The Passionate Prince: A Pastoral Exposition of the Song of Solomon

By David Balsley

The Passionate Prince is a verse-by-verse commentary on the Song of Solomon from a pastors perspective. It explains the Song as a description of the developing relationship between King Solomon and the Shulammite, a young Jewish maiden from the northern part of Israel. It tells of their pre-marriage romance, of their marriage, and of some of the challenges of their relationship following their wedding. It treats the book, in a literal way, as a continuous account of the relationship between Solomon and the Shulammite from pre-marriage days to post-marriage days. It assumes, by virtue of the Biblical title of the book (The song of songs which is Solomons) that Solomons relationship with the Shulammite was probably the most satisfying marriage which Solomon experienced among the many marriages which were a part of his life as the most wealthy of all of the kings of Israel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490875484

David Balsley

David Balsley followed his studies at Biola University and Western Conservative Baptist Seminary with more than forty years of pastoral ministry in Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona and California. He was already fascinated with the writings of Solomon as a college student, and he has spent years sharing his studies of the writings of Solomon in Bible studies and pulpit ministry, as well as the publication of The Puzzled Preacher - A Pastoral Exposition of Ecclesiastes and The Passionate Prince - A Pastoral Exposition of the Song of Solomon. He and his wife, Janice, live in Brea, California. They are active members of Green Hills Baptist Church (The Church at Green Hills) in La Habra, California.

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Copyright © 2015 David Balsley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7547-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7548-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015905215

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/30/2015

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction to the Song of Songs

Authorship

Canonicity

Interpretation

The Allegorical Interpretation

The Literal Interpretation

The Didactic Moral (Typical) Interpretation

Organization

The Dramatic Explanation

Collection of Wedding Songs

Liturgical

Evaluation

Part I Solomon’s Courtship with the Shulammite 1:1-3:11

She Loves Me! 1:1-8

Looking Good! 1:9-2:2

A Delightful Dinner 2:3-7

Closeness in the Country 2:8-17

Dream On 3:1-5

Part II Solomon’s Marriage to the Shulammite 3:6-5:1

Wedding Preparations 3:6-11

A Beautiful Bride 4:1-7

Royal Honeymoon 4:8-5:1

Part III Solomon’s Married Relationship with the Shulammite 5:2-8:5A

I’ll See You in My Dreams 5:2-8

My Guy 5:9-16

Mutual Admiration 6:1-7

Solomon’s Queen of Queens 6:8-13

Beauty Revisited 7:1-9

Time for Love 7:10-8:5A

Part IV The Song’s Conclusion 8:5B-14

Keeping It Fresh 8:5B-14

Concluding Thoughts

Bibliography

Dedicated to

my dear wife,

Janice - the love of

my life, who helped by

proofreading the text,

and whose partnership has done

so much to contribute to the

rich sense of meaning in my life;

and to married people everywhere

who long to experience the Lord’s

best in their marriage relationship.

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PREFACE

I grew up singing a chorus which was popular throughout my youthful years entitled Everybody Ought to Know. It was a favorite chorus of the youth group I attended, so I recall singing it not only in the normal services of our group (e.g. Sunday School openings and weekly youth meetings) but also in after-church Sunday evening youth singspirations in the homes of various church members. The lyrics are simple and, for the most part, very relevant, but I remember wondering about certain phrases even as a young man.

Having stated that everybody ought to know who Jesus is, the song goes on to identify Him (among other things) as the lily of the valley. Now, there is no doubt in my mind that everybody ought to know who Jesus is! The Scriptures assure us that, as the second person of the triune Godhead, He is the Creator of the universe, the only Savior for sinful mankind, and the Messianic King of the kingdom of God. Though as God His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity (Micah 5:2), the apostle Paul recounts the amazing humility Jesus displayed when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant (Philippians 2:7), and He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). And, because Jesus emptied Himself and humbled Himself, Paul goes on to assure us that God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). So I am fully convinced that the song writer was right to make the assertion that everybody ought to know who Jesus is!

But is it fitting to describe this king of kings, and lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) as the lily of the valley? Or is rose of Sharon, as He is described in other songs, an appropriate designation for the Lord Jesus? Perhaps you are aware that these phrases come from the pages of the Song of Solomon, so they are Biblical phrases. But are they intended as descriptions of Jesus in Solomon’s Song? The delicate beauty of both lilies and roses is a well-established fact in most people’s minds. But if it seems to you that the lily of the valley and the rose of Sharon would be more appropriate descriptions of Solomon’s beautiful lady friend than of Jesus - the Master of the Universe - we are thinking alike. Even if we were to assume that the underlying theme of the Song of Solomon concerns the love of God for Israel, or the love of Christ for the church (something I do not assume), it would make better sense to apply the phrases rose of Sharon and lily of the valleys (Song of Solomon 2:1) to Israel or to the church, not to Christ.

Though I will seek to apply the message of the Song of Solomon to the believer’s relationship with the Lord, it is my conviction that this is not the main message of the Song. An interpretive guideline I acquired as a student of the Word in my younger years has served me well throughout my life: If the plain sense makes good sense seek no other sense. Though many readers of the Song of Solomon down through the centuries have been scandalized at the thought that it might mean what it says, I will explain in the pages of The Passionate Prince that I believe the Lord included the Song in His word to give His people an inspired view of the emotional and physical dimensions of a healthy relationship between a man and a woman. Though the emotional and physical aspects of male/female relations are not the ultimate good many in our world seem to think they are, they are a very important part of the normal, healthy human experience. So the Lord has done in the Song of Solomon what we might expect Him to do - revealed His will for His people in their love relationships not only with Himself but with one another.

