Earthy.
No one in their right mind would say Solomon didn’t get horny when he was writing Song of Songs. I don’t think the Song of Songs has anything to do with God, either. At least, I don’t think that’s what Solomon had on his mind when he was writing it. Solomon wanted to be in love and get it on. His bride in the song did, too. It’s kind of a dirty little duet, with some of their friends thrown in as backup singers. I can’t imagine visions of angels surrounding the throne of God were dancing around in his brain. He was probably aiming for something closer to the Yin-Yang Twins, Wait (The Whisper Song) than he was to Delirious’ I Could Sing of Your Love Forever. The bride is no different. She goes on and on, talking about Solomon’s manhood, inviting him to “come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits.” Pretty randy. Yeah. Not a theologian or anything, but I doubt too many parents would be happy if the Song of Songs were being taught in Children’s Church on Sunday. In Judaism, boys can’t even read it until they’re thirteen years old. In Christianity, I’m not sure when it is, but you better not tell anyone when that day arrives.
So then, The Song of Songs, of course, is a purely erotic book. If there were a Hebrew Poetical Literature store you could shop from in your neighborhood, it would be filed in the Erotica Section. Pretty vulgar, huh? The early church fathers were definitely asleep at the wheel when its canonicity was up for a vote. Could pornographic material possibly be God’s Word?
This raises an interesting question: How are we to read this mysterious book that leaves us with far more questions than it does answers?
To be completely honest, various parts of the Bible were written expressly for different audiences with different emphases in mind. That's why Genesis 1 and 2 have slightly varied creation accounts, each written to a singular audience to reveal distinct characteristics of God to them. Take the Gospels. Take the Pauline Epistles. Right now, today, we use the Bible to mean what it applies to us as. We hardly benefit from books as they were intended because we don't live in the situations in which they were written. Practical application is what we take from it.
But, we forget the Bible is a very earthy book. It features an all-star cast of prophets, priests, kings, beggars, harlots, thieves, liars, slaves, blue collar workers, white collar workers, no collar workers. All of these people met God somewhere on earth. They did not leave this reality (Well, John’s experience was pretty trippy) to experience God on another plane of existence. They met Him right here…on this planet. It deals quite frankly with their fears. Their disobedience. Their doubts. Their triumphs. Their failures. Their horniness. And, above all, their questions. So, though we don’t live in the exact situations as those in Ancient Palestine, we share one tangible thing in common—human experience.
Pastor Rob Bell, in his book Velvet Elvis, remarks, “When we treat the Bible as if it floats in space, unattached to when and where it actually happened, we are basically saying that God gave us the wrong kind of book. It is a book of ancient narratives. We cannot make it something it is not.”
So, what do we need to do to read the Bible for all it’s worth? Do we need to get a degree in Biblical History in order to better understand the context? Well, that’s part of the route I’m taking, but I am a firm believer that whether we understand the context or not, God’s Word can speak to us. But, when we come to the Bible—when we open up these holy pages to an ancient world—we must understand that the writers are writing to people who understood completely where they were coming from.
Where was Solomon coming from? He was coming from a place we’ve all been. That’s what makes Song of Songs so powerful. Where was Mark coming from when he wrote his Gospel according to the coronation ceremonies of the Roman Emperor? Where was John coming from when he mentions the first three miracles of Christ? Were they arbitrary or were they direct assaults against Dionysus, Asclepius, and Demeter, three major gods of Asia Minor? How about Paul’s mentioning to Timothy of women being saved in childbirth? Was he not making allusion to the goddess Artemis, the patron deity of Ephesus?
We need to the read the Bible as if it is real. Not in the sense of believing it’s real. (That is not something we can do without the movement of God.) But, in a sense of knowing that these things happened. They still happen. The Church spends so much time looking for messages beneath the surface. Sure. They’re in there. Don’t get me wrong. But, what’s the use in looking for the hidden message if you’ve missed the one that’s right on the surface?
