The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs

The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs is an in-depth look into the Songs of Solomon. I enjoyed learning more about these verses and understanding what was intending by each verse. Each book chapter has two parts. The first part is the discussion of each passage broken down. This is where the book is at its' strongest, providing insight into this Book of the Bible. The second section then tries to connect the book to Jesus. The author did not present clear biblical evidence to link the two and I felt many ideas were a bit of a stretch.
Overall, I learned a lot about the Songs of Solomon.

This gives a wonderful perspective of God's great love for His bride, the church, and each individual He has created. He has created us with a deep yearning in our hearts for His love and Song of Songs is a series of love poems using the allegory of the lover and his beloved as a means for demonstrating how deep His love is for each of us.

Ryken does an excellent job making Song of Songs very accessible and understandable. As Ryken says near the end "This remarkable book (ie Song of Songs) tells us what kind of relationship God wants to have with us: passionate, affectionate, driven by holy desire." That's the kind of relationship I desire with the Lord.

Further, the Song of Songs gives great insight to what a great marriage looks like and doesn't shy away from the wonder and magic of sexual intimacy in a marriage.

It's not a deeply exegetical study and perhaps if you were wanting more depth could combine this with another commentary of sorts, however, I found it tremendously satisfying and is sufficient for me at this time. The book also provides a series of discussion questions for each chapter at the end.

I received a PDF copy via Net Galley supplied by Crossway, however, this had no bearing on my review.

Let me start out by saying how much I enjoyed reading The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs by Philip Ryken. I appreciated the lay out of the text and I thought it paired perfectly with the study of the Song of Songs. Ryken does an excellent job of looking at the Song of Songs in its wider context and addresses the sometimes uncomfortable issues related to human sexuality and the current societal norms in relation to the love and relationship God wants to share with his people in a unbiased, non-judgmental tone. As a college president Ryken understands the desire for more guidance and understanding of human sexuality especially in our youth and Ryken addresses the issue beautifully with both wisdom and truth. In our current culture this book seems both timely and relevant.

An excellent read whether you are married or single and what I believe would be a powerful tool for parents wishing to address God's design for romantic relationships. The reflection and discussion questions in the back are just an added bonus for any group discussion.

Very good commentary on the Song of Songs, as should be expected. The author goes through the text slowly, exposing the proper way to understand it. Would recommend to anyone interested in getting a deeper understanding of the book.

First sentence: The woman slipped into the pew in front of me and sat down, alone, just a few minutes before the worship service began.

The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs is a commentary on the book Song of Songs or Song of Solomon--depending on your bible translation. Ryken guides readers verse by verse, chapter by chapter through this Old Testament wisdom book. He invites readers to think of this book as an album of love songs. There are tracks--songs--capturing the whole experience. Courtship. Wedding. Honeymoon. Being In