Blogging Break

Just In Case You Missed It: June 17-29, 2024

My Favorite Podcast (or video) of the Week: “John MacArthur on Being a Celebrity Pastor” (an interview with Phil Johnson)  

Favorite Blog/Articles Read Recently:

• “Kid Noises” by Jacob R. Crouch. Having kids in church can be distracting, but it is so worth it!  
• “30 Pieces of Writing Advice from C.S Lewis” by Barnabas Piper. You will get a flavor of the cleverness of this gifted writer.

Song of Solomon: A Book with Passion

On Wednesdays, in 2024, on this blog I will be posting a series of surveys of O.T. books and answers to questions about the O.T.  

The Title and Purpose of the Book of Song of Solomon

The title “Songs of Songs” means “the finest of all songs.” Solomon composes over 1,000 songs (I Kings 4:32), which makes this one the “finest.” The book is full of symbols and images.

Many people “shy away” from reading it or studying this Book because the language is so provocative and sensual, and this form of poetry is not easy to understand or analyze. People are simply uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the vocabulary. In fact, some reject its canonicity because of the sexual language it uses.

No book in the Bible is more erotic in its language than this one. In fact, the ancient Israelites would not allow their young men to read this book until the age of 30! The Bible does not shy away from physical intimacy.

This is a book celebrating the love between a man and a woman – whether that man is Solomon or not, it doesn’t matter much. This is a series of love poems. The purpose of the Song of Solomon is to rejoice in the love between a man and woman, and later a marital love between a husband and wife.

The Author and Date of the Song of Solomon

The very 1^st verse of this Book identifies the author this way – “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s” (Song 1:1). Throughout the first 8 chapters, Solomonic authorship is established.

Most agree Song of Solomon was written when he was young. Since Solomon is the primary author of this book, it is likely that it was written during his reign – about 971-930 B.C.

Surveying the Song of Solomon

The setting is both rural and urban. Some of it takes place in the hill country where the woman lived (Songs 6:13). Some takes place in Jerusalem (Songs 3:6-7:13).

The king courts his bride (Songs 1:1-3:5)

The Song of Solomon opens with a confession of desire for the woman of the story – the Shulamite – based on his lips, love, lotion (or cologne) he is wearing, and general lifestyle and character. It is the same list of features that Solomon would see in her later in Song of Solomon 4:9-11.

It is clear there is mutual attraction between the two as they exchange about the inner and outer beauty. They know physical love will be delightful. They want to be married to one another. It is a sensual invitation from both to draw ever closer than they already are. It ends with a plea from the Shulamite woman for chastity before and after marriage.

This section is a reflection on her wedding day. She describes his approach to her as a happy, young horse out for a run in the fields (vs. 9). She wants to have him for her own and not share him with any other, which is an expression the design of marriage for leaving cleaving (Gen 2:24). The expression is for monogamy built on mutual love.

She wants her husband so much that she has a dream about him, which seems like a very normal expression of desire for anyone who longs for another. And this dream grows her intensity for her husband.  

The king claims his bride (Songs 3:6-5:1)

This section deals with Solomon’s coming for his bride, their return to Jerusalem and the consummation of their marriage. Just as you might expect from a King, he arrives in style. It has fanfare, incenses, fragrant smells, beautiful flowers, a gathering of military dressed in their uniforms, and a beautiful carriage with shiny metals.

When the King sees his bride, he is awestruck. And the descriptions he gives of her are so poetic that it would be crazy to interpret them literally. What we know for sure is that the King was star stuck by what he saw! How she looked was almost too beautiful for the choicest of words. He is “drunk with love” (Song 5:1). He knows that physical love will be satisfying. This book is a book celebrating the pleasures of physical love in a marriage!

The king communes with his wife (Songs 5:2-8:14).

This seems to be a record of their first fight as couple, with what started as a possible scene of sexual intimacy and what ended with the King sleeping somewhere else for the night.  

But the apparent fight did not deter or hinder her love for this man. It is part of the “better or worst” that we are vowed to keep. In this section, she reminds herself of this attractive man and why she has come to love this man.

She is committed to the King. She won’t allow anything to keep her from loving him. And then, we hear from the King, whose has mutual love for her. He returns to describing her in familiar and new ways and reaffirms her purity. It would seem like this is them “making up” after their first fight, and while there is no record of confessing sin or forgiving one another, you detect that a love for one another that is unhindered would include the gracious forgiveness of each other’s sins.

In this final section, we see nothing but reciprocal love. And the book ends with an invitation for sexual intimacy.

Final Thoughts on the Song of Solomon

The Song of Solomon has fallen under fire in more recent years with some seeing it as the Christian’s sex manual. While most of the depictions of love here are of physical expression, we cannot pretend that other depictions of love are not present. The Song of Solomon is certainly a narrative celebrating romantic and even sexual love between a husband and wife, but we need to be careful in how we might preach the Song of Solomon.

Our audiences are mixed with levels of maturities and ages. Not everyone is able to handle the sensual language with the reverence it deserves. This doesn’t mean that Song of Solomon should be avoided, but just carefully taught.

