A Primer for the Public Preaching of The Song of Songs

A Guide For Preparing Sermons On The Song Of Songs. Two Questions Are Asked And Answered Relating To The Public Preaching Of The Song Of Songs: 1. Is All The Bible Meant To Be Preached?; 2. Is There Anything In The Bible That Is Harmful To The Reader? The First Question Was Answered In The Affirmative. Nothing In The Bible Qualifies Some Of Its Content To Be Preached And Other Sections To Be Disregarded. As To Question No. 2 This Book Argues With Our Reformation Era Forefathers For The Inseparability Of The Word And Spirit As Calvin Wrote The “Word Is The Image Of The Spirit.” If The Song Was Meant To Be Preached And There Is Nothing Harmful In The Song Why Is The Song Commonly Ignored In The Pulpit? This Book Was Written To Address Four Separate But Inter-Related Concerns Regarding The Public Articulation Of The Song Of Songs. The First Was To Make A Contribution To The Legitimacy Of The Literal Rendering Of The Song. This Focus Took Two Paths One Positively Arguing For A Literal Rending And Another Exposing The Futility Of Allegorization. Presenting Exegetical Philosophical And Historical Evidence A Succinct Case Is Built For The Literal Rendering. The Substance Of The Argument Shows The Exegetical Strength Of The Literal Interpretation And The Weakness Of The Allegorical Rendering Which Forces The Song To Meet The Interpreter’S Chosen Design. The Second Was To Make An Appeal For Its Teaching. An Historic Ecclesiastical Prejudice That Velthusen Calls “Unascertainable” Has Been Held Against The Song For Its Romantic Context. In An Attempt To Aid In Undoing This Opposition Biblical Support Is Given For The Utility Of The Song And The Crucial Importance Of Its Content For The Church And Society. The Third Was To Provide The Teacher With A Paradigm For Presenting The Content Of The Song In An Open Public Setting. The Emphasis Of The Song Is Upon Romance Not Sex. While Some Commentators Find The Song Saturated With Sexual Imagery And Innuendo An Exegetical Evaluation Of The Diction And Grammar Will Argue Otherwise. Of Primary Consideration Is Attention To How Graphically The Metaphor Is Described. At One Interpretive Pole The Metaphor Is Not Developed. At The Opposite Pole The Metaphor Is Assigned A Titillating Meaning. This Volume Attempts To Provide The Vocabulary And Context To Do Justice To The Intended Meaning Of The Metaphor Without Slipping Into Tasteless Erotic Imagery. The Fourth Was To Present A Case Study For Dividing The Song Into Its Separate Poetic Units Suitable For Teaching. Various Resources Are Cited For The Various Times Locations And Personages That Interact In Each Poetic Unit. Common Phrases And Repeated Words Are Provided To Show The Continuity Of The Book As A Whole. Most Helpful Is An Exegetical Outline Of The Entire Song Divided Into Thirty-Three Pericopes Showing The Independent And Dependent Clauses In An English/Hebrew Interlinear. After Working Through The Song Verse By Verse Both Speaker And Congregation Intuitively Conclude There Is Nothing In The Song That Loving Married Couples Do Not Already Experience. For Most The Song Confirms The Romance Of Married Life. For Others The Song Invites Married Couples To Embrace The Wholesome And Expected Intimacy Of Marriage. The Song Is Only Uncomfortable For Those With A Misshapen Sense Of Marital Intimacy. Confirming Wholesome Thoughts And Actions While Correcting Error The Song Delivers A Sanctifying Message Consistent With Every Other Book Of The Bible.