*Religious mindsets of dualism have blinded us to the God-given joys and pleasures of this world. We have often separated our spirituality from earthiness. But did Jesus really condemn all enjoyment of this world? Is God the creator or the enemy of this world's delights? - John Crowder[1]
The Song of Solomon. Sometimes I wonder if there is any book in the Bible less-understood and more disagreed over (other than Revelation). The book is full of beautiful word-pictures and rich theological imagery. In fact, the Old Testament’s wisdom tradition can be found within its eight short chapters.
Poetry is this book’s primary genre, meaning in its pages exists an abundance of metaphor and symbolism. In fact, due to its “mature” content, Jewish men in ancient times were not allowed to read the book until they were married and had reached the age of thirty! And based on decades of research from Hebrew scholars, we know that much of the “fruit and garden” imagery is very erotic.
Now it may surprise you to think that contained within God’s Word is a book that deals with sex and romance in such a blunt manner. But that is exactly what I want to discuss here. As pastor John-Mark Comer says, “Humans were sexual before we were sinful.” In other words, God is the Creator of sex and physical intimacy, and He gave it to humanity as a gift to be enjoyed between a man and a woman within the covenant bond of marriage.
Remember in Genesis 1 and 2 when God created everything and proclaimed it all to be good? In context, everything said to be “good” was physical. One glorious theological truth we see in the creation account of Genesis 1 and 2—and that is later expounded upon throughout the Song of Solomon—is that God calls His physical creation good.
Next time, we will conclude with a look at ancient Greek dualism and how it contrasts with God’s stamp of approval on creation and how all of this relates to the Song of Solomon. In the meantime, watch this video from the Bible Project on how to read and understand biblical poetry.
*I do not agree with everything John Crowder teaches and do not endorse him. However, his quote here on Gnosticism and its antithesis to biblical truth is absolutely correct.
[1] John Crowder, Money. Sex. Beer. God. http://www.johncrowder.net/products/money-sex-beer-god