Monday 14 January 2013

Background

The Song of Solomon is probably one of the more neglected booksof the Bible - perhaps because it's not explicitly about God;perhaps because it seems to speak more of human experiences than ofgodly ones; or perhaps it's because we find some of its sauciersections a little, well, embarrassing.

It can be surprising (not to mention a little unsettling) tostumble across what appears to be the raunchy account of a loveaffair slap bang in the middle of a sacred religious text. Butthere it is and, as Christians, we should deal seriously andpositively with any Scripture that our forefathers thought wasvaluable enough to make the final cut.

So why is it in the canon? Is it just to embarrass us? Well, theSong of Solomon is primarily a book about love, marriage andsexuality, and we would do the text (not to mention ourselves) adisservice if we pretend otherwise. Unless you consider yourself aworld expert in these matters, perhaps there's something to belearned.

But more than that, the Song of Solomon is a God's-eye-view ofwhat human sexuality is like and what it has the potential to be.As such, it can inspire us to seek and find a deeper experience andunderstanding of God and God's love for humanity. Sure, the closestit ever gets to mentioning God is a questionable reference in 8:6, but it is part of a wider collection ofwritings that speaks of God's massive world-changing involvement inhuman affairs (literally and metaphorically speaking). It is inthis context that I hope we can explore the Song of Solomontogether this week.

To Ponder

• What kind of writings and themes do you expect to find in theBible? What texts or themes have surprised you by theirinclusion?

• What might be learned about God from the stories of human loveaffairs?