There's no denying the fact that we live in a very sexually charged culture...just watch the Halftime Show of the Superbowl! This brings a new meaning to 'family-friendly'. No Superheroes or Disney characters or Teletubbies to be found there. NOPE. Just celebrities putting our culture's sexual freedom on display. Or take shows like 'The Bachelor' or 'The Bachelorette' that have brought the 'Hot Tub Scene' into our mainstream vocabulary. Just another example of how our culture views 'love' and 'sexuality'.
But if we think that this is a new phenomenon then we are greatly mistaken. From the fertility cults of the first century (that go all the way back to ancient times) to the prevalence of prostitution well before the times of Jacob, the misuse of our sexuality has served as a timeless threat to God's creation design and the family structure that He originally set into place.
The misuse of our sexuality comes naturally because it is a source of pleasure. But just like all good things, it must be enjoyed within its God-given parameters. Otherwise, painful outcomes almost always result. Too much sugar leads to diabetes...Too many video games leads to laziness...Too many possessions leads to greed (and debt)...Too much adolescent romance leads to a whole world of hurt. With pleasure comes problems (given the sinful human condition)! And so pleasure must be tamed!
This is the wisdom expressed in the Song of Songs through its repeated refrain, "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires" (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). From the author's perspective, love and romance are good things. In fact, they are so good that they need to be handled with care and caution until the arrival of the appropriate time and context for them to be expressed. Otherwise, they can lead to a world of hurt! This is why the author exclaims, "Love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away" (8:6-7). Love is extremely powerful...no wonder it so often leaves infatuation and jealousy in its wake. And so we best tame adolescent romance by following the author's wise instruction, "Do not awaken love before the appropriate time!"
THE SONG'S INTENDED AUDIENCE
So to whom is Song of Songs addressed? The answer to this question has been much debated. For every five commentaries on the Song of Songs there are six different interpretations! This is to say that Song of Songs has been a notoriously difficult book to decipher (some find it even more difficult than the book of Revelation!). But I believe the key to understanding the intended message (and audience) of the book lies in the repeated chorus, "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires" (2:7; 3:5; 8:4).
So then to whom does this chorus speak? Some believe the Song of Songs is addressed to married couples. But isn't marriage the proper context in which to awaken love? So then why would the author insist in keeping love dormant in the context of marriage? Wouldn't that be strange advice? So if not married couples, who is the intended audience? How about 'the daughters of Jerusalem'? After all, the chorus of the song is explicitly directed to them!
But who are 'the daughters of Jerusalem'? It is most likely (in my opinion) referring to unmarried girls who are nearing the age of betrothal. Why do I think this? Notice that at the beginning of the poem (1:2-3), the love-obsessed girl (the main female character) states to her boy-lover, "Your love is better than WINE; your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins [hb: almah] love you." And then a few verses later (1:4) we find a chorus of girls exclaiming their love for the boy, "WE will exalt and rejoice in you; WE will extol your love more than WINE; rightly do THEY love you." The reference to 'wine' points us back to verse 1:3 and makes it clear that these are virgins expressing their 'Justin Bieber-esce' obsession for the boy.
So then who are these virgins? Verse 1:5 seems to indicate that they are 'the daughters of Jerusalem'. But what does this word virgin (hb: almah) mean then? Simply put, it is referring to a girl (or girls) of marriageable age (the same word is used in Isa. 7:14). And so it appears that Song of Songs is addressed to young adults (possibly teens)!
So then what is the Song of Songs all about more specifically? Well, that will have to wait for the sequel to this post...
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