6: The Royal Love Song - Discussion Starters

Solomon knew about love. Didn’t he? This week’s lesson looks back several thousand years to the romantic life of King Solomon. Yes, there was romantic love back then. Lots of it. What does that say about marriage today? Is there room–plenty of room–for unmarried men and women to search for the best possible marriage partner? Or does the power of Solomon’s song reach past the romantic passion of man for a woman?
Indivisible life. Sex with no limitations is not God’s idea of a marriage born in heaven–is it? Does God plant serious warnings about the consequences of too much exploiting of the act of physical sex? Someone has observed the latest version of sexual behavior between a man and a women is for them to be having sex in the open air, unclothed, surrounded by onlookers and no trace of embarrassment. Your lesson author points out the opposite extreme of children growing up with no understanding of the nature of love between husband and wife, mother and father. Class members may be reluctant to talk about the sexual component of life in a church setting. What can others say to encourage all of us to appreciate the gift of sexual fulfillment within the bounds of a Christian relationship? Does the Song of Solomon contribute to this line of thought? If so, in what ways?
The loves of the love song. True love, your lesson points out, is a gift of the Holy Spirit and not a natural occurrence in the life of a normal human being. You will search a long while, this commentator says, to find a better, more comprehensive picture of love: “True love, though, is not natural to the human heart; it is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Such love bonds husband and wife in a lasting union. It is the committed love so desperately needed in the parent-child relationship to build a sense of trust in the young. It is the self-giving love that binds believers together in the body of Christ. The Song of Solomon calls on us to make this love an active force in our relationships with our spouses.” Can you and I obtain a spiritual blessing from our understanding of love that binds us together? How?
A loving knowledge. Do you, along with thousands of others who have made the Song of Solomon a special study, see a strong link between the Song of Solomon and the Garden of Eden? Did you get a special thrill reading this week about the quiet but persistent attraction of a man to a woman that God has given us? Doesn’t it almost seem that Solomon gets carried away in his expression of joy over a relationship he is persuaded that God has blessed? Describe how the word “know” applied to the marriage relationship helps understand how to build a firm, loving relationship. Does God’s love for His church have any resemblance to the love Solomon describes for his lover? Explain your perspective.
Love at the right time. It almost seems that God inspired Solomon to write these words to help His people understand the importance of chastity before marriage. “Bur,” the person caught up in the sea of love as he or she sees it, says with a trembling voice, “I can’t wait. I don’t want to wait. I want him/her now!” What are some blessings a couple in love can obtain by waiting for the “right time”? The “beloved” in the Song of Solomon invites the woman to come to him, but she doesn’t see it as the right time and so she wants to wait. Does the man in the story benefit from holding back?
Sharing and caring. We don’t talk much about “love and marriage” in our church these days, do we? A big glorious wedding once in a while, but often just news after the fact. Do you believe we should take this matter more seriously?If so, what would you like to see happening in your church to make Edenic relationships more common in our fellowship of believers? Don’t be afraid to take steps in the direction you would like to see church families taking in this regard.

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6: The Royal Love Song – Discussion Starters

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