Song of Solomon

Of Solomon’s 1005 songs (I Kings 4:32), only one is to be found in the canon of Scripture. It is the Song of Songs, as the book so titles itself (Song of Sol. 1:1). The song is a dialogue between the spouse and the King, though the daughters of Jerusalem may also be heard. The King without question is Christ, the One who will reign in Zion. The spouse is not the church, but the Jewish remnant, while the daughters of Jerusalem are the faithful of Israel. “And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi [my Husband]; and shalt call me no more Baali [my Lord i.e. Master]… And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies” (Hosea 2:16, 19).
The song is progressive. It records the drawing out, and anticipation of the love between the spouse and the King. In contrast, there is present realization of relationship for the Christian. However, if the book is rightly applied, we can see principles in common with God’s dealing with each one of us. Christ loves His assembly, He loves His earthly people, He loves the soul that He draws to Himself, so that there is a moral application to ourselves which is very precious.
A helpful aid in understanding this book is to mark the verses according to their speaker—the Concise Bible Dictionary contains such a summary. In many instances these divisions are discerned by changes in the original Hebrew, a language inflected by gender.
The song may be divided into six sections: The Assurance of Love (ch. 1:2-2:7), The Awakening of Love (ch. 2:8-3:5), The Communion of Love (ch. 3:6-5:1), The Restoration of Love (ch. 5:2-6:12), The Witness of Love (ch. 6:13-8:4), and The Triumph of Love (ch. 8:5-8:14).
It is beautiful to see the progress in the thoughts of the spouse. At first, governed by her own affections she exclaims: “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (Song of Sol. 2:16). However the Lord wants us to know more of Himself, and His work in our lives is ongoing. The next time the thought is expressed, the King’s affections precede her own: “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” (Song of Sol. 6:3). Finally, with her heart full of her Beloved’s love toward her, there is no expression of her own affection at all, it is all Christ: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” (Song of Sol. 7:10).