Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 8:1-14

Helpful thoughts:

• In verses 1-4, the woman responds to her great desire expressed in the end of the previous chapter.
  • At the height of her desire, she is aware of the need not to stir up or awaken love before the right time.
    • The end of verse 1 depicts a familial kiss, as a brother would give to his sister as a greeting.  This shows (After reading the details of their desires in previous chapters) just how chaste the couple has remained.  They haven’t even given each other as much as a cheek to cheek kiss as a greeting.
• Verses 8-9 again show a difference in what others see in the Shulammite and what is seen by her betrothed.
• She “was a wall” (Verse 10).  This refers to her integrity in purity.  She is coming to the marriage bed and therefore will remain pure and undefiled (Hebrews 13:4).
• The wedding finally arrives!
  • Solomon’s love is cheapened by the amount of women he has and the men he has to employ to maintain them.
  • The shepherd and the Shulammite woman have the richest and greatest love!
  • He calls and she answers with the invitation to consummate their loving marriage in verses 13-14.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way do verses 6-7 summarize the meaning of the whole of The Song of Solomon?  Meditate on these verses!  What do they teach us?  What is the nature of true love and marriage in the eyes of God?
2. Why might some be surprised after reading the rest of this book to hear that this couple went to their marriage bed as virgins?  Is it possible to have a desire for your beloved and wait for the wedding day?  How does this waiting build desire, respect, trust, etc. between the new husband and wife?  Why is it BETTER to wait?
3. How can we tie in the picture and theme of Christ and His bride the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32)?  How can we as His bride have eyes only for Him in a world that is fighting for our attention and desires?  How will our love for Christ only be strengthened by our pursuit of spiritual purity and devotion to Him?

Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 6:4-7:13

Helpful thoughts:

• The dreams are over.  Now the two simply speak to each other as they long for their wedding day.
  • You might notice, some of the words the shepherd speaks to his fiancé are the same as what was said in her dream (e.g. 4:1-2).  He’s making her dreams come true!
•  In contrast to Solomon, the shepherd sees right through all the queens, concubines and virgins around…he only has eyes for his beloved (Verses 8-9).
• The Shulammite knows her shepherd loves only her and she desires only him (Verses 9-10).
  • She invites him to go out toward their wedding day, where she says, “I will give you my love” (End of verse 12).

Questions to consider:

1. How highly does the shepherd view his bride-to-be?  How does verse 10 and the beginning of verse 5 frame his view of her (His inability to look away…the way he is overcome when they make eye-contact)?
2. What does the respect and awe he has for her make her think of him?  What does she call him in the end of verse 12?  Men often want respect from their brides…what kinds of genuine/sincere actions of a man will elicit respect from his wife?
3. How does the shepherd protect the honor of the Shulammite in verse 13?  Once the description of her beauty caught the attention of others, what did the shepherd desire to protect her from?  For whom is her beauty to be reserved (As well as his handsomeness)?

Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 5:2-6:3

Helpful thoughts:

• The dreaming of the Shulammite woman continues.
  • This dream takes a much different turn than the last, but love prevails!
  • The first half of this dream is more like a nightmare.  The couple are separated and there is pain in their separation (Illustrated by the violent actions of the watchmen?).
• After her heart is broken by the absence of the shepherd, she tries to gather a team of friends to help her find him.
  • When they can’t understand why finding him is so important she expresses her love for him, convincing them to join in the search.
• The nightmare ends with a startling turn for the good (6:2-3)!  Seemingly out of nowhere, the second dream ends the same as the first, with the couple together.

Questions to consider:

1. Who is giving a description of whom in this chapter?  Who is giving the description in chapter 4?  What have these two dreams allowed both the shepherd and the Shulammite to communicate?
2. The shepherd may not have been more wonderful than “another beloved” from everyone else’s perspective, but to the Shulammite, he was like no other!  Do you think the other women were amazed at the appearance of the shepherd themselves or were they more impressed by the Shulammite’s love for him?
3. How do verses 2-3 in chapter 6 speak to the purity of a monogamous marriage?  Whose “garden” is the Shulammite woman?  To whom does the shepherd belong?  Why is there a place for righteous jealousy for any married couple?

Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 4:1-5:1

Helpful thoughts:

• In verses 1-7, the shepherd gives his own description of the beauty of his bride and his desire to be with her “until the day breathes and the shadows flee.”
  • Yes, in verse 2, the man is thrilled about the fact his love still has all her teeth!  This wouldn’t have been as common then as it is in our culture today.
• In verse 8, the shepherd calls his bride away from the perils of the world and into the safety of his care.
• In verses 9-16a, the shepherd’s description of his bride moves away from the visual (Verses 1-7) to the other senses.
• Today’s passage ends with the Shulammite woman dreaming of the consummation of their relationship.
  • In verse 16b, after the shepherd expressed his desire for his bride, she gives her invitation.
  • In 5:1, he expresses his delight in having been with his wife.
  • In 5:2, their friends, or the writer, confirms the goodness of their desire and intimacy with one another.

