You are His
The Song of Songs, also referred to as the Song of Solomon after its author, is a fascinating book to have in the Bible. It seems awkward that this writing made it into God's word. As believers, we understand that all scripture is breathed out by God. Men wrote the words down. But the Spirit of God inspired every passage and protected the authorship through a long history of natural and man-made upheaval. We also understand that the Word of God is useful for "teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness."
Then we have the book Song of Songs. It is a stretch to see how such a book can be included in a canon for training in righteousness. In the book, King Solomon writes of the love between a princess and himself. Through obviously personal intercourses between the two lovers, the author brings the readers into the affair, showing them the intimacy with which the lovers view each other. The book famously includes passages like,
The Song of Solomon has a purpose for being in the Bible.
It is hard to see training value in that passage, especially training unto righteousness. How do we learn right standing with God through the description of a lover's view of his beloved's navel, waist, and breasts? One might conclude that the Song of Songs was slipped into holy scripture like a romance novel being slipped into a quantum physics textbook.
However, the Word of God is clear that every portion of holy scripture has a purpose, and none of it is void of help for the believing wayfarer of life in the flesh. So what is the purpose of the Song of Solomon? If you bear with my lack of formal seminary training, I will attempt to answer this question.
I believe this intimately written love letter is included in the Bible to help believers understand the ravenous love with which Almighty God loves them. It portrays an intimately individual love. The God of the universe loves you - you alone! In fact, if you were the only human to ever live, He would express the same unconditional, reckless love that He has shown to the billions of humans that have inhabited the earth. He would love you alone.
The sixth chapter of the Song of Songs even captures the intricacies of love. It portrays the "friends" asking the princess where her beloved had gone. Yep, even the comments of outsiders are included in this love letter. Sometimes love is missed, yet only for a moment. The beloved is away, but not without purpose. The king is tending his garden, showing that there are times when your love is missed, and the loved one seems to be away. But the King of Kings is always there. His thoughts are always toward you.
There are times when our love for our Lord wanes as believers. We can feel so far away from God. At these times, it is hard to imagine that He still has consideration for us. The words of the Song of Solomon are for these times. They become a path leading us toward righteousness, reminding us, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."
You are His.