It is my hope in writing this book that the reader will be helped to see how the Song of Solomon addresses, in its unfolding story line, both the pleasures and some of the problems which are a part of normal relations between a man and the woman who choose each other as partners in life’s second most important relationship in life - the relationship of marriage.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE SONG OF SONGS

T he Song of Songs has been the subject of question and debate for many centuries. Some people have attributed to it the highest honors. Christian D. Ginsburg translates a phrase from Medrash Yalkut in which it is referred to as a song more celebrated and sublime than all songs. ¹ On the other hand, the book has been viewed by some as a source of scandal. It was listed among the antilegomena (books spoken against) of some first century A.D. Jewish schools because the sensual language it uses made some individuals question its worth as a holy book.

The title of the book in the Hebrew canon is "Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs). This repetition of the noun is the Hebrew mode of expressing the superlative degree and it suggests the idea of the finest, the most beautiful, or the most excellent song. The same construction is used of other nouns in Genesis 9:25 (servant of servants) and Exodus 29:37 (an altar most holy) and Ezra 7:12 (king of kings").

The word translated song (shir) is used in the Hebrew Old Testament of lyric songs (as the love song here), of religious songs which were sung in worship, and of songs sung to musical accompaniment by Levitical choirs.²

Today the Song of Songs still remains a debated and mysterious book. Few preachers take their sermons (or even their illustrations) from its pages. For all practical purposes that ancient Jewish prohibition might still be in effect which forbade any individual under thirty years of age from reading it!

Authorship

Although the text of the New American Standard Version of the Song of Songs begins with the words The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s,³ the matter of authorship has been called into question by some. The phrase translated which is Solomon’s reads, in the Hebrew text, asher leshelomoh. This may be translated which is of Solomon, but this translation is not the only possibility. Among the possible translations offered by Brown, Driver, and Briggs for the prefixed preposition lamed are these: to, towards, for, at, near, into, with reference to, belonging to, of, towards, and against.⁴ Scholars who understand the lamed of 1:1 to mean of identify it as the lamed auctoris, the lamed identifying authorship. This understanding is very sensible and possible and it is backed up by much tradition. On the other hand, those scholars who reject Solomonic authorship would understand the phrase to read The Song of Songs, which is with reference to (or which is about) Solomon, or something similar.

The primary argument which has been offered by modern critics against Solomonic authorship is based on linguistic grounds. It is argued that the use of the Hebrew "sh rather than asher," the presence of Aramaic words, and the presence of words derived from Greek suggest a date of composition later than Solomon’s life time.

Several arguments may be offered in favor of Solomonic authorship. As Archer points out, it has been the uniform tradition of the Christian church until recent times that Solomon authored the book.⁵ The author shows a great deal of familiarity with the plants and animals of Israel which can be traced to the time of Solomon, and Solomon is known to have been a student of nature (I Kings 4:33). The author also mentions a variety of locations throughout the regions of Israel and seems to assume that they are all part of one nation, a fact which suggests Solomon as a probable author because of the fact that the kingdom divided between Israel and Judah after his time. The book makes references to luxurious living conditions and exotic imports which fit well with the court conditions reported of Solomon’s time in the Old Testament. And I Kings 4:32 informs us of Solomon’s ability as a prolific writer of proverbs and songs.

It is fair to say that there are many things in favor of Solomonic authorship of the Song of Songs, while few facts militate strongly against it.

Canonicity

The Song of Songs seems to have been included in the Hebrew canon from very early times, probably (in part at least) because it was associated with Solomon. As we have seen, it was included among the antilegomena (with Ecclesiastes, another of Solomon’s writings) in the first century, not because the Solomonic authorship was questioned, but because the spiritual value of the book was questioned. The famous Rabbi Akiba, coming to its defense in the debate, is quoted as having said "No day in the whole history of the world is so much worth as that in which the Song of Songs was given; for all the Kethubim [the writings which composed the third section of the Hebrew Bible] are holy, but the Song of Songs is most holy."⁶ Rabbi Akiba suggested an allegorical interpretation of the book in the debates connected with the Council of Jamnia in 90 A.D. With this allegorical understanding the council declared that it had rightly been included among the books of the canon.

The Song of Songs is never quoted in the New Testament. This is not really strange because of its subject matter, unless it is understood to be an allegory concerning Christ and the Church. There is New Testament evidence that Christ understood the Song of Songs to be canonical because He recognized and accepted the threefold division of the canon which existed in His time (Luke 24:44) - a canon which certainly included the Song of Songs.

Interpretation

The most pressing issues in connection with the Song of Songs involve the manner in which it should be interpreted and the sense in which its plot should be understood.

The problem of interpretation arises out of the sensual language which occurs in the book. Because of this language some first century Jews questioned its right to a place in the canon. Though the canonicity of the book is no longer a major issue today, the language and form of the book still raise many questions for students and scholars on all parts of the theological spectrum.

The common methods of interpretation applied to the Song of Songs may be summed up under three headings: allegorical, literal, and didactic.

The Allegorical Interpretation

One very old method of interpreting the Song of Songs, as we have seen, is the allegorical method. It can be traced at least as far back as Rabbi Akiba and the debate believed to have been associated with a council at Jamnia in 90 A.D. Christian D. Ginsburg has done a