Today in God's Word—August 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
August 19, Song of Solomon 2
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
- Song of Solomon 2:4
After reading some of the comments and interpretations about Chapter 2, I made up a little couplet for you, "I think that we could all agree, if you could see it as I see." Or maybe this: “We'd have sweet peace and harmony, if you would just agree with me." Isn't that the way we view so many of our disagreements with others? We may talk about how wonderful it would be to have unity, but we still want our own way.
Is Song of Solomon, as one interpretation explains, an inspired marital counselor? It contains vivid examples of loving expressions of attraction and affection, as well as its descriptions of physical contact between a man and woman. It might be possible to apply most of the teaching here in that way. But other interpreters insist that the book is an allegory about Christ and the church. That view is not without credibility. New Testament writers cite other Old Testament passages as allegory and draw applicable lessons from them. Paul likens the husband and wife relationship to Christ and the church. But do the intimate words and actions described in Song of Solomon really represent that? In Chapter 2 the allegory school of interpreters see Christ coming to rescue the church from the evil world so his beloved ones can live with him.
Careful, respected Bible teachers and scholars fall on both sides of this question. Thank God for freedom to read for ourselves! Thank God for a mind and discernment that enables us to draw lessons and conclusions from the text for ourselves! Allow me to share a few examples of good lessons to learn from this text. I do believe that husbands and wives can learn some good lessons about speaking and acting with love from this book. But there are also practical
lessons with some allegorical flavor here as well.
The text verse illustrates the richness of our blessings in Christ. Jesus came to take us, not to a prison, but to a banqueting house of fellowship and celebration. The Lord's Supper is a beggar's banquet. None of us who commune with our Savior there deserve a seat at his table; no one paid his own way. He gave us a seat of honor at that table. And then one day, the Lord will call his bride (the church) to the marriage supper of the Lamb, in a place where we will be with him forever.
The other half of the verse says, “His banner over us is love." Aren't you glad for the love and grace of God? He looks at us with love instead of the wrath that all sinners deserve? He could have marched out against us with battle flags flying and destroyed us in a flesh of anger. But that banner over us is his love, not wrath.
Solomon also sang, "the winter is past; the rain is over and gone." He spoke of our love that stays close to us through the night until the new day breaks and the shadows flee away. Winter comes in every year. Darkness is part of the daily cycle in our world. So God's love for his people does not go away in the hard cold "winter" experiences of life. In your deepest shadows, he does not leave you.
How many “vineyards” of happy marriage have been spoiled by uncaught "little foxes?" When couples don't deal with the small problems that are inevitable in any relationship, there is the potential danger to the joy and permanence of the marriage. It's not that any one of those little foxes could ruin our vineyard, but their effect can be cumulative and devastating. So there's good advice here as well as encouraging truth about our relationship with the Lord.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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