The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/songs/1.htm

I’ve not watched many James Mason movies, but he was a 40’s and 50’s actor that had perfect diction and spoke very eloquently. Likewise, in the TV Show “Longmire”, the actor Lou Diamond Phillips plays an American Indian who does not use contractions; he says “do not” instead of don’t, and “will not” instead of won’t. And because we have slurred the English language so much, he literally sounds funny when he talks because he is talking properly as opposed to us who have abbreviated much of everything.

I say this because the Book of Songs, or Song of Solomon as it is also called, was translated back when proper English was used. It is very poetic, each word carefully penned. And as such, I have no clue what they are talking about. I’m not smart enough to.

Seriously, I’m basically a country bumpkin, even though I grew up in a city, it was a small rural town. I’m sure my English teachers tried their hardest to make me smart, but to be honest, I just wasn’t interested. And even today, you would have to shoot me to make me read Shakespeare.

What I’m trying to say is, you’re on your own with this one. The Song of Solomon is a fairly short book, but there isn’t anything I can offer. I’ve prayed for the Spirit to teach me, but perhaps I’m unteachable at this point.

The Shulamite woman. The daughters of Jerusalem. The Beloved. What is all this? Who are these “daughters of Jerusalem”? Where are they at? How many of them are there? It’s all Greek to me, even when the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, it’s still Greek to me, or as Lou Diamond Phillips would say, “It is still Greek to me.”

Back when I used research and took the guidance of pastors and theologians, I have been told a variety of things. I was told this was a literal song, or poem, or writing, about Solomon and a girl he loved, and this is the story of their romance. I’ve also been told however that everything in Songs is symbolic of the love affair between us and God. I’m more inclined to believe the latter, it makes more sense that this is a lesson in how we should love God and about God’s love or us, lest it wouldn’t be in the Bible.

But even at that, what are the symbols? It’s easy to figure that “The Beloved” is God, and we are the bride, the Shulamite woman. But whoa re the daughters of Jerusalem?

So even if I used research, which as you know, I’m using very, very little research this time and relying on the Spirit to teach me, I’m not sure I’m smart enough to understand what I’m being told.

So you’re on your own. You don’t have to be like me, research all you want and listen to various interpretations of this book by a variety of teachers and pastors. After all, relying on the Spirit to teach me is just a personal conviction of mine, you don’t have to follow suit.

Good luck. And may the Spirit lead you.