Questions to consider:

1. What do these verses: 3:1 and 5:2 remind us about these thoughts in chapter 4?  Did the events depicted in these verses actually happen?  What is the Shulammite woman recounting?
2. The heart in the Bible does not merely refer to someone’s feelings, but to his/her inner self as a whole (His/her thinking, wanting, choosing).  What does it truly mean for this woman to have captivated the shepherd’s heart?  Then, what does it mean to love the Lord with all your heart (Mark 12:30)?  How would loving with all your heart be evidenced/exercised?
3. If the garden metaphor in verses 9-16a illustrated the enjoyment of physical intimacy with the woman, what does it mean that she is a “garden locked” in verse 12?  What would be true of the Shulammite prior to marriage according to verse 12?  What would be true of her after the wedding according to verse 12?  To whom is she sealed (And therefore, he as well)?

Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 3:1-11

Helpful thoughts:

• In today’s passage begins a series of dreams had by the Shulammite woman as she longs to be with her soon to be husband.
• In verse 5, after relaying the first portion of the content of her dream (Which includes the consummation of their relationship – Verse 4), the Shulammite asks her friends to help her refrain from her desires until the time is right.
• Verses 6-11 depict a royal wedding procession.  There are a couple of possible reasons why King Solomon is specifically named here, even though the day of his wedding is said to be in the past tense (Verse 11):
  • This could be the Shulammite calling her shepherd husband a “king” and seeing their marriage being just as significant and grand as a royal wedding.
  • This could be Solomon reminding the reader just how important the wedding day is, pointing to it’s significance for the couple and also those who know and love them.

Questions to consider:

1. What does it mean to say, ‘Whom my soul loves?”  What kind of love is this that gives the Shulammite woman’s physical desires substance?  How can what we read her saying give evidence that her desire is not lust, but love?
2. How does verse 5 further evidence that love?  What role can good Christian friends have in keeping each other pure?
3. Why is the marriage celebration such a big event?  What all is being celebrated?  Therefore, (Depending on your role in society, the church, etc.) who all wants to be able to join in the celebration?

Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 2:8-2:17

Helpful thoughts:

• The woman continues to long for the day she and her shepherd can be together.  She also depicts his actions and words which evidence he too is eager to be with his bride.
• She speaks of various obstacles to their love.  There are things that need to be cared for, overcome, and protected in order for them to be able to come together.
• Spring time is often depicted as the time for love.  With the spring weather, new life begins to emerge.  That new life is to be enjoyed and protected from outside dangers.

Questions to consider:

1. What are some of the experiences of love that could be compared to the joy of taking in the beauty of spring?  What are these two young people doing as they eagerly await their special day?  In what ways can the “freshness of spring” in love be maintained and enjoyed throughout marriage?
2. Why do those hungry foxes need catching?  What were they going to do in verse 15?  What are some “foxes” that can spoil the vineyard of love prior to and during marriage?  What are some ways that a man and woman can protect the integrity, purity and joy of their relationship?
3. Knowing the connection to the picture of Christ and the church as his bride, what “foxes” can capture away our attention to our relationship with Him?  How can we protect and fertilize the vineyard of our relationship with Christ?

Today’s passage: Song of Solomon 1:1-2:7

Helpful thoughts:

• The other title used for this book, “The Song of Songs” is taken from the first verse.  This was perhaps Solomon’s intended title.  Or, he was simply proclaiming that this was the best of songs (Similar language to “the king of kings”).
• The content of this book has been interpreted as an allegory for the love of God for Israel or Christ and the Church.  While God did call Israel a bride and the Church is called the bride of Christ, this book doesn’t necessarily have to be speaking to these larger themes.  This book can simply be a biblical expression of love and romance between a husband and wife (The young shepherd and the Shulammite woman).
  • In a kingdom where the king (Solomon) had abandoned God’s purposes for marriage (Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines – 1 Kings 11:3), this song celebrates the love of one man and one woman.
  • This understanding of the content will encourage the reader toward faithfulness in the covenant relationship of marriage and seeing marriage and sexuality as gifts from God to be enjoyed within that marriage covenant (Hebrews 13:4).
• In verse 4, the “banner” of love that is flown over the couple is a sign to the public they are betrothed to each other.  In verse 7, the woman acknowledges that her romantic desire for the man must wait (The descriptions in these verses were expressions of what she desired once they could be together).

Questions to consider:

1. If the man in this song is a shepherd (And not King Solomon) then what is the Shulammite woman saying about her man in verses 4 and 12?  What does she think of the man she is to marry?  What is his worth in her eyes?
2. How does the woman describe her own appearance (Verses 5-6)?  How does the man reply in verse 2 of chapter 2?  In what way does this sound like a common occurrence for a husband and wife?  And, how can this encourage husbands to have eyes only for their bride?
3. How does true love between a man and woman result in waiting to consummate their relationship physically until the marriage day?  How can abstinence prior to marriage build trust and respect so that intimacy in marriage can be all the more enjoyed?