The Song of Solomon is a beautiful and passionate poem conveying romantic love between a young shepherd (1:7), and a young Shulammite girl (1:8).
While the book of Revelation has its many interpretations, due to its complexity and use of metaphors, Song of Solomon may not be too far behind. There are many schools of thought concerning how to interpret this poetic book. Some scholars try to read the book through a strict literal interpretation. Others try to read it through a loose allegorical interpretation. But, isn’t that the beauty of poetry in the first place? Poets take literal events and employ metaphors and word pictures to describe it. There is little doubt that this book is about romantic love. Have you ever tried to describe love? Have you ever attempted to conjure up the right words to communicate your passion for your spouse?
Solomon, Israel’s third king, was a man of such passion. Scripture reveals that he wrote over three thousand proverbs, and penned over a thousand songs (1 Kings 4:32). He spoke about trees, beasts, birds, reptiles, and fish (1 Kings 4:33). Furthermore, Solomon had 700 wives, and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:1-3)! Unfortunately, those women turned his heart away from the Lord. A man of many words and wives surely had to come up with plenty of love songs and poems!
The Song of Solomon has made many believers blush throughout history. Romance and sexual desire has become a taboo within the Church. For it to be included in Holy Scripture should give us some indication that God has given such emotional and physical love as gifts to His creation. Song of Solomon presents sexual desire as it should be – within the confines of a committed marriage between a man and woman.
Though we might be able to use the Song of Solomon as a metaphor between Christ and the Church, perhaps we could use the book as a guide to enhance our love within our own marriages. Proving that God doesn’t just care about the supernatural salvation of our souls, He also cares about the natural details of our lives.