The Bible was written to and for the people of Earth. But, it is about God’s interaction with those same people. Ancient and future. Keep that in mind.
So then, The Song of Songs, of course, is a purely erotic book. If there were a Hebrew Poetical Literature store you could shop from in your neighborhood, it would be filed in the Erotica Section. Pretty vulgar, huh? The early church fathers were definitely asleep at the wheel when its canonicity was up for a vote. Could pornographic material possibly be God’s Word?
This raises an interesting question: How are we to read this mysterious book that leaves us with far more questions than it does answers?
To be completely honest, various parts of the Bible were written expressly for different audiences with different emphases in mind. That's why Genesis 1 and 2 have slightly varied creation accounts, each written to a singular audience to reveal distinct characteristics of God to them. Take the Gospels. Take the Pauline Epistles. Right now, today, we use the Bible to mean what it applies to us as. We hardly benefit from books as they were intended because we don't live in the situations in which they were written. Practical application is what we take from it.
But, we forget the Bible is a very earthy book. It features an all-star cast of prophets, priests, kings, beggars, harlots, thieves, liars, slaves, blue collar workers, white collar workers, no collar workers. All of these people met God somewhere on earth. They did not leave this reality (Well, John’s experience was pretty trippy) to experience God on another plane of existence. They met Him right here…on this planet. It deals quite frankly with their fears. Their disobedience. Their doubts. Their triumphs. Their failures. Their horniness. And, above all, their questions. So, though we don’t live in the exact situations as those in Ancient Palestine, we share one tangible thing in common—human experience.
Pastor Rob Bell, in his book Velvet Elvis, remarks, “When we treat the Bible as if it floats in space, unattached to when and where it actually happened, we are basically saying that God gave us the wrong kind of book. It is a book of ancient narratives. We cannot make it something it is not.”
So, what do we need to do to read the Bible for all it’s worth? Do we need to get a degree in Biblical History in order to better understand the context? Well, that’s part of the route I’m taking, but I am a firm believer that whether we understand the context or not, God’s Word can speak to us. But, when we come to the Bible—when we open up these holy pages to an ancient world—we must understand that the writers are writing to people who understood completely where they were coming from.
Where was Solomon coming from? He was coming from a place we’ve all been. That’s what makes Song of Songs so powerful. Where was Mark coming from when he wrote his Gospel according to the coronation ceremonies of the Roman Emperor? Where was John coming from when he mentions the first three miracles of Christ? Were they arbitrary or were they direct assaults against Dionysus, Asclepius, and Demeter, three major gods of Asia Minor? How about Paul’s mentioning to Timothy of women being saved in childbirth? Was he not making allusion to the goddess Artemis, the patron deity of Ephesus?
We need to the read the Bible as if it is real. Not in the sense of believing it’s real. (That is not something we can do without the movement of God.) But, in a sense of knowing that these things happened. They still happen. The Church spends so much time looking for messages beneath the surface. Sure. They’re in there. Don’t get me wrong. But, what’s the use in looking for the hidden message if you’ve missed the one that’s right on the surface?
The Bible was written to and for the people of Earth. But, it is about God’s interaction with those same people. Ancient and future. Keep that in mind.
posted by C. E'Jon Moore @ 19.8.05
2 Comments:
Wow, who would uh' thought another post with sex as either its point or its hook...
Decent point made but you're becoming a little too predictable. And obsessed with sex I think...in recent history you have written a post about BJ's, one that is straight up about sex, and now this. I think you need to chew some crushed ice, or take a cold shower dude.
-Diogenes
While I agree that many parts of the Bible keyed in on people of that day, that is not to say that it is not as great today, maybe not as quick to understand, but still powerful nonetheless. Plus we have preachers today who are able to understand and present God's word in a way that we will easily pick up on, which I think was one of the awesome qualities Jesus had, after people heard him speak, they either picked up on it right away, or was left thirsty to understand it later, which they did.
DK
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