If you were to list the most popular books of the Bible — those most preached from or commented on — would Song of Solomon make your list? Probably not. In his new book The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs, Philip Ryken points out that in actuality for most of Church history (up through the 1600s), Song of Solomon would find its place near the top of that list (p. 44)! This is surprising to anyone familiar with Solomon’s Song because no book in the Bible is more sure to bring redness to the face when read aloud in mixed company! Indeed the book is a collection of love poems centering on the relationship between a man and woman, which like many love poems can be quite suggestive and evocative (almost erotic).
For those who need help in understanding and appreciating the Song of Solomon I recommend picking up Philip Ryken’s new book The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs. This book helpfully includes the entire biblical text (ESV) of Song of Solomon alongside Ryken’s easy to read devotional thoughts on this fascinating (and often troubling) book.
In earlier eras of the church, Song of Solomon was often interpreted allegorically as a way to sanctify its use in the church. Ryken approaches the Song in a similar way noting that it “awakens a desire for intimacy that can be satisfied only by a personal relationship with the living God.” (p. 44). He notes how sexual imagery is often used to describe Israel’s rejection of the exclusive worship of Jehovah. And marriage itself is a picture both of God’s relationship with Israel, and more especially (from our perspective) Christ’s relationship with the Church. Yet Ryken stops short of reading the book allegorically: there are parallels between the relationship between Christ and the Church in the relationship idealized in Song of Solomon, but there is also something to be learned with regard to human relationships as well.
The context of the love relationship described is, according to Ryken, a covenant marriage: he affirms that the book upholds traditional Christian teaching that sexuality is intended to flourish within (and only within) a marriage between a man and a woman. Ryken also holds that the book uses Solomon as an ideal figure but the relationship described is not necessarily Solomon’s. He doesn’t speak too dogmatically on that interpretive point, however. Ryken does draw out important lessons from the book with regard to singleness, purity, engagement and marriage — and more.
But Song of Solomon is more than a marriage manual or typological description of Christ and the Church. It is poetry. Ryken often describes the book as a collection of song lyrics: “Read this book the way you read the liner notes to an album of love songs” (p. 31-32). Ryken masterfully reads the poetry and follows the Hebrew text to spell out who is talking and sets the stage, so we can follow along and enjoy the love poems and their underlying story.
One other point deserves mention with respect to Ryken’s handling of the text. Ryken does not eagerly proclaim Song of Solomon as a manifesto on sexual liberation. Instead he finds its instruction on marital love appropriately muted by the poetic nature of the book, and not as graphic or explicit as quite a few modern writers envision.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Love of Loves. It rekindled my appreciation for Solomon’s Song. I highly recommend it.
Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers:
Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, ChristianBook.com, or direct from Crossway.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.
About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.
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