Sermon Tone Analysis

*Wisdom for the Good Life, IV (Inscription 46)*

*Song of Solomon: The Good Sex-Life*

*/March 13, 2011/*

 

* *

*Prep: *

·         Membership sermon

 

Greeting and Communication Card

 

·         PG-13

·         Membership class next Sunday, here 5:30, get a manual.

·         Lent reminder.

Prayer

 

*Scripture reading: Song of Solomon 2:3-13 (David & Elizabeth)*

 

Song of Solomon is *steamy* stuff, no doubt, PG-13 to say the least.

If you can read it aloud without *blushing*, then you don’t understand it.

·         Songs celebrates the *passionate*, *sexual* *love* of *newlyweds*.

We call it Song of Solomon or Song of Songs from the opening verse:  “Solomon’s Song of Songs.”

Don’t be bothered by his *hyper*-*polygamist* ways, with his 700 wives and 300 concubines.

·         The *wording* in 1:1 is *vague* as to if he wrote it, if it was written as a tribute to him, or in his memory.

Don’t let that *distract* you from the *beauty* of the book; that would be like refusing to enjoy Hamlet because you’re not sure Shakespeare wrote it.

How can that be in the Bible?!?

 

Songs is the second of two books in the Bible that *never* *mentions* *God*.

In Esther God is “hidden in plain sight,” here he simply isn’t part of the story.

·         This very fact made some folks *reluctant* to leave Songs in the *Bible*, why have a book without God in the Bible?

And so, from the *1st or 2nd* century until the *19th*, Jews and Christians alike have been interpreting Songs as an *allegory* of God’s love for the Israel or Christ’s love for the church.

The biggest problem of that is that that isn’t the *plain* *sense* of the book.

When we read the Bible, we look for what the *authors* *meant*, and I really don’t think they meant Jesus and the church when they said stuff like:

 

NIV *Song of Solomon 7:7-8a* Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit.

8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.”

·         Maybe you ladies can handle *Jesus* *talking* to you like that, but that does not work for us guys!

 

 

REFLECTIONS

 

That is not say there isn’t any *allegorical* *value* to Songs: Several times I have said that *God* is the *source* of everything that is good, desirable, and joyful, and that he has filled this world with *rightful* *reflections* of that joy.

·         Sex is one such *reflection*; the better, the more intimate, the more fulfilling it is, the better of a reflection it is.

Sex, with its *passionate* *desire* and *jealous* *pursuit*, is a picture of God’s love that both the husband and wife can understand in a unique way.

Sex is kind of bad

 

So yes, there is a “reflection” value, but the *plain* and *intended* *meaning* of Songs is it’s a *love* *song*.

But it wasn’t until 19th century Christians started to interpret it that way.

Q   Why did is take us *that* *long*?

·         Because, frankly, Christians have historically had a very *low* *view* of *sex*.

On *Facebook*, a childhood friend commented that part of what she rejected about Christianity was the sense that there was something *dirty* about sex, and should be done “in the *missionary* *position* and for *procreation*.”

When I read this I was *bewildered*.

We grew up in the same church, and I was never made to feel that sex was dirty and only for procreation.

Q   How many of *you* have *seen* *that* as Christianity’s view of sex?

I almost fired off a *response*, but I have been learning to wait.

As I studied Songs, I have learned that she is right, that *historically* has been the Christian view of sex.

·         It was the *Christian* view, but certainly not the *Biblical* one.

Here’s what happened: In the early church, as more Christians were *Greek* than *Jewish*, it took on a more Greco-Roman perspective and was influenced by things like *Neo*-*Platonism*, *Dualism*, and *Gnosticism*.

·         These philosophies exalted *reason* and the *spiritual* over the *earthly* and *emotions*, and saw desire as innately sinful.

I kid you not, in the *Middle* *Ages* one teaching was it was okay to have sex (the world must be peopled), but wrong to want it.

And so in *Canterbury* *Tales* the pious wife all but apologizes for having sex, but the adulterous couple have a grand time.

·         BTW: *Medievals* and *modern* culture have this in common – they can’t fathom passionate desire within *conventional* *morality*.

Studies have shown that *married* couples have the *best* and *most* sex.

Because sex is both physical act and emotional, greater *intimacy* leads to *better* sex.

