As I promised – today we start in earnest.

Song of Songs 1:1

The Song of Songs…

At first glance it seems as though we are looking at the title and author. Well – yes and no.

Check out the pattern: Song of Songs. Does that remind you of anything? Handel (or should I say John?) got it in His Song of Songs, the Hallelujah Chorus – King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:6)

King of Kings – the high King of heaven

Lord of Lords – the one Master of all.

The implication of this pattern is not that this is a great song, but that it is the pinnacle of all songs.

Hey – even if it was just Solomon’s best work, he wrote 1005 songs, (1 Kings 4:32) but the implication is more like this is THE SONG of ALL SONGS. (and I was impressed when I heard that Fanny Crosby of  “Blessed Assurance” fame wrote 80 hymns.)

An interesting contrast here – just 7 verses before the Song of Songs in another of Solomon’s writings, Ecclesiastes, we have this pattern again:

Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”

(note to you Entrepreneurs – This is not a great marketing pitch for your Bathroom Fixture outlet)

…which is Solomon’s

So who is Solomon? You can read up on him on your own, but for our purposes here is what you need to know.

• He was the third king of Israel.
• He was the son of David (of giant killing fame) and Bathsheba (of roof bathing fame)
• He ruled Israel in its best and most glorious days. It was 40 years of peace and prosperity. Israel extended its boarders without a day of war.
• Oh yeah, and he had 300 wives and 700 concubines.
• He amassed riches unequaled in history, the stuff of legends and Hollywood extravaganzas.
• Notably, he was given a greater measure of wisdom that any man before or since.

Come back next week and we will take a look at a Kiss that will rock your world.

Thanks so much for reading today.

Ben

photo credit: vlaaDnet via photo pin cc