AN ALLEGORY OF LOVE
Most Jews and Christians accept three allegorical interpretations of the Song of Solomon (also known as the Song of Songs).

• • 1. It is an allegory of physical, sexual love in a marriage relationship.
    2. It is an allegory of the loving relationship between God and his people and/or Jesus and the church.
    3. Allegories 1 and 2 are both true.

Regarding allegory 1, it must be said that there is no spiritual value in a discussion of human, sexual love. Allegory 1 does not satisfy the truth that all scripture is inspired by God and profitable forteaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. God has no need to train people about human sexuality and there is no spiritual value in arousing people sexually.

Regarding allegory 2, there is a measure of truth in it. It is untrue, incomplete and misleading, however, if only a simple, human definition  of love is applied. Indeed God does have affection for his people, and indeed Jesus has affection for the church, but this human notion of love is not the kind of love represented in the Song of Solomon.

Understanding of the allegorical meaning of the Song of Solomon is impossible without understanding of love as God sees it.

STUDY TIP: See Love for understanding of Godly love.

Sex is often considered to be intimacy, but this is true at only a human, fleshly level. It is possible to have sexual intimacy without heart-to-heart intimacy, and it is possible to have heart-to-heart intimacy without sex. Biblical references to intimacy are always about pure, heart-to-heart intimacy. The Song of Solomon is an allegorical representation of heart-to-heart intimacy that is inspired when God speaks and people listen to his voice.

This principle of heart-to-heart intimacy is symbolically represented in mouth-to-mouth, face-to-face conversations like God had with Moses and in the sensual intimacy a king has with his lover in the Song of Solomon.

Intimacy with God is allegorically represented in scriptures about husbands, wives, brides and bridegrooms where spiritual arousal is compared to sexual arousal. The Song of Solomon is a detailed, symbolic picture of the rapture experience.

The Song of Solomon is another way of describing the experience of hearing God’s spoken voice. Because human words cannot describe this experience, God uses the allegory of the Song of Solomon where he goes into much detail to give us an expansive, allegorical picture of what we can expect when we hear his voice.

We can also find symbolism in the contemporary practice of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation where an infusion of oxygen is necessary to revive someone who is not breathing (i.e., spiritually dead). This imagery fits with the truth that man lives by every spoken word that comes from the mouth of God. Being intimate with God is life-giving.

Biologically speaking, sex is life-giving. The sex act itself is life-giving and the outcome of the act is new life in the body of a child. The same is true when we hear God’s spoken voice. The act of hearing God’s voice yields rapturous, joy. But it does not end there. God’s voice inspires us to love our neighbors as ourselves when we speak for God to people who cannot hear his voice. New life is produced in others when we serve God as trees of life.