|
Commentary:
King Solomon of Jerusalem was the writer of this song, as is borne out
by its introduction. He was highly qualified to write this supremely
beautiful example of Hebrew poetry. It is an idyllic poem loaded with
meaning and most colorful in its description of beauty. The reader who can
visualize the Oriental setting will appreciate this still more. The
occasion for its writing was a unique one. The great king Solomon,
glorious in wisdom, mighty in power, and dazzling in the luster of his
material wealth, which evoked the admiration even of the queen of Sheba,
could not impress a simple country girl with whom he fell in love. Because
of the constancy of her love for a shepherd boy, the king lost out. The
book, therefore, could rightly be called The Song of Solomon's Frustrated
Love. He wrote the Song in Jerusalem. Perhaps around 1020 B.C.E., some
years after the temple had been completed. By the time he wrote the song,
Solomon had “sixty queens and eighty concubines,” compared with “seven
hundred wives, princesses and three hundred concubines” at the end of his
reign.
The material in the book is presented through a series of
conversations. There is a constant change of speakers. The persons with
speaking parts are Solomon the king of Jerusalem, a shepherd, his beloved
Shulammite, her brothers, court ladies (daughters of Jerusalem), and women
of Jerusalem (“daughters of Zion”). They are identified by what they say
of themselves or by what is said to them. The drama unfold near Shunem, or
Shulem, where Solomon is camped with his court entourage. It expresses a
touching theme-the love of a country girl of the village of Shunem for her
shepherd companion.
WHY BENEFICIAL
What lessons are taught in this song of love that the man of God might
find beneficial today? Faithfulness, loyalty, and integrity to godly
principles are clearly shown. The song teaches the beauty of virtue and
innocence in a true lover. It teaches that genuine love remains
unconquerable, inextinguishable, unpurchasable. Young Christian men and
women as well as husbands and wives can benefit from this fitting example
of integrity when temptations arise and allurements present themselves. |
