SONG OF SONGS: STUDY OUTLINE GUIDE

First off, let me say to any of you who find yourself called on to teach a series of lessons on this book, “I sympathize with you.” I have only taught one or two lessons on this book in my life and managed to get through them by falling back on my literary analysis of the Song. You may want to start out by looking at my post “Song of Songs: Introduction to the Literary Analysis” since the following suggestions derive from that analysis. By the way, that post as well as any general introductions to the book found in study Bible may provide you with enough information to form the basis of an initial introductory lesson for any series on the Song.

One approach is that taken by the Jewish rabbis: treat the book as an extended allegory relating man to God. I used to have a 1,000 page commentary on Song of Songs by Marvin Pope in my home library before I got rid of it. It was quite scholarly, but after reading all the various rabbis' opinions of the hidden symbols in each verse, I soon realized that allegories have absolutely no controls to determine whose interpretation is correct. However, one could put together another possible lesson by turning to the New Testament teachings in which the marriage relationship is said to have symbolic spiritual meaning. I am thinking especially of Ephesians 5:22-33 and Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2,9.

Another useful way to begin a study of the Song is to first explain the nature of Hebrew poetry since this is obviously one of the poetic books in the Bible. The post on “Understanding Biblical Poetry” contains some useful material in that regard.

Other than the above possible three introductory lessons, the text of the book itself could be addressed in one of two quite different ways. One is to consider it as a narrative telling the story of a romantic couple chronologically from infatuation to marriage. The problem with this approach is that one soon realizes that the couple is just as separated from one another at the end of the book as at the start. So unless you want to consider it the story of the couple going from infatuation to marriage to divorce, it is best to abandon a straight chapter-by-chapter presentation.

My own solution is to see the whole book organized, as are most books in the Bible, in some form of mirror-image fashion as pictured below:

A. Title (1:1)

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I. The Lovers Dwell Apart (1:2-7)

II. A Make-Believe House for the Lovers (1:8-2:7)

III. He Invites Her to Come Away (2:8-17)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV.                                             IV. Dream: Seek and Find (3:1-5)

V. Solomon's Litter Described for the

                                                Daughters of Jerusalem (3:6-11)

VI. The Lovers in a Garden of Delight (4:1-5:1a)

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B. Benediction on the Lovers (5:1b)

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IV'. Nightmare: Seek and Not Find (5:2-8)

V'. The Hero Described for the

                                                Daughters of Jerusalem (5:9-16)

VI'. The Lovers in a Garden of Delight (6:1-10)

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III'. She Invites Him to Come Away (6:11-7:13)

II'. A Make-Believe House for the Lovers (8:1-4)

I'. The Lovers Dwell Apart (8:5-14)

Thus, the book can be presented in a semi-chronological fashion by treating each pair of sections in turn to portray the various stages of love, moving from the ends toward the middle. In this fashion, a study of the Song could perhaps be useful as a springboard of discussion for pre-teens, teenagers, premarital counseling, or parent groups.

Sections I and I: The young couple obviously live in different homes but wish that that they were away from the watchful eyes and restrictions of their parents and could see whomever they wished and go to whatever parties they wanted to. The necessity of parental oversight at this early stage is obvious, but must be handled carefully to prevent too much rebellion in the child.

Sections II and II': They have daydreams about living in the same house so that they would never have to separate. This could be called the youthful infatuation stage.

Sections III and III': They are tempted to sneak away so that they can be together, but stop short of actually doing so, either due to practical or moral considerations. The repeated warnings in the book not to waken love too early point out the dangers of sexual temptations, especially in those who are pre-teens and early teenagers.

Sections IV and IV': At this stage, romantic love becomes an all-consuming passion taking over not only the lovers' daytime thoughts, but their dreams as well. The first of these two sections describes what could be called a dream of wish fulfillment whereas IV' is more of a nightmare of separation anxiety in which she cannot find her lover however much she tries. This latter dream could also be interpreted as her fear that she will lose her lover to someone else unless she takes drastic actions. This could possibly be the engagement phase.

Sections V and V' can also be treated in two different ways. They both contain romanticized versions of the male figure. If they both apply to the young lover, then they illustrate the tendency for her to put him on a pedestal as their relationship becomes stronger. This is an unrealistic picture which must be brought down to earth, if possible, before an actual marriage. Otherwise, the woman is bound to be rapidly disillusioned when reality sets in later. On the other hand, Section V seems to specifically portray King Solomon instead. This may be how she views her lover, or it may indicate that she is having second thoughts regarding the relationship when she starts to compare him to more desirable candidates as their marriage approaches.

Sections VI and VI': Now we are taken into the time of actual marriage and consummation. There are extended descriptions of the bride as her husband views her. Again, reality may set in later and so it is good for him to be aware of her flaws in advance. And for both parties in the relationship, there should be a strong warning against entering into the marriage with the expectation that one can change his or her behavior later.

The concluding section B only consists of half of one verse, but is important nevertheless in that God only speaks at this point, putting his seal of approval on the institution of marriage. This would be an appropriate place to go back to the OT, beginning in Genesis 1-2 for lessons derived from considering God's original purpose in marriage, and possibly to also considering the stories of various patriarchal couples as either good or bad examples for us to follow.