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Learning Things (10/3/15)

I have some book quotes sitting in my ‘drafts,’ but haven’t had time to actually write posts about them. This morning I have some time, so I thought I’d make a broader post on what I’ve learned so far this semester.

A Canonical Approach to the Psalms
I am taking a class on ‘the Writings’ of the Old Testament (Psalms-Chronicles in the Hebrew order of the Bible). My professor did his Ph.D work Book 4 of the Psalms – particularly on how Book 4 advances a ‘canonical’ understanding of the Psalter.

The Canonical Approach to the Psalms is intriguing, and I’ve found it helpful. The basic idea is that Psalms is arranged in an intentional order for the purpose of advancing a narrative. Psalm 1 introduces us to the Psalter as ‘torah,’ written in five books, like the Torah of Moses. Martin Luther called the Psalms a ‘little Bible’ within the Bible. The Canonical Approach sees it this way as well. Psalm 2 introduces the Messianic King whom the Psalter is written about. Books 1 through 3 show the decline of the messianic kingship, culminating in the final psalm of Book 3, which finds the kinship cut off and the people of Israel in Exile.

Book 4 (Ps. 90-106) finds the people in exile, ‘wandering in the wilderness’ like Moses in days of old (see Ps. 90-91). By Book 5 (Ps. 107-150) the people are ascending back up the mountain to Jerusalem and worshiping God. They still reflect on their captivity (Psalm 137), but they are mostly in a posture of worship, anticipating the restoration of the throne of David.

This theory of the Psalms as a ‘canon’ may have some holes, but it’s fairly compelling and gives us a macro way to demonstrate that aside from the experiential and worship aspects of the psalms, they are meant to have a narrative force that points us to Christ.

The Shepherd Hypothesis in Song of Solomon
We haven’t covered Song of Solomon in the course yet, but my reading has touched on this. The Shepherd Hypothesis, also called the ‘three person hypothesis,’ contends that the Shulammite (Songs 6:13) had two suitors in Song of Solomon. The story, in this theory, is that the Shulammite is in love with a simple shepherd man from her own territory, but is also being courted by King Solomon. Hence the back and forth action between the garden and the city.

I don’t have time at present to flesh this out completely, but if you take this approach, here’s a good example of what it entails. The palace scenes of someone knocking on her door actually describe her true love, the shepherd, traveling to the palace to find her and reclaim her love. He is in danger and flees, she chases him and is thus beaten by the guards. It makes a good deal of sense:

Song of Solomon 5:7 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls. 8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.

In the end, love prevails. The Shulammite turns down the advances of Solomon, in all his pomp and splendor, and returns to the country to be with her true love, the simple shepherd.

The most amazing thing about this approach is that it turns the ‘allegory’ of the story in a fascinating new direction while also allowing for literal interpretation that doesn’t involve Solomon as the prototypical lover (if you know anything about Solomon, that has difficulties). If you’re interested in seeing more about this you can read more about it HERE.

Christian Education
I’m taking a course on the educational ministry of the church. The main idea so far is that education is vital to the task of the church (as it’s included in the Great Commission). Nothing major to report on as of yet. I had to wrestle with the differences between preaching and teaching this past week. It’s one of those situations where there are clear distinctions but a lot of overlap.

A.D.D. Environments
I’ve spent the last six months in my new job staring at computer screens for hours upon hours each day. I’m working on curriculum, doing technical work, answering emails, answering texts, and trying to work on sermons and school work from time to time. I feel it changing me. I feel my brain gravitating toward attention deficits. It’s interesting.

Douglas Coupland, one of my favorite authors, has made the claim somewhere that we are all going to be forced into living in a state of attention deficits. He tends to think this is something we’ll simply adapt to, and that it won’t necessarily be a bad thing. I have my concerns, as longtime readers of this blog will know.  I have been thinking about writing a post called ‘A.D.D. Environments,’ that would details how our environments deeply affect our ability to concentrate. I haven’t managed to do it yet, and others have certainly written about this. (By the way, in the time I’ve written this post I’ve had a dozen text messages, the phone ring, and some American Heritage girls come to my door selling cookies).

I read Moonwalking with Einstein recently and found it helpful. I’ve actually used some of the memory techniques Joshua Foer describes there.  (You can watch his TED Talk HERE). Aside from the ‘memory palaces,’ my wife has a nice picture of me studying with my large soundproof earmuffs and my blacked out glasses on. They actually help to fight distraction quite well if you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely have to concentrate.  Adapting doesn’t simply mean capitulating to A.D.D. environments; it means finding ways to fight back.

