What are people saying about the Song of Songs? One church historian calls it, “the most neglected book in the Bible.” A skeptic says, “One of the most intriguing and difficult books of the Bible to understand.” A relationship expert says, “Biblical wisdom about love and sexuality has perhaps never been as crucial and needed by the church as it is today. An important book for us all!” A seminary president says, “So is the Song of Songs really about sex or Jesus?” A hokey Christian speaker says, “Some pages made me cry, other pages made me whirl around like a giddy schoolgirl in love.” A higher life Christian says, “Ready to take your marriage to the next level? Read this book!” Someone in Redeemer says, “Can’t wait!” An un-named wife of a local pastor says, “Honey… you better be careful!” Welcome to the “Song of Songs.” The goal at this point is simply to want to read it.
Some of you are thinking, “You don’t have to worry. I REALLY want to read it!” Amazon.com lists over 151,000 books on marriage, 27,000 books on dating, 12,000 books on attraction, and 190,000 books on sex. Everyone REALLY wants human romance. Ernest Becker, Pulitzer Prize winning author, calls it a longing for “apocalyptic romance.” The Songs says human romance points to apocalyptic love, but cannot provide it. Read me to find what you are really longing for.
“Yeah well, I really don’t want to read the ‘Song of Songs.’ My children are listening.” The Songs says, “Parents, don’t be scared! If your child is old enough to understand and ask questions about the sexual love in the Songs, then they’re old enough to hear what God says about it. If not, then it will happily fly over their heads!”
“I’m sexually broken. What do I do?” The quick response from the whole Bible is everyone is sexually broken. There are no sexually pure Christians. There are only Christians, who are sexually pure because of Another. Furthermore, the research is clear, porn is a major contributor to sexual brokenness. The Songs says to some of us, “Get married! And look at your wife!” Ultimately, however, the Song’s message is: only the spousal love of Jesus is powerful enough to reach and renew the deepest and most damaged parts of you.
“But sex is dirty! I’ve been told my whole life, ‘No, no, no!’” The Songs says sex is not dirty. God created our physical bodies and sexuality. In other words, the male body with testosterone and its sexual parts and the female body with estrogen and its sexual parts. Then God gave the woman and the man to each other to become one flesh in both soul and body. The first marriage with God himself as the Father of the bride! And just so everyone is clear about it all God said, “It’s all good!” The Songs says, “Yes, yes, yes to sex in marriage! Read me for the details.”
Some of us reading the Songs are teenagers exploding with hormones and desires, struggle with same sex desires, struggle with gender, frequent Tinder, treat sex as a natural appetite to be satiated like hunger and thirst, struggle with being single, or have lost that loving feeling toward their spouse. The Songs invites us all to read on! There is something here for you.
Want to hear more? Listen to The Good News Cast HERE!
