Introduction

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — Song of Solomon 1:1
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: Introduction to the Song of Solomon

Scripture: Song of Solomon 1:1

I. Overview of the Book

A. Song of Solomon is a love story — the only book of the Bible the teacher had never heard preached B. Like Esther, Song of Solomon does not mention God by name C. Primary reference materials: Tommy Nelson (video series), George Schwab (commentary), G.I. Williamson (sermon series published as a book)

II. Interpretive Approaches

A. Literal interpretation — the book is a poem and love story describing romantic attraction, courtship, marriage, and the sexual relationship between a man and woman B. Allegorical interpretation — the book has nothing literal in it and refers entirely to Christ's relationship with the church

1. Problem: advocates of the allegorical view cannot agree on what the various parts of the allegory represent
2. Problem: certain passages (e.g., Song of Solomon 4:1–6 and 5:10–16) seem inappropriate if applied allegorically to Christ or the church C. Other minor theories: the book as drama, or as ancient love lyrics that were collected into the canon D. Preferred approach: primarily literal, while also recognizing that marriage points toward Christ and the church per Ephesians 5:29–32
3. Paul states in Ephesians 5:32: "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church."
4. Both dimensions are simultaneously true — the literal and the typological do not cancel each other out

III. Authorship: Solomon

A. Verse 1 plainly identifies Solomon as the author B. Objection: Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines — hardly a model of God's design for marriage C. Response: the whole Bible is written by sinners

1. David is called a man after God's own heart and yet committed adultery and murder; God still used him to write much of the Psalms
2. God declares his love for Solomon at birth and again later in the Old Testament (2 Samuel, following the death of Bathsheba's first son)
3. Pattern throughout Scripture — cf. "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Romans 9:13) D. Possible timeline of Solomon's writings: Song of Solomon (youth), Proverbs (middle age, at the height of his reign), Ecclesiastes (old age, reflecting on life's pursuits)

IV. The Title: Song of Songs

A. The superlative construction "Song of Songs" is analogous to "Holy of Holies," "King of Kings," and "Lord of Lords"

1. Each expression denotes the ultimate, highest, or greatest of its kind
2. This is the greatest of all songs recorded in Scripture B. It is categorized as wisdom literature, alongside Proverbs and Ecclesiastes — we are to take instruction from it C. The fact that the greatest song is about marriage (not directly about God) is itself striking and intentional D. Poetry, as opposed to prose, calls us to slow down and reflect; God chose this form deliberately — marriage and sexuality are not meant to be cold or mechanical

V. Why This Book Makes Us Uncomfortable — and Why It Helps Us

A. Reasons for discomfort:

1. The book does not mention God directly
2. Sex and sexuality are uncomfortable topics, especially in a church setting
3. It is hard to accept that the greatest song in Scripture was written by a man whose own marriage life was disastrous

B. Reasons the book is profitable:

1. We cannot fully understand marriage without understanding Christ's relationship to the church, and vice versa — cf. Ephesians 5
2. For married people: seeing how God loves the church and the church loves God feeds into and models the marriage relationship
3. For single people: provides a model of what God designed and what to strive toward
4. Our culture is saturated with sexual knowledge yet increasingly broken — we need instruction about God's design and intent, not merely mechanics
5. Marriage, as God designed it, can be the most fulfilling human relationship — sin distorts this, but God's intent remains