own thoughts. It was written by Solomon, and the events described took place around 965BC, nearly 3,000 years ago.

If you have an old translation of the Bible (particularly an AV), then Song of Songs is going to be very hard to read. Not because of the old-fashioned language, but because it will be very hard to work out who is saying what to whom. When the text said “Let him kiss me”, then we know that it must be the woman who is speaking (because she says ‘him’). But what about the next verse? “Your name is like perfume poured out”. In English it’s impossible to tell (though we can guess). But because the Hebrew language is more precise when it comes to gender, the original readers would be able to tell. That’s how modern translations are able to add these nice headings that explain who is speaking and make everything much clearer. The headings are not inspired though, so occassionally they could be wrong.

How to read Song of Songs

When some people look at Song of Songs, they believe that the story of human love is just an allegory of the love that God has for his people. For them, the first and only point of application is about Jesus Christ and His church. So Solomon becomes Jesus, the Shulamite woman, the church.

This creates all sorts of problems! One huge problem is that much of the Song is about physical love as well as emotional love. Another problem is that allegorisers end up desperately trying to work out what on earth “Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone” means in the context of the church! (Does a church have teeth? What would be the problem if it only had some of it’s teeth? Perhaps the teeth mean the people in the church, and this verse tells us people must work together.)

Song of Songs simply doesn’t make sense when it is read in this way.

Song of Songs is not an allegory. Those who try and read it in that way tie themselves in knots trying to find a spiritual meaning for every single allusion and turn of phrase which the book contains. The task is impossible, and those who attempt it have to resort to boundless ingenuity and inventiveness, rather than to solid principles of biblical interpretation. (Stuart Olyott, A life worth living)

Instead, we need to understand that Song of Songs is a story about two lovers. It tells of us their courtship, marriage and later life. It tells us a little of their problems and hardships. But most of all it tells us about their love. And because it tells us about this great love a husband had for his wife, and because husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25), and because Christ is in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27), then looking at Song of Songs will inevitably teach us of the way that Christ loves us.

But we won’t be tied to find a hidden meaning to every camel and tent and plant. We’ll just let the book tell it’s own story, and use the rest of the Bible to open the truths of Solomon’s happy relationship, applying the truths to both our human relationships and our heavenly one.

For now, let me leave you with the outline of the Song, because when you understand that the Song of Songs follows a story line, it makes a lot more sense. The story goes something like this:

• Scene 1: Wooing, waiting and winning (1:1–3:5)
• Scene 2: Wedding day glory (3:6–11)
• Scene 3: Wedding night bliss (4:1–5:1)
• Scene 4: Weariness and worry (5:2–6:3)
• Scene 5: Working things out (6:4–8:4)
• Scene 6: Weary, but not worn out (8:1–14)

Why not read the Song in advance, as over the coming weeks we’ll go through each scene one by one.