Song
of Solomon
Summary[i]
Nowhere in Scripture does the
unspiritual mind tread upon ground so mysterious and incomprehensible as in
this book, while the saintliest men and women of the ages have found it a source
of pure and exquisite delight. That the love of the divine Bridegroom should
follow all the analogies of the marriage relation seems evil only to minds so
ascetic that martial desire itself seems to them unholy.
The interpretation is twofold:
Primarily, the book is the expression of pure marital love as ordained of God
in creation, and the vindication of that love as against both asceticism and
lust--the two profanations of the holiness of marriage. The secondary and
larger interpretation is of Christ, the Son and His heavenly bride, the Church
(2Co_11:1-4 refs).
In this sense the book has six
divisions:
1. The bride seen in restful communion with the
Bridegroom (Song of Songs 1:1 - 2:7).
2. A lapse and restoration (Song of Songs 2:3 -
3:5).
3. Joy of fellowship (Song of Songs 3:6 - 5:1).
4. Separation of interest--the bride satisfied,
the Bridegroom toiling for others (Song of Songs 5:2-5).
5. The bride seeking and witnessing (Song of
Songs 5:6 - 6:3).
6. Unbroken communion (Song of Songs 6:4 - 8:14).