I am my beloved’s, and
my beloved is mine: he feeds among the lilies. – Son 6:3
**Warning: uncomfortable Bible references
ahead; (that’s if you aren’t already uncomfortable with the anchor verse).
Also known as “the Song of Songs”, “the Canticle
of Canticles” or just “Canticles”,
the Song of Solomon is one book many of us frankly seem to be embarrassed by.
The Canticles’ catalogue of
unvarnished expressions of affection between two lovers is unparalleled in all
of scripture. Many scholars and commentators have gone to great lengths to make
sense of this strange book because it, (apparently), shows no interest in the
Law, the Covenant, or even God; nor does it teach or explore Wisdom like
Proverbs or Ecclesiastes.
But make no mistake about it, the problem with
the Canticles, is not because it’s
difficult to understand; in fact, it’s the opposite. Canticles, may be laden with much symbolism, but it’s definitely
not Revelations. Whereas the job of
the theologian in Revelations is to explain the symbols, the job of the
average commentator in the Canticles,
it seems, is to try to divert you away
from the uncomfortable obviousness of its symbolic references.
This is where the Canticles, has something to teach us about Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is “the science and
methodology of interpreting texts, especially the books of the Bible.” And the
first rule of hermeneutics is strict adherence to the basic or literal sense of
a word.
If John 11:35 says “Jesus wept;” then regardless of the apparent incongruity or
strangeness of that statement, it means JESUS WEPT. The “King of Babylon” of 2Ki
24:17 is literally the ruler over the ancient Babylonian empire, NOT a demonic
spirit of confusion; and the “lilies” of Son 6:3 are NOT “a parabolic depiction
of the lost condition of the people of Israel”!
The path to heresy and aberrant doctrine always
begins with cherry-picking Bible texts, tampering with texts that don’t go down
well with us, or insisting that texts mean something entirely different from
what they manifestly state.
AMEN.
More Blessings await
you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN
Ameen
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