Song of Songs - Lesson 1 Study Plan
I. Introduction – discussion of the book, its history, authorship, nature, purpose, and special value
Read 1:1-4
A. What does kissing represent?
B. In verse 3, the word for perfumes or ointments also means oils. What do these words suggest? Who are the “women,” and why do they love the king?
C. The king takes the lover into his chamber, and they’re happy. Meaning?
Read 1:9-12.
Given our knowledge of the Bible, what are the various meanings of these verses?
Read 1:14.
I’ll
give you a sense of its understanding from commentators over the ages.
Read 1:17.
The surface meaning is a little clearer. Deeper possibilities?
Read 2:1-4.
The first verse is the lover of God. The second is God. The 3rd and 4th are from the lover. Do you have thoughts, based on the words, about how each views the other?
Read verses 2:8-10.
Do you get a sense of God and/or Jesus in these verses? What is the Divine doing? When might this have been or be?
Read 2:14-17.
A. We should recall these references in the Bible. Let’s discuss.
B. Judaism and Christianity share an interest in 16-17. But different ways of looking at these verses could go in different directions. Do you see how?
Read 3:1-11.
Let me explain some possibilities.
Read 4:1- 4.
Now it’s your turn. This is God’s reflecting on believers and seeing qualities and attributes of the faithful that are beautiful. Spot them, and explain.
Read 4:15-16 and 5:1-2.
These verses poetically describe so many features of our loving relationship with God. Can you see the metaphors, similes, and analogies and explain them?