Welcome to: BASIC TRAINING IN THE BIBLE Andrew Stepp Song of Solomon
Hebel = 37x in this book (73x total in the OT), wisp of air, vapor, meaninglessness, vanity Where can we find satisfaction? What is the meaning of life? Is contentment possible? If life is so fleeting, then what s the point of ANYTHING???? Is it just East, drink, and be happy for tomorrow we die?
Wisdom is Meaningless (1:12ff) Pleasures are Meaningless (2:1ff) Wisdom and Folly are Meaningless (2:12ff) Work is Meaningless (2:17ff) Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness (4:1ff) Advancement is Meaningless (4:13ff) Riches are Meaningless (5:8ff) A Common Destiny for All (9:1ff)
Eccl. 11:7-12:14 Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and Job essentially all have the same key theme
GODLY Wisdom is the ability to make godly choices in life. Wisdom begins and ends with the fear of the Lord. It isn t a fear of being struck by lightning or fear of being struck dead but it s a deep, abiding, holy reverence and respect for the Lord and for His Word, the Bible. The very first step in biblical wisdom is knowing God and committing your life to Him. Jack Wellman
It means fearing to seek refuge, and joy, and hope anywhere other than in God. It means keeping before our eyes what a fearful prospect it is to stop trusting and depending on God to meet our needs. The fear of the Lord is, therefore, the beginning of wisdom not only in the sense that it is the first step in a wise way to live, but also in the sense that all the later characteristics of wisdom flow from the fear of the Lord like a river flows from a spring. John Piper
As Martin Luther said, it is a filial fear, the fear of a child who is in awe of his father and doesn t want to do anything that would violate his father and disrupt their loving relationship. In a word, this concept has to do with reverence, awe, and respect. When the writers of the Wisdom Literature say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, they are saying that the absolute, essential starting point if you want to acquire true wisdom is reverence and adoration for God. RC Sproul The sense of insight which brings order to every aspect of life because one understands the proper place of God. The Essential Bible Companion
To say that wisdom, according to Proverbs, is the skill of living is true, but inadequate. The prologue does not end at verse 6. The final verse of the prologue announces, "The beginning of knowledge is the fear of the LORD." In other words, one cannot even start to be wise or knowledgeable unless they fear God. After all, if someone does not know the most basic thing about the world we live in, that God created and runs it, then that person is a fool. It is interesting that that relationship is characterized by fear. Why fear? The fear referred to here is not the type that makes one run away. It is more like reverence or awe. It is the awareness that God, not oneself, is the center of the universe. It is the emotion that cultivates the humility that allows a person to listen to advice and avoid the pride that causes people to reject criticism. - Tremper Longman
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon s. 1:1 of/to/for/about Solomon Solomon is mentioned 6 times, but
1. Because it s about, duh???? 2. There have always been streams within Christianity that overemphasize the sinfulness of fleshly desires. Gnostics emphasis on knowledge, the soul, and spiritual things; the material world is evil and therefore so is physical pleasure Asceticism/Monasticism
a work of written, oral, or visual expression that uses symbolic figures, objects, and actions to convey truths or generalizations about human conduct or experience. The word traces back to the Greek word allēgorein meaning to speak figuratively.
God s love and passion for Israel
Jesus love and passion for the Church "Origen combined the Platonic and Gnostic attitudes toward sexuality to denature the Canticle and transform it into a spiritual drama free from all carnality. The reader was admonished to mortify the flesh and to take nothing predicated of the Song with reference to bodily functions, but rather to apply everything toward the apprehension of the divine senses of the inner man." Church council in 550AD that forbade any interpretation that was NOT allegorical!
So according to Cyril of Alexandria, writing in the fifth century a.d., when the woman describes her lover lying between her two breasts like a sachet of myrrh, what she is really talking about is Jesus coming between the two Testaments, Old and New. Bernard of Clairvaux (1909-1153) preached eighty-six sermons on the Song of Songs, covering only the first two chapters. He was given to obsessive allegorical interpretation in an attempt to purge it of any suggestion of "carnal lust."
For instance, "you are altogether beautiful, my darling, and there is no blemish in you" (4:7 ), is used to support the doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary.
While rejecting the normal allegorical interpretation, Martin Luther was still not able to embrace the literal erotic sense of the book. So he "propounded the theory that the bride of the Song is the happy and peaceful State under Solomon's rule and that the Song is a hymn in which Solomon thanks God for the divine gift of obedience."
as the Christian soul passes through a series of mystical states in comprehending this "loving awareness of God," it eventually culminates in a "mystical marriage" in which one is dissolved into the love of God and purified of any selflove.
Typological/Typical recognizes the historicity of the book but subordinates it to a corresponding NT theme like Christ-Church. Similar to allegory but accepts it historicity. Wedding cycle a collection of wedding nuptial poems similar to what was used at Arabic weddings at that time. Didactic does not deny but discounts the historical aspects of the Song in favor of the moral and instructional purposes. the Song should be taken literally with its expressions of romantic and sexual bliss in marriage, at the same time the Song seems to communicate a lesson on marital love that goes even deeper. Hence the Song is didactic as well as literal.
Literal View Takes it at face value and interprets it for what it appears to be a sensual, erotic expression of emotions and passion. It is simply love poetry with no intended plot behind it. It celebrates, illustrates, and warns of the power of sensuality. The Anthology View the Song of Songs should be understood in reference to literal human sexual/romantic expression, but not as a unified document with a single theme and purpose. The Song of Songs represents instead a collection or anthology of love poems.
A play or drama to be performed for royal entertainment But how many characters are there? 2 or 3??? Hero or Heel??
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeologymaps-timeline-chronology-song-of-solomon-songcanticles-abishag-shepherd-boy-love-triangle- 960bc.htm
The poet affirms that virtue of chastity in the young lovers faithful, monogamous marital relationship between a man and a woman. The Shulamite and her shepherd-lover model genuine love demonstrating sincerity and fidelity by strength of character and flame of passion. They exude loyalty, integrity, commitment, and faithfulness. affirms the goodness and righteousness of physical love within the confines of God-ordained marriage. The sanctity of marriage and the appropriateness of physical intimacy within marriage are vital truths for the church of God set in a society mired in sexual license and easy divorce.
Is Song of Solomon wisdom literature or just leftovers?
This is the point fo the class! Son of Solomon = 8 chapters Use extra time to read Proverbs and/or Ecclesiastes