Book Blurbs: June 2024

What Is Saving Faith? Reflections on Receiving Christ as a Treasure by John Piper(published by Crossway, 2022). 300 pages. This book is Piper’s argument for religious affections. It is an update on Jonathan Edwards’s discourse on the same subject. It is probably not a book for the non-Christian who needs to read the Gospel, unless they have a “bent” towards philosophy. It can be a bit “heady” at times, if you are not used to Piper’s style of writing. BOOK RATING: 8 out of 10 stars.

How Do We Glorify God? by John D Hannah(published by P&R Publishing, 2000). 44 pages. It seems like the inspiration for this booklet was Romans 11:36. I say inspiration and not exposition or Bible study. Readers might be disappointed that there is not that much application or answers to the booklet’s title, but I found it to be sufficient and leaving room for the Spirit to help us see our own personal application(s). BOOK RATING: 9 out of 10 stars.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer(published by Anchor Books, 1997). 333 pages. This is the story of the 1996 expedition of those who attempted to climb Mt. Everest, of whom 12 of the author’s fellow climbers died. It ended up being the deadliest climbing season in the history of Everest expeditions. I am not interested in climbing mountains, but I have been very intrigued by this story from the first time I heard it. A movie titled Everest would eventually me made from the accounts from books like this one.  BOOK RATING: 10 out of 10 stars.

Three Steps Forward Two Steps Back by Charles R. Swindoll(published by Word Publishing, 1997). 224 pages. This book is meant to be an encouragement to persevere. Even when we struggle in life, if we look at our life and notice some kind of progress, we must be encouraged. That is the main theme of the book as the author works through different examples of this in the O.T.  BOOK RATING: 7 out of 10 stars.

Understanding Christian Theology edited by Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck (published by Nelson Reference, 2003). 1498 pages. This is a single volume systematic theology compiled by current and former professors at Dallas Theological Seminary. It would appear to be exhaustive and accessible to most Christian readers. One unique feature is the devotional thoughts and discussion questions that appear at the end of each chapter. While I believe Grudem’s single volume is still the best systematic theology for the Christian, this could probably rank in the Top 5.  BOOK RATING: 9 out of 10 stars.

On Becoming Teen Wise: Building a Relationship That Lasts a Lifetime by Garry Ezzo and Robert Bucknam (published by Multnomah Publishers, 2000). 243 pages. Very frustrating read. Hardly any Scriptural help. Practical ideas that don’t really translate to most families. Sometimes legalistic. Not a big fan of the whole love languages approach to relationship-building which seems to be at the heart of this book’s thesis.  BOOK RATING: 3 out of 10 stars.

It Is Humility Month (Part 4)

Some say it’s pride month! I say it’s humility month.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general that lived during the 6^th century B.C., and he is most known for his contribution to war-time philosophy. His approach to war was not so much about using force but about the psychological advantages one could have over his enemy – in other words, out-thinking the enemy. He often talked about the importance of studying your enemy before you ever devised a plan to defeat him.

He wrote, “Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer aa defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”[1]

To win the war, you must know your enemy. It’s no different in the Christian life. One of the reasons that the Bible is brutally honest about the Devil, his evil angels, spiritual warfare, and our own sinful flesh is because God wants us to know what we are up against. He wants us to know our enemies. We have powerful and sneaky enemies, but the one that probably doesn’t get near the attention is ought to and is at the heart of almost every sin in our lives: pride.

No matter what level of maturity you are, and no matter how many years of your life are behind or ahead of you, pride is likely one of, if not the greatest enemy we face. Pride is what drove Satan to rebel against God in heaven. Pride is what motivated Adam and Eve to choose to eat from the forbidden tree. Pride is what encouraged the religious leaders to call for Jesus’ crucifixion. And pride is what keeps most people from accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.

And because pride is one of our greatest enemies, that also means that humility is one of our greatest allies. Humility is the antidote to a prideful heart. Pride and humility are not companions; pride and humility are “at odds” with one another. The Christian must not be proud but humble.

But, how can one grow in humility? There are entire books – good books – on humility that will go much deeper than I am about to answering the question of how one grows in humility. To start, try The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson or The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges.

Also, study God. A study of God is going to produce a high view of Him and a lower view of self, and when you accomplish that, you are well on your way to becoming humble. A study of God’s attributes shows us how different He is from us. When studying the attributes of God, you will draw the same conclusion as David in Psalm 139:6 – “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” If you want to increase your humility, study the attributes of God.

Also, reflect often on the cross. Nothing will quite strip you down and humble you like the cross. John Owen said that if you can fill up every one of your affections with the cross, there will be no more room for sin. Meditating on the atoning, substitutionary, willing sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for you and I will humble us…very quickly! When we think of the cross, it’s as if Jesus is saying back to us, “YOU are here because of me. YOUR SIN is what brought me to this place; I am cursed because of YOU; it is YOUR DEBT I am taking care of.” You will never see a prideful person stand beside the cross. The cross only accepts broken and bowed heads. If you have an inflated view of yourself, reflect often on the cross.

Also, cultivate thankfulness. This is such a good and practical remedy because thankfulness is the demonstration of humility. Thankfulness is a form of praising someone else. Ungrateful people are prideful people. When is the last time you thanked someone who serves you every day? At church? At work? Do you thank the waiters and waitresses who serve you at the local restaurant? Pride has a hard time growing in the heart that is thankful.

I pray that we are more compelled to strive for humility as a result of seeing this narrative in the life of Jesus, the disciples and these precious children.

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[1] The Art of War, 3:18