First Comes Love - Day 18
Day 18 - Wednesday, May 01
Read Song of Solomon 4-5
Highlight
It may seem out of place to find such sultry language in the Bible, and it begs the question ‘why?’ Why would God include a book of passionate love poems in His Word to us? Well, there are a few traditional answers to that question. The Jewish tradition was that the Song of Solomon was an allegory representing Israel as the woman and God as the man, with their love as a symbol of the covenant between God and his people. After the time of Christ, many Christians interpreted it similarly as an allegory of the love of Christ for his Church, and we see similar language used by Paul in Ephesians 5:25-33. But it’s also possible that it is simply exactly how it reads, beautiful poetry celebrating the gift of Eros love given by God to be enjoyed in marriage.
Perhaps God’s grace to us in the Song of Solomon is that it offers a beautiful, positive view of sexual desire that’s uncommon both in the Scripture and in our world today. Hebrew Bible Scholar, Tremper Longman, says it well in his commentary, The Song of Songs:
“Without the Song we would be left with only spare and often negative words about a reality that is crucial to the human experience: love and sex. God in his wisdom has spoken through the poet of the Song to both encourage and warn us about the unquenchable power of love and desire. The Song celebrates the joy of physical touch, the exhilaration of exotic scent, the sweet sound of a lover’s voice, and the taste of another’s lips. The Song is a divine affirmation of love and an acknowledgement of the pain that often accompanies it.”
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
Read Song of Solomon 4-5
Highlight
It may seem out of place to find such sultry language in the Bible, and it begs the question ‘why?’ Why would God include a book of passionate love poems in His Word to us? Well, there are a few traditional answers to that question. The Jewish tradition was that the Song of Solomon was an allegory representing Israel as the woman and God as the man, with their love as a symbol of the covenant between God and his people. After the time of Christ, many Christians interpreted it similarly as an allegory of the love of Christ for his Church, and we see similar language used by Paul in Ephesians 5:25-33. But it’s also possible that it is simply exactly how it reads, beautiful poetry celebrating the gift of Eros love given by God to be enjoyed in marriage.
Perhaps God’s grace to us in the Song of Solomon is that it offers a beautiful, positive view of sexual desire that’s uncommon both in the Scripture and in our world today. Hebrew Bible Scholar, Tremper Longman, says it well in his commentary, The Song of Songs:
“Without the Song we would be left with only spare and often negative words about a reality that is crucial to the human experience: love and sex. God in his wisdom has spoken through the poet of the Song to both encourage and warn us about the unquenchable power of love and desire. The Song celebrates the joy of physical touch, the exhilaration of exotic scent, the sweet sound of a lover’s voice, and the taste of another’s lips. The Song is a divine affirmation of love and an acknowledgement of the pain that often accompanies it.”
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
Posted in First Comes Love