Some people wonder what the purpose of Song of Solomon is, or even why it’s included in the Bible. Throughout time, various theologians have disagreed on whether it’s meant to be taken literally or if it’s an allegory, and one Rabbi Akiba even ventured to say that “anyone who uses the book in such a literal fashion has no share in the life to come”!

But as R.C. Sproul points out in his study Bible’s introduction to Song of Solomon, “there is nothing in the text itself that would lead one to read it allegorically”. He writes that Jewish and Christian commentators both interpreted this book as an allegory until around the 19th century, when the Protestant Reformation brought back “studying the Bible in the original languages and with an essentially historical-grammatical hermeneutic.”

So if Song of Solomon is meant to be taken literally — which is what I think — what does that mean for us today?

For one thing, it means that regardless of how the culture perverts them, love, marriage, and sex come from God. In a world filled with gender ideology, pornography, homosexuality and transgenderism, one could easily become discouraged and lose faith in institutions like marriage. But when pursued in a godly, righteous way, things like marriage and attraction are beautiful and bring glory to God

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the marriage bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” — Hebrews 13:4

“You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.” — Song of Solomon 4:7

Another implication is that for all its benefits, singleness is not considered to be better than marriage. Like the disciples in Matthew 19, some Christians may think “if such is the case…, it is better not to marry”! Some Christians are given the gift of celibacy, and that’s not something to be ashamed of. But other (and probably most) Christians aren’t given that gift — which also isn’t anything to be ashamed of.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul who was either widowed or unmarried gives instructions to both married and unmarried Christians. And in verse seven he says, “For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.” As John MacArthur says in his study Bible commentary,

“Paul was very aware of the God-ordained advantages of both singleness and marriage, and was not commanding marriage because of the temptation of singleness. Spirituality is not connected at all to marital status, thought marriage is God’s good gift… As a single person, Paul recognized the special freedom and independence he had to serve Christ. But he did not expect all believers to be single, not all who were single to stay that way, nor all who were married to act celibate as if they were single… Both singleness and marriage are God’s gracious gifts.”

One last thing Song of Solomon teaches us, which is a bit more general than the first two, is that God loves giving us good gifts for our enjoyment.

Depending on your personality, you may be either obsessed with enjoying yourself to a fault or feel guilty for any ounce of joy you experience. Most of us are probably somewhere in the middle, finding plenty of things in life to enjoy but sometimes wondering whether “be sober and vigilant” (1 Peter 5:8) means we should be solemn Stoics. But for all our confusion, and all the contradicting opinions in evangelicalism, the Bible doesn’t leave us to wonder.

“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which e has given you under the sun… for that is your portion in life” — Ecclesiastes 9:7-9

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” — James 1:17

Food, romance, rest (naps!), blue skies, books, friendship — all of these are good things that God’s given us to enjoy. Yes, there’s a point at which enjoyment becomes idolatry and/or sin. But that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying all of the wonderful things God puts in our path < 3

What are your thoughts on Song of Solomon? I’d love to hear them in the comments!