Weekly Recap #29 (Part 1) - Song of Solomon

Okay...so raise your hand if you've been waiting with baited breath for my recap on the Song of Solomon?
This one isn't going to be as easy as some of the others....but....here are some things that I discovered......

Some other names for the book include Song of Songs, or Solomon's Song.  Song of Songs means that it is more wonderful than any other!!!   

There are 3 main characters with speaking parts:

1)  the groom, King Solomon
2)  the bride, a Shulamite woman
3) daughters of Jerusalem - who I assumed are friends of the Shulamite woman whom she shared her feelings with about king Solomon

The Shulamite woman was a vineyard keeper which meant she was in the sun - and that's how she's described in the scriptures, as  being dark.

The wonderful message of the Song of Solomon is the beauty of love between a man and a woman, as experienced in the relationship of marriage.  It praises the love a husband and wife feel toward each other in the highest of all human relationships.  The sexual and physical side of marriage is a natural part of God's plan.  From the beginning, God created man and woman and brought them together to serve as companions and share their lives with one another.  The book also points to the Author of Love - God.  He brought love into being and planted that emotion in the hearts of His people.

Here are some of the verses that stood out to me as I read thru this amazing love story....

Song of Solomon 2:4b (NLT)

It's obvious how much he loves me.

This verse reminded me of how we need to handle the little problems (little foxes) that come up in a marriage before they turn into big troubles.....

Song of Solomon 2:15 (NLT)

Catch all the foxes, those little foxes,  before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming. 

In Chapter 4:1 thru Chapter 5:1 it describes the consummation of the marriage.  In Chapter 4, king Solomon is very descriptive about his bride's body and how it delights him.  He starts at the head and moves downward and uses some of the following metaphors to describe her...not exactly the description of us that we expect from our hubbies.....

eyes - like doves

hair - like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead

teeth - white as sheep recently shorn and freshly washed

smile - flawless - each tooth matches with its twin

lips - scarlet ribbon and sweetest nectar, like honey and milk under your tongue

mouth - inviting

cheeks - rosy pomegranates

neck - beautiful as the tower of David

breasts - two fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies

clothes - scented like the cedars of Lebanon.

The woman describes her lover as dark and dazzling, his head like finest gold, wavy hair black as a raven, eyes that sparkle like doves, cheeks as gardens of spices, lips like lilies, arms like rounded bars of gold, his body like bright ivory, his legs like marble pillars, his posture stately like noble cedars of Lebanon, his mouth like sweetness itself....and that he is desirable in every way.

My favorite verse of all....

Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm.  For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.  Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.

Now....hopefully this won't offend anybody.....but as I was reading how king Solomon described his bride's body....I couldn't help but think about this song by Mark Lowery....
I hope each of you can find the same humor in it that I did!!!
;o)

Saturday Blessings to each of you!!! 

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!