Today you should read: Song of Solomon 2
Song of Solomon is a very tricky book to understand and interpret. Many commentators say it is an allegory of Jesus and the church, His bride. Others say only parts of the book fit that mold while still others see it at only face value, a story of two people who love each other and are preparing for marriage. Either way, we know that marriage is, itself, an allegory for Jesus and the church (See Ephesians 5:23-32) and that all scripture is meant to point us to Jesus. We also know that the Bible gives us instructions on how to live and interact with others as well. So, now that we have that cleared up, let’s get to the passage.
There are clearly some parts of this chapter that are very clearly talking about intimacy, both physically and emotionally, between a man and woman. Many people read this book and feel a little uneasy about talking about it but the truth is this:
God created us with the ability and desire to be intimate and He has given us a healthy, God-honoring avenue to practice this in marriage.
This is not something to keep quiet about. The world certainly isn’t hiding it’s view on sex and intimacy and we shouldn’t either. If God’s people do not use God’s word to introduce God’s truth on this subject then someone else will give their opinion and it will probably not be God’s. Also in this chapter we see some passages that definitely point us to Jesus. Verses 4 and 16 seem to clearly make reference to Jesus. I think in these two particular verses we can take this away:
We belong to Jesus.
Verse 16 is quite clear on the ownership of one another (“my beloved is mine and I am his”). Verse 4 talks about a banner being over the person. A banner being over a person was a symbol of hope and belonging. It was a sign used in times of war to represent a side and to give soldiers a place to look to and to rally to. It was a symbol to encourage you to remember who and what you were fighting for. Jesus is our banner. We look to Him. We fight for Him and we belong to Him. So this Christmas season remember that Jesus came as a baby, was hung on a tree as our banner of love and rose again three days later to bring us eternal life. God bless and merry Christmas.
Posted by:Robbie Byrd
JumpstartCPC.com 