The greatest love song ever written

Getting Our Bearings

I. Setting the CONTEXT of the Book

II.Viewing the CORRECT applications of the book

III.Understanding the literary CHARACTERISTICS of the book

IV.Getting to know the main CHARACTERS of the book

THE SONG OF SOLOMON: A SUITE OF SEVEN IDYLLS

1. THE ROYAL WEDDING LIVED OVER AGAIN 1:1-2:7

2. THE BRIDE'S COURTSHIP REMINISCENCES 2:8-3:5

3. THE OCCASION OF THE BETROTHAL RECALLED 3:6-5:1

4. THE BRIDE'S TROUBLED DREAM RELATED 5:2-6:3

5. THE KING'S MEDITATION ON HIS BRIDE 6:4-7:9

6. THE BRIDE LONGS TO SEE HER OLD HOME 7:10-8:4

7. THE RENEWAL OF LOVE AT LEBANON 8:5-14

A. The PRETTY bride

B. The POOR

shepherd

C. The Powerful King

D. The PRINCESSES of Jerusalem

Tell us how you meet

(Son 1:7) Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou

feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why

should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy

companions?

(Psa 23:1) A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

(Psa 23:2) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me

beside the still waters.

(Psa 23:3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of

righteousness for his name's sake.

(Son 1:7) Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou

feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why

should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy

companions?

(Heb 4:4-5) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If

they shall enter into my rest.(Mal 4:1-2) For, behold, the day

cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do

wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave

them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow

up as calves of the stall.

(Son 1:8) If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the

flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

This is now the 1st time the groom begins to speak about the time that they meet

To this point the Bride has been the only one speaking

CAUTION! The dialogue will change in the middle of the chapters, verses, etc

NOTES

(Son 1:8) If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the

flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

(Joh 21:15-17) So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of

Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou

knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of

Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love

thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all

things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

(Son 1:8) If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the

flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

(Mat 18:20) For where two or three are gathered

together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

(Heb 10:25) Not forsaking the assembling of

ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but

exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the

day approaching.

(Son 1:9) I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of

horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

(1Ki 10:28-29) And Solomon had horses brought out of

Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And a

chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an

horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them

out by their means.

Egypt is a picture of the world and its system.

Pharaoh is a picture of the Antichrist

So he is comparing her to a beautiful horse that has been liberated from the world of slavery and brought in to the promise Land

NOTES

(Son 1:10) Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

In your KJV bible, there are places that the words are italicized to let you know that those words are not in the original writings

These italicized words are just as inspired as the others, it just takes two words in our language to make the one word in their.

The other issue is the common knowledge of the meaning in language (zip strip)

NOTES

(Son 1:10) Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy

neck with chains of gold.

(Son 1:11) We will make thee borders of gold with studs of

silver.

This dialogue is the description of the mental pictures that they had of each other during their courtship.

They didn’t have cameras, camera phones, or video in those days, therefore they had to use their metal imagery of the way they looked to fantasize about the beauty of their love

This being their wedding, they are looking back at the courtship. (Video)

NOTES

(Jdg 8:24-26) And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the

earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were

Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they

spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that

he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside

ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about

their camels' necks.

(Son 1:10) Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy

neck with chains of gold.

(Son 1:11) We will make thee borders of gold with studs of

silver.

The dialogue is still of the Bridegroom , but he changes the format from “I” to “we”

(Historically) This is know of the “Royal We” {“editorial we”, “author's we“}

(Spiritually) This is a reference to the Trinity

NOTES

(Son 1:12) While the king sitteth at his table, my

spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

(Joh 12:1) Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where

Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

(Joh 12:2) There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but

Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

(Joh 12:3) Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the

house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

(2Co 2:15) For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are

saved, and in them that perish:

(2Co 2:16) To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And

who is sufficient for these things?

(Php 4:18) But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of

Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well

pleasing to God.

(Php 4:19) But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in

glory by Christ Jesus.

(Son 1:13) A bundle of myrrh is my well beloved unto me; he shall lie all

night betwixt my breasts.

Notice that it says “a bundle” of myrrh. This spice was one of the most expensive spices of the day. Much more than spikenard. (without price)

Myrrh was a spice used for preparations of the body at the time of death

Myrrh was also used to purify the body of the living. (Esther)

NOTES

(Eph 5:25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church,

and gave himself for it;

(Eph 5:26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by

the word,

(Eph 5:27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having

spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without

blemish.

(Son 1:14) My beloved is unto me as a cluster of

camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

Camphire: is a plant that is was to add a fragrance, but the word that is translated is (kopher) which means to cover or atonement.

This is the same word translated pitch on Noah’s ark

The same word in the NT that we get the word propitiation

The word is also translated “ransom” or “bribe”

NOTES

(1Jn 2:2) And he is the propitiation for our sins:

and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the

whole world.