Mike’s Musings …
It Has Made Me Study More Diligently …
Thank You!
This past Wednesday evening, we began the public discussion of the Song of Solomon. It is not a book of Scripture often studied, but since God’s divine wisdom deemed it righteous to include it in His word, we are duty-bound to examine it (John 5:39). Descriptions of this love story between Solomon and the Shulamite woman range from “provocative” to “risqué” to “impossible to understand.” None of those are accurate! God placed it there for a reason, and it must be more than a mere “story.”
The Song of Solomon has many “similarities” to Christ and His church. It might not be a “shadow-and-image” book, as is the case with several parts of the Old Testament (Hebrews 10:1), but its parallels are worth examining with that perspective in mind; thus, we began the study with that approach. As all gospel preachers and teachers must do, proving all things, holding fast to what is good, is a commandment, especially in our teaching (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Preparing lessons accurately in this study has motivated me to study more diligently … and I thank you!
Study of God’s word is not a casual reading of the text, then closing the book. Serious contemplation of who said it, why they said it, to whom is it said, and whether it applies to my salvation are the basic questions one must answer as he studies. It is proof of those conclusions that requires diligence! And the only book that proves righteous conclusions is God’s book! I muse often on the blessings received from diligent study of the scriptures … and therefore thank you for the necessity to return to that diligence immediately!
