Sermon – Song of Solomon 2:8-17 – Loved By God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Song of Solomon 2:8-17 – Loved By God

August 30, 2015

            This morning we are going to look at something a little different.  The Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs or Canticles is an Old Testament Book.  It contains poetry about the love between a man and a women.  This is a topic people have been writing about since writing was invented.  And some of the most beautiful poetry ever written is about the love a man has for his wife and the love a wife has for her husband.  We will hear today some of the most beautiful poetry about love the world has ever heard, but first let's pray.

            May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Song of Solomon 2:1-7

I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

←                He

2 Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.

←                She

3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
    and let his banner over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am faint with love.
6 His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

            The Song of Solomon is unquestionably beautiful.  But a question about it has been raised by faithful believers for centuries.  They have wondered, should the Song of Solomon be in the Bible?  Yes it is beautiful love poetry.  But does it tell us anything about God?  God is not even mentioned in the book.

            A debate raged in the first century among Hebrew scholars.  Some argued for its removal from the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament, because it did not contain any of the names of God.  But Rabbi Akiva argued that it should remain.  He said that we should read it allegorically, as a metaphor.  Read the Song of Solomon as if it is talking about God's love for Israel.  Rabbi Akiva's interpretation was accepted by the rabbis and this is the way Jews read this book today.  In modern Judaism the Song of Solomon is used for personal meditations during the season of Passover.  Jews are encouraged to see in it God's great love for his people.

            Christians have also had their problems with this book as well.  The second century Christian scholar Origen wrote ten commentaries on the Song of Solomon.  In them he agreed with Rabbi Akiva that the book should be read allegorically.  But Origen said that the groom is understood to be Christ.  And the bride is his church.  Origen's allegorical interpretation guided the church throughout the Middle Ages.  And during this time more books were written about the Song of Solomon than any other biblical work. 

            But by the time of the Protestant reformation allegorical interpretations had gone out of favor.  We wanted to read scripture more literally.  And so we had big problems with the love poetry of the Song of Solomon.  Calvin never wrote a commentary on it.  And the Song of Solomon is assigned by the lectionary to be read on the last Sunday of August when most preachers are on vacation and can avoid it.

            When I arrived at First Presbyterian Church there were lots of books in the pastor's office.  But there was not one book on the Song of Solomon.  So I suspected that it has never been read from this pulpit.  I decided to check my theory.  Every Sunday Pete sits right their under the pulpit with an open Bible in her lap.  She writes in it the date she hears a sermon on a particular passage.  And she underlines important verses and make notes.  So I checked her Bible to see what she had written in the Song of Solomon.  Nothing was there: no dates indicating a sermon was preached, no underlines, no notes.  It was as if the Song of Solomon didn't exist.  And it would be a rare protestant church that would teach or preach from this book.

            But I think it would be a shame to miss out on the beautiful love poetry of the Song of Solomon.  And I think this is how we should interpret it.   Jesus told us to love God will all our heart, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  The Song of Solomon is a celebration of this love.  God loves us and we love God and we love one another.  And so in this spirit I offer to you the Song of Solomon chapter 2.

8 Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

            God loves us so much he is constantly searching for us.  For those of us who have never heard his name he will search for us over hills and in the valleys until he finds us.  For believers he looks for in daily prayer and Sunday worship hoping that we will be there.  And in his search for us God will never ever grow old, never get tired and never give up.  God loves us so much, just as a man loves a woman.  And his passionate pursuit lasts forever.  Let's get back to the song.

           
    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.

            God loves us so much he is constantly here with us.  He is looking at us through these stained glass windows.  He is listening to us as we sing his praises and he speaks to us in scripture.  Our hearts beat faster and faster and our beloved God approaches.  And we faint with excitement as God tells us that he loves us and wants us to come away with him.  Let's return to the song.

11 See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

            God has invited us to return with him to the Garden of Eden.  The sin of our parents Adam and Eve has been forgiven.  Our love affair with God is back on.  And we can enjoy being with him for eternity.  God loves us even more than a bride loves her husband.  God wants us to be with him even more than a groom wants to be with his new wife.

            But there is a problem.  God wants us so much, but we seem to be missing.  Since the time of Adam and Eve we have been hiding ourselves from God.  So God is searching for us.  Let's go back to the song and hear God's voice.

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
    let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.

            And so God is searching for us.  He loves us and misses us.  He wants to see our beautiful faces in worship.  He wants to hear our sweet voices in prayer and singing.  God grieves when you miss worship.  God celebrates when you are here. And God will find us wherever we are hiding.  Back to the song.

15 Catch for us the foxes,
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
    our vineyards that are in bloom.

            God has placed us in a beautiful garden with blue sky and sandy beach.  He has given us ample food and everything we need for a good life.  All he asks is that we be with him in worship, speak to him in song and prayer, and listen to his voice in scripture and sermon.  God loves us so much.  And so how are we to respond to this wonderful offer of love from our God?  Do we spurn him?  Do we run away?  Or do we embrace him as a young women embraces a man who wants to marry her.    Here is our response to God:

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
    he browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
    on the rugged hills.

            The relationship God wants with us is like that of man and woman on their honeymoon night.  God loves us so much he wants to hug us and kiss us and hold our hands and whisper poetry in our ears.  God wants to live with us, as our companion, in paradise.  And so God wants to hear from us in prayer and speak to us through scripture every day.

            And so we are richly loved by God as a man deeply loves a woman or a woman deeply loves a man.  God wants to be with us in worship.  God wants to hear our voices in prayer and singing.  God loves us so much he sent his son Jesus Christ to be with us.  God has wiped away our sin, forgiven us, so that his relationship with us is restored.  Rest in the arms of the God who loves you more than anything.

Song of Solomon 3:1-5

All night long on my bed
    I looked for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
3 The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
    to the room of the one who conceived me.

5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

            Let's pray.  O God we love you.  We love to hear your voice in scripture.  We love to be with you in prayer and worship.  We love your Son and love your Spirit.  We love you.  Amen.