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CHAPTER 5 THE SONG OF SONGS
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
1 I have come into my garden, my sister, mybride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. Ihave eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I havedrunk my wine and my milk. Eat, O friends, anddrink; drink your fill, O lovers.
 
1. Expositor's Bible, "WE have seen how this strange poem mingles factand fancy, memory and reverie, in what wouldbe hopeless confusion if we could not detect a commonprevailing sentiment and one aim towards which thewhole is tending, with all its rapidly shifting scenes andall its perplexingly varying movements. The middleof the poem attains a perfect climax of love and rapture.Then we are suddenly transported to an entirely different scene. The Shulammite recites a second dream,which somewhat resembles her former dream, but ismore vivid and intense, and ends very painfully. Thecircumstances of it will agree most readily with theidea that she is already married to the shepherd.Again it is a dream of the loss of her lover, and of hersearch for him by night in the streets of Jerusalem.But in the present case he was first close to her, andthen he deserted her most unaccountably ; and whenshe went to look for him this time she failed tofind him, and met with cruel ill-treatment. In herdream she fancies she hears the bridegroom knockingat her chamber door and calling upon her as his sister,his love, his dove, his undefiled, to open to him. Hehas just returned from tending his flock in the night,
 
and his hair is wet with the dew."1B. The strong sexual content here bothers many, but what this song is saying is thatthe sexual delights we enjoy are approved by God. There is no immoral sex whenenjoyed by partners that God approves. Whatever is acceptable to them isacceptable to God. He has put no restrictions on what can be enjoyed between themalone in the privacy of their lovemaking. Oral sex becomes a major issue here. ManyChristians feel it is wrong. My first encounter with it in counseling was by a wifewho enjoyed it but felt guilty because she did. Most counselors would advise anycouple that if something is mutually enjoyable then it is something they shouldthank God for, and rejoice in their love. If it is objectionable to one partner itshould not be forced upon them, nor any other sexual practice that is painful or notenjoyable. Sex is to be mutual pleasure, and if it is not then it is an abuse of sex.What may not be acceptable at the moment may be later, for couples grow in theirdesire to explore more ways to enjoy each other. New methods of giving each otherpleasure will develop as a couple grows in their desire to keep the fires of passionalive and burning. If they never try new things there is a danger of losing thatpassion. Enjoying each other sexually should be a passion for all of life, andcontinue into old age.2. "Eat . . . O lovers." The metaphors used express the fully satisfying nature of hissexual experience (cf. 2 Sam.13:15). "Biblically, when a lover gives himself to hisbeloved as these two have done, the relationship of each has changed to all the restof the human race. That is why traditionally in our culture a wedding cannot beperformed without witnesses. That is the reason behind the publishing of weddingbans. The taking of a woman by a man is a public matter. "Furthermore, what onedoes with one's sexuality is of concern to God (Exod 20:14). Likewise, it is a concernto everyone else. The woman now belongs to the man and the man to the woman.This changes all other personal relationships. Thus the witnesses present atweddings represent the larger society. This is why weddings are considered legalmatters. "Self-giving love between the sexes is of social significance. Society mustknow. How else can marriage be a witness and testimony to the relationship of Christ and the church? One Savior, one spouse!" And obviously Solomon cannot bethe example of one Savior, one spouse. The only one who can be this example is theshepherd lover.2B. One commentator expresses how intense the passion is in this verse. "The LovedOne has entered his garden and taken what it offers to him. Images of scent("myrrh" and "spice", referring again to the Dear One's vulva) and of taste("honeycomb" and "honey", "wine" and "milk") describe (it seems) the sensationsand secretions of intercourse itself, including the climax and ejaculation of theLoved One. What an experience! The Loved One's joy can hardly becontained...and then calms of itself. After the Lovers rest, they make love again...andagain, until they are satiated: "Eat, O friends; drink and imbibe deeply (or be
 
drunken), O lovers!" Far from being prudish about sex (even if delicate in itsdescriptions of it), the Song encourages its full expression in marriage (andespecially during the honeymoon)."2C. The wife of a well known evangelical leader spoke to a women’s group and said,“You know girls, a prostitute is skilled in all the techniques of giving sexual pleasureto a man she does not even know or love. If they can do that for a man they do noteven know or love, just for money, surely we should be even more skilled in givingsexual pleasure to our husbands whom we do love.”3. Clarke, "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. I havecome into my garden, my sister, callah, or spouse; I have gathered my myrrh," &c. Ihave taken thee for my spouse, and am perfectly satisfied that thou art pure andimmaculate. Eat, O friends-drink abundantly - These are generally supposed to bethe words of the bridegroom, after he returned from the nuptial chamber, andexhibited those signs of his wife's purity which the customs of those times required.This being a cause of universal joy, the entertainment is served up; and he inviteshis companions, and the friends of both parties, to eat and drink abundantly, asthere was such a universal cause of rejoicing. Others think that these are the wordsof the bride to her spouse: but the original will not bear this meaning; the verbs areall plural."4. Patsy Rae Dawson wrote, "God, who inspired the recording of this true story,puts his stamp of approval on the proposal of the Shepherd rather than thesensuous proposal of Solomon. Since the Shulammite and the Shepherd have builttheir relationship on a firm foundation of true love and emotional involvement, Godtells them to drink and become drunk on married love. In a marriage built onmutual respect for each other's role in life and inherent abilities, blessings aboundfrom God. God created marriage and the marriage bed along with the sexual desiresof a husband and a wife. He cares about who a person marries, just as he caredabout who the Shulammite married. The Song of Solomon teaches how to pick theright marriage partner and how to build a foundation of true love. Wanting hispeople to be happy, God tells the Shulammite and the Shepherd, “Get married andget drunk on married love!”4B. "The NIV margin attributes the last part of the verse, Eat, O friends, and drink;drink your fill, O lovers,to the “friends” of the couple. However, it is unlikely thatfriends, wedding guests, or any other persons would have been present in thebedroom at the consummation of the couple’s marriage. A more plausiblesuggestion is that the speaker was God Himself. Only their Creator would have beena “guest” on that occasion. Since their love was from Him it was fitting that Heapprove it. He invited them to enjoy sexual love in marriage as if it were a banquet(“eat... and drink”). This clearly indicates God’s approval of marriage, which Hedesigned in the Garden of Eden." Author unknown
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