Besides, *practice* makes *perfect*.

The Good (Sex) Life

 

Let’s go back to the idea of “The *Good* *Life*,” is taught in the Pentateuch and Proverbs: If you obey God you’ll enjoy this life as much as possible.

·         *Job* warned us that sometimes that doesn’t work and *Ecclesiastes* that without Heaven, it is meaningless.

Songs returns to the idea of the Good Life – here is this *great* *gift* of *sex* that God has given us and wants us to delight in.

It’s *his* *idea*, there is *nothing* *dirty* about it.

In *stark* *contrast* to this Greek-based corruption, Songs exults *passion* within *marriage*.

Its *place* in the *Bible* *demonstrates* God delights in his children sharing in passionate sexual love.

·         Like with everything else, if we *enjoy* in *obedience* to his *commands*, we can enjoy it as much as it is possible.

Simply put: God says sex is *best* and *most* *fulfilling* when it occurs exclusively between one *man* and *woman* in the bonds of *marriage*.

Anything outside of this *falls* *short* and is *sin*.

·         Sin isn’t a *random* set of *rules* – it’s not like God withholds it as a *practical* *joke*.

·         Sin is that which *hurts* us, hurts *others*, and hurts our relationship with *God*.

And as a pastor, I get a *bird’s* *eye* *view* of many people hurting themselves and others through sexual sins.

I’ve talked a lot about that in past sermons (I’ll put links on the website).

·         *Caveat*: *Job* reminds us it doesn’t always “work,” – I understand that past history may change the game for you.

But that’s enough of that – too often, the church’s approach to sex is what *not* to do, let’s talk a little bit about what to do!

 

 

Remembering our first love

 

As I said, Songs is the story of some *newlyweds*.

It’s in the form of a story, or more so, a collection of *songs*, was written as a *drama*, with three part, the Husband (called the Lover), the Wife (the Beloved), and the Chorus (the Friends).

·         Reading through it is like watching *newlyweds*, like Dave and Elizabeth on *Facebook*.

And how do we respond?

We *roll* our *eyes*, and say, “Just you wait until you’ve been married for awhile!”

Q   *Why* to respond that way?

Why aren’t we all excited for them?

*Jealousy*.

They aren’t doing anything wrong; they’re doing the stuff you’ve *forgotten* to do, that you used to do, before the *routines* of life, years of *hurts*, and *expectations* stopped you.

·         Rather than rolling our eyes at the newlyweds, we should be *taking* *notes* (“I forgot you could do that in public”).

This is largely a sermon for those of us who have been *married* for a couple of *years*, especially if you have *kids*.

But *all* of you can learn from it, especially if you want to get married.

The Power of Words

 

There are many *lessons* we can learn from these newlyweds:

 

·         *Giving* yourself to each other.

·         Making yourself *attractive* to the other.

·         The *hiddenness* of sex.

But I want to focus on the power of *words* to *make* or *break* our sex life.

I remember my *youth* *pastor* quoting his wife, “If you want to make love to me in the bedroom, make love to my ears in the kitchen.”

But because he was talking to a bunch of Jr. High boys, he immediately *regretted* saying it that way.

*Proverbs 18:21 *  21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

All of us our eating the fruit of our speech, whether lush, ripe *strawberries*, or moldy *old* *pumpkins*, like the mush leftover from Halloween.

Delight in each other – out loud

 

As I read through Songs, the first thing that really hits me is that they really *delight* in each other, and they are not afraid to *say* it.

·         The majority of the book is them talking about how *hot* the *other* person is.

It frequently uses *imagery* that is *puzzling* and *comic* to us.

The problem is we’re reading it wrong – we assume the comparisons to be visual, but they typically refer to what a thing *represents*.

For instance, we read “Your nose is like the *tower* of *Lebanon*” (7:4) and think she has a big nose, but in Hebrew mind, a tower represents *dignity*, *strength*, *symmetry*.

·         Think of the Washington Monument, sitting in the middle of the Mall, like a *balancing* *point*, *stark* and *elegant*.

With that in mind, *go* *back* and *read* Songs (it’s only 114 verses).

BTW: In my preaching I both try to *teach* you from the Scriptures, but also help you *read* them *better* yourself.