“Love that Will Not Let Us Go” Song of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7

 For the last several weeks, we have been journey together through poetry and wisdom writing looking at Proverbs and Ecclesiastes - these beautiful and powerful writing from Solomon, pouring out of the blessing of wisdom that God had bestowed upon him. As we wrap us this short sermon series today, we look to another book of poetry, but one that we may not know as well, The Song of Solomon. 

Before we jump in, a brief Bible lesson. While all scripture is inspired by God, it is communicated in different times, contexts, and styles. What do I mean by that? Well, the Bible wasn’t written all at once. Which leads to there being different circumstances around each proclamation - different reasons God communicated it to the people. But each of the 66 books of the Bible also fall into different styles. Some are history books. Others letters. Still others, like today, are books of poetry. Now why do I say that? Because friends do you read a history book the same way you would read a letter? Or a letter the same way you would read poetry? Of course not! We miss something about scripture when we forget the time, context, and/ or style. 

We especially need to remember that today, because we may not be as familiar with the Song of Solomon as we are with Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. I shared last week, that sometimes we try to relegate Ecclesiastes, especially the 3rd chapter, to funerals. But we do that same thing with the entirety of the Song of Solomon, since it most often makes an appearance in worship and preaching at weddings, if at all. 

So a bit of background. The Song of Solomon is a poem that expresses the love of two people in ancient Israel. It was written during the reign of Solomon, but we aren’t sure if he wrote it, since it is radically different from the two other books that bear his name. He may have. He may have not written it but oversaw its composition. We aren’t sure. 

The couple featured in the poem are a shepherd and shepherdess who are looking forward to what is to come with marriage. I would call this young love. That type of love that sweeps people off of their feet and makes them feel like they are at the top of the world. In the poem they are having a conversation about their love and the excitement about what is to come, back and forth. But the shepherdess also tells the other young women around to not seek out love just for love’s sake, but to wait for it’s perfect timing. 

Friends, I have such a deep appreciation for poetry. Some of my favorite books are those of poetry, that I take with me when visiting folks on hospice and use to help center times of discussion for classes. Because poetry moves beyond simple facts to try to put words to concepts that are difficult to explain. Like truth, beauty, and love. 

So here in Song of Solomon, the poet is trying to capture something about the meaning of love and the experience of being in love.  But poetry also makes us think. It is often pointing us to something deeper beyond the words. 

In the sections of Song of Solomon that we heard today, we start with the courting phase. When two young people are caught up in the excitement of love. One says to the other, its time. The harshness of winter is fading away. Things are starting to bloom - you can smell them in the fields. It’s time to come away. 

Which leads me to ask, what is this season inviting the couple to? This season of courtship and excitement. This season of the freshness of love?

Then in the second piece of scripture, they are entering into marriage. One says to another to this form of a vow. I promise that our love will not be overcome or bought or traded, because it is the seal that is upon our hearts.

Which leads me to ask - how does the couple intend to fulfill this vow - to live into it, not just when it is easy, but on the hard days as well. 

But poetry isn’t just about the story that is being told or even the deeper truths of things that are hard for us to articulate, like love. They also invite us to continual examination. A good poem is one that you come back to time and time again because it makes you think. 

And friends, this poem isn’t just about a young couple in love. It’s supposed to get us thinking, as the people of God about the love of God. Here is this couple who are caught up in the season of love, but have you ever been caught up in the season of love with God? Do you know what I’m talking about? When your encounter with God is so new, so fresh, that it burns like a fire within you? You want to tell everyone who will listen about God’s love and how it’s changed you. 

But we also don’t stay in that season forever. We sink into the love of God in a way where it becomes familiar. We are still passionate. We still love God. But we get into the daily life of living with God and some of that zeal about telling others about God seems to slip away. 

If we go through seasons with other people, and that is our frame of reference for our relationship with God, then of course we go through seasons in our relationship with the Lord. Ones of passion. Others of curiosity. Still others of familiarity. Maybe even some where we don’t feel as close as we once were. 

As we asked earlier what this season for the couple in Song of Solomon invited them to - I wonder, friends, what season you are in with the Lord and what that invites you to as well? What is God saying to you in this season and how are you being invited to respond? 

Then when we get to chapter 8, with the couple making this vow, I am reminded of the vows we make throughout our lives. These deep promises - for example those that we make when we become members of a local church to support the body of Christ with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. When we make those vows, it is such a day of celebration! But that doesn’t mean that they are always easy, when life’s responsibilities ramp up or we aren’t sure how to live into those vows at this season in our lives. 

It is easy to make promises. It is harder to keep them. 

Which makes me wonder, as with the couple in the poem, what promises you have made to God and how are you doing living into the vow? How can we support you as the church? How can we walk beside one another on this journey?

A lot of folks will tell me that they don’t like poetry. It’s too many words or it doesn’t make sense. But friends, poetry, good poetry, invites us to look deeply into our lives. So as you do so this week with the Song of Solomon, may you reflect on your love, but even more so, the never ending love of God. Amen.