SONG OF SOLOMON
Song of Songs, also known as Song of Solomon, Song of Songs of Solomon, Canticle and Canticle of Canticles, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.
The Song of Songs is love poetry and celebrates the beauty of a wedding and the joy of love between man and woman. In the ancient world all poetry was sung, and the Song is, in fact, the lyrics to a song collection. It was performed by singers consisting of a male lead, a female lead and a chorus. Song of Songs should probably be thought of as a concert piece created for an aristocratic audience in Solomon’s court. It is Solomon’s greatest song because it is about the love of God.
So read The Song of Solomon by the wonderful Passion Translation and get into this love story. God’s story is a love story, and all of creation is part of it. He’s the Bridegroom and we’re the bride, but we fell. Then God comes down to earth and gives His life for us that we would say yes, and like the end of a love story, the two come together. We shall behold Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Greek word for worship means kiss. We’ll be worshiping Him forever, the two shall be one, and we’ll be joined together in holy matrimony, total marital bliss forever. Creation is a love story and your life is to be a love story between you and God. Your life can never be complete until you draw near to Him. So come into His chambers, into the secret place, in prayer and worship until your life becomes a true love story sealed with a kiss of worship.
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The biblical King Solomon was known for his wisdom, his wealth and his writings. He became ruler in approximately 967 B.C. and his kingdom extended from the Euphrates River in the north to Egypt in the south. His crowning achievement was the building of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Almost all knowledge of him is derived from the biblical books of Kings I and Chronicles II.
Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Solomon was not the oldest son of David, but David promised Bathsheba that Solomon would be the next king. When David’s elder son Adonijah declared himself king, David ordered his servants to bring Solomon to the Gihon spring where the priest anointed him while David was still alive. Solomon inherited a considerable empire from his father.
Solomon accumulated enormous wealth. He controlled the entire region west of the Euphrates and had peace on his borders. Kings I states that he owned 12,000 horses with horsemen and 1,400 chariots. Remains of stalls for 450 horses have in fact been found in Megiddo.
Although Solomon was young, he soon became known for his wisdom. The first and most famous incident of his cleverness as a judge was when two women came to his court with a baby whom both women claimed as their own. Solomon threatened to split the baby in half. One woman was prepared to accept the decision, but the other begged the King to give the living baby to the other woman. Solomon then knew the second woman was the mother.
People from surrounding nations also came to hear Solomon’s wisdom. He composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. He wrote the Song of Songs, the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
One of the most celebrated visits to Solomon was that of the Queen of Sheba, who came from southern Arabia. Historically, Arabia was a country rich in gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Solomon needed Sheba’s products and trade routes; the queen of Sheba needed Solomon’s cooperation in marketing her country’s goods. The queen came to Solomon with camels carrying spices, gold and precious stones. She asked him questions and riddles and was amazed at his wisdom.