“When the devil finds a person sleeping, he enters. But when Christ finds him sleeping…”

Sin brings one low in desertion. This is a deep abyss indeed. Psalm 88:6, “You have laid me in the lowest pit.” Desertion is a short hell. Song of Solomon 5:6, “My beloved has withdrawn himself and was gone.” Christ knocked—but the spouse was loath to rise off her bed of sloth and open to Him immediately. When the devil finds a person sleeping—he enters. But when Christ finds him sleeping—He is gone. And if this Sun of righteousness withdraws His golden beams from the soul, darkness follows.

-Thomas Watson, The Mischief of Sin

The Puritans (like Thomas Watson) and their ilk were not shy of bringing up passages from Song of Solomon such as the one quoted above and applying them to the Christian life. Octavius Winslow gives us another example:

I sleep, but my heart waketh.’ Here was the existence of the Divine life in the soul, and yet that life was on the decline. She knew that she had fallen into a careless and slumbering state, that the work of grace in her soul was decaying, that the spirit of slumber had come over her; but the awful feature was, she was content to be so. She heard her Beloved knock: but, so enamoured was she with her state of drowsiness, she gave no heed to it – she opened not to him…A believer may fall into a drowsy sate of soul, not so profound as to be entirely lost to the voice of his Beloved speaking by conscience, by the word, and by providences: and yet so far may his grace have decayed, so cold may his love have grown, and so hardening may have been this declension, he shall be content that this should be his state (Personal Declension and the Revival of Religion in the Soul, pp. 21-22).

By the way, I couldn’t recommend Winslow’s book more highly. It is one of my favorites.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones was fond of saying that the fact that the Holy Spirit is likened to a dove points to his gentleness and propensity to be grieved and quenched. When he is grieved he withdraws. That is not to say that he withdraws in such a way as to remove himself wholly from the believer’s life. Rather, it is to say that he exercises less influence and offers less consolation and aid.

The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. And Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). In the Context of Revelation 3, this was an offer/promise to believers.

The spiritual sleeper, the one who hesitates to answer the door of Christ’s calling, leaves himself vulnerable to Satan. That is Watson’s point. Jesus will not force himself on you. Satan is another story. So get up and answer the door.

I say all of this as a Calvinist of course. I am not saying that God’s effectual call can ever be resisted. It cannot. The point is that the believer who becomes a spiritual sluggard is asking for trouble.

Let’s say you’re married. Your wife is hinting that she needs some time with you. She has her ways of doing this. You should have learned them over the years. Maybe you should have read the Love Languages book. If you are not sensitive to her overtures and subtle pleadings, then your relationship is not going to flourish.

And so, be sensitive to Christ’s knockings. Don’t let sin and sloth put you in such a frame that you are blinded and vulnerable to Satan.

Jonathan Edwards on Song of Solomon

While doing some research relating to Jonathan Edwards this past week, I came across a fascinating talk by Nick Batzig on Edwards’ Christological interpretation of Song of Solomon. This is a subject that I am quite interested in. I have written about it before in a post called What’s the Point of Song of Solomon?

If you’ve ever had questions about Song of Solomon, I’d encourage you to give this a listen: HERE

Spiritual Slumps and the Presence of Christ

This is a recent readings post (so to speak). I am presently finishing up Personal Declension and the Revival of Religion in the Soul by Octavius Winslow. This is a meditation I put down in writing after reading chapter 1. For more on the allegorical and illustrative use of Song of Solomon, see HERE.
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Why is it that we go through spiritual peaks and valleys? Why is it that we may be disciplined readers of the Bible, that we may have discipline in prayer, that we may observe the means of grace week by week and yet still at times feel that our souls are declining? Perhaps, like me, you have found that there are times when it feels that you are spiritually dry, spiritually dull. There may be no gross sin in your life, nothing out of the ordinary (though I hate to put it that way), and yet your soul slumps. How can this be explained?

Octavius Winslow put it like this:

This incipient state of declension may not involve any lowering of the standard of holiness; and yet there shall be no ascending of the heart, no reaching forth of the mind towards a practical conformity to that standard…there shall be no panting after conformity to Christ, no breathing after holiness…when there is more knowledge of the truth than experience of its power, – more light in the understanding than grace in the affections…The state of secret departure from God may exist in connexion with an outward and rigid observance of the means of grace; and yet there shall be no spiritual use of or enjoyment in, the means. And this, it may be, is the great lullaby of his soul. Rocked to sleep by a mere formal religion, the believer is beguiled into the delusion that his heart is right,k and his soul prosperous in the sight of God (pp. 15-16).

That’s the state we’re talking about – a dry, powerless state which is religious nonetheless. What is the answer to such a position? Winslow finds it only in the presence of Christ, mediated by the Holy Spirit. And Song of Solomon illustrates such a condition and its cure. First, from Song of Solomon 5:2-6:

  • Song of Solomon 5:2 I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.” 3 I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? 4 My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. 5 I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.

Winslow uses this as an illustration:

‘I sleep, but my heart waketh.’ Here was the existence of the Divine life in the soul, and yet that life was on the decline. She knew that she had fallen into a careless and slumbering state, that the work of grace in her soul was decaying, that the spirit of slumber had come over her; but the awful feature was, she was content to be so. She heard her Beloved knock: but, so enamoured was she with her state of drowsiness, she gave no heed to it – she opened not to him…A believer may fall into a drowsy sate of soul, not so profound as to be entirely lost to the voice of his Beloved speaking by conscience, by the word, and by providences: and yet so far may his grace have decayed, so cold may his love have grown, and so hardening may have been this declension, he shall be content that this should be his state (pp. 21-22).

The Shulamite had had the presence of her beloved before. She had experienced his love, his intimate presence, yet this presence was not static. This time sleep overcame her. Behold, he stood at the door and knocked. She heard his voice. But she was too drowsy to open the door that he might come in and commune with her.

This was a familiar occurrence for the Shulamite. Consider the first verse of Song of Solomon 3, and Winslow’s comment on it:

‘By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not.’ And the reason why she found him not, was her slothful posture, and her drowsy spirit in seeking him! Guard against a slothful seeking of Jesus…Seek him as that which can supply the absence of all other good, without whom nothing is good (p. 25).

How often I have lay in my bed, realizing that I had not sought Christ as I ought in the day that had passed. And so, when you find yourself in such a position, will you seek communion now as your eyes get heavy, as you prepare to fall asleep?

Spiritual slumps, backsliding, lethargy of the soul, call it what you will, is often the result of a loss of, as Winslow calls it, the ‘sensible presence’ of Christ. This is why Jesus tells the lukewarm church in Revelation 3:20 that he stands at the door and knocks. This was not an evangelistic statement per se. It was a statement of possibility to those who had already been evangelized. A deeper fellowship awaited them, it was there for the seeking. This is why the Apostle prayed for the Ephesians,

  • ‘that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God’ (3:17-19).

How could the Apostle pray that those who were already believers, who were already in Christ, and Christ in them, would have a future experience of Christ dwelling in the heart which they had not yet known. He was praying for a ‘sensible presence,’ for a deeper communion, for the most intimate of fellowship. That’s the answer to spiritual slumps – only the presence of Christ through the mediation of the Spirit.

George MacDonald put it this way:

Sometimes I wake, and, lo! I have forgot
And drifted out upon an ebbing sea!
My soul that was at rest now resteth not,
For I am with myself and not with thee (Diary of an Old Soul, 1.3).

Heed the words of Isaiah:

  • Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

And remember the words of Spurgeon:

There is a point in grace as much above the ordinary Christian as the ordinary Christian is above the worldling. (from Spurgeon’s sermon on Jeremiah 5:24, The Former and the Latter Rain).

Why was it better for his disciples that Jesus go away? (John 16:7) Because the Spirit now bears witness of Jesus – not only of his words, but of his presence. And that presence can lift up to heights we know little or nothing of. This is what explains the slumps – this presence, by the Spirit – this point in grace so far above the experience of the ordinary Christian (because the ordinary Christian doesn’t care to seek it).

This does not mean signs and wonders. It doesn’t mean chills and goosebumps necessarily. It means a spiritual presence of a real Christ with his people. And we don’t seek it nearly enough. What joy there could be if we did.

  • Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus…

What’s the Point of Song of Solomon?

My actual title for this post is: Can an Allegorical Interpretation of Song of Solomon be Justified Biblically? It’s too long and not pithy enough, so let’s go with What’s the Point of Song of Solomon?

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This is a question I have meditated upon for some time. I have dealt with those who disdain the idea of allegory. Allegorical interpretation is, for them, a gross misuse of Scripture that was particularly, and regrettably, popular among the church fathers. Of course, we cannot escape the idea that some Scripture should (and indeed must) be taken allegorically (see Gal. 4:24).

This issue is particularly relevant when dealing with Song of Solomon. In recent years the book has become more increasingly understood as a manual in erotic love. I must confess I’ve always found this line of interpretation difficult to swallow. I will admit that many of my initial issues with such thinking is on account of certain presuppositions:

For starters, I find it difficult to imagine that a poem/song should serve as a manual. Don’t get me wrong here. I understand the instructional value of songs quite well. The Psalms certainly instruct us, as does the Song of Moses, and other biblical songs. But they’re not how-to manuals.

Second, I have a hard time, personally, taking love-advice from Solomon. This is probably my shortcoming, but to me, he doesn’t exactly personify the quintessential lover if you know the rest of his history as recorded in the Bible. And yes, I know some folks don’t believe Solomon is the author. I accept the traditional assumption that he is, and I accept that the book is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and that it can certainly be helpful in many respects because of that. Also, I respect Solomon, his wisdom, and his accomplishments – but these do not erase his flaws and sins (which are more shocking on account of his great wisdom). I don’t stand in judgment over Solomon, God’s anointed. I’m just sharing some thoughts.

Third, I’m the evangelical sort who tends to think that the whole Bible is about Jesus. When the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, ‘…and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim. 3:15), Song of Solomon is a part of the ‘sacred writings’ he is referring to.

Follow the logic:
A. The Whole Bible is About Jesus
B. Song of Solomon is in the Bible
= Song of Solomon is About Jesus

So my presuppositions caused me to search. Is their biblical precedent, is there exegetical proof, is there a biblical-theological line that can demonstrate that a Christ-centered interpretation of Song of Solomon is valid?

For starters, I point you to the article by James Hamilton HERE from the Westminster Theological Journal. I found it extremely helpful when I discovered it a couple of years ago. His argument for a legitimate parallel to the story of the Song and the story of the gospel is as follows, in summary form:

The Song is about Israel’s shepherd king, a descendent of David,who is treated as an ideal Israelite enjoying an ideal bride
in a lush garden, where the effects of the fall are reversed
(James M. Hamilton Jr., The Messianic Music of the Song of Songs: A Non-Allegorical Interpretation).

Next, I point you to Psalm 45:1-7:

Psalm 45:1 TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO LILIES. A MASKIL OF THE SONS OF KORAH; A LOVE SONG. My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! 4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

I remember hearing a very well known preacher say that you shouldn’t read Song of Solomon as being about Christ (if you’re a man) because that’s just weird, because, you know, he’s a dude. How then do you deal with Psalm 45? You could certainly make the point, and I agree, that Psalm 45 is not about erotic love. But consider the following:

Psalm 45 is explicitly called a ‘love song’ (I remind you that the superscriptions are actually part of the Scripture, not something added). And as a love song it is written by men (the sons of Korah) about, and for, a man (the king). This king is then called God. And as God, he has a God, who anoints him with ‘the oil of gladness.’  Though the author may never have imagined such an application, this is a crystal clear reference to the Trinity in the form of a love song. Perhaps the sons of Korah had King David specifically in mind, yet no sane commentator would miss the application of the psalm to Christ, regardless of the authors’ initial intention. It’s just too clear to miss.

Perhaps the application is not as clear in Song of Solomon, but I think it is equally as valid and relevant. Hamilton’s article makes a compelling case. The Son of David, Solomon in the case of the Song, is the messiah (lower case ‘m’), the anointed one of God. Jesus Christ is the greater Solomon, the true Son of David, the Anointed One (Messiah with an upper case ‘M’). He is the ideal Israelite with his ideal bride in his lush garden. That’s our future, Christians – with Jesus. ‘Yes, he is altogether lovely’ (Song 5:16).

On top of this you can add the Book of Hosea to the list of relevant biblical data. Here a real man and real woman get to live out God’s loving relationship with His idolatrous people. This real man and real woman have real children and each child’s name represents an aspect of God’s great plan of redemption for the nations. God is not above using allegory, even in the context of marriage, sex, and child-bearing – even with the use of real people as living illustrations.

Here’s the crux of the issue:

Ultimately, to use a phrase from Tim Keller, we must ask who the Bible – all the Bible – is about. Is it about Jesus, or about you? For you’ll read it in one of those two ways. If it’s about you then why not look at Song of Solomon as a textbook for love. If you become like Solomon you can really have a sizzling romantic life and happy marriage (see how that worked out for wise Solomon). But if it’s about Jesus, then you get to rejoice as a bride in your Groom, who unlike Solomon, will not forsake you for concubines and encourage your idolatry (see Nehemiah 13:26).

I may come across as snide, but I want to make clear that I love and appreciate Solomon the man. I am only pointing out the glaringly obvious fact that he is a sinner – just like me. And I certainly won’t be writing any love manuals any time soon (though I may write a love poem or two for my wife). I will however be happy to point people to our greater Solomon, the Lord Jesus Christ, the ‘lover of my soul.’ Get right with him, fall in love with him, rejoice in his beauty and grace and just see what that will do for your marriage – more than any manual could, that’s for sure.

Luke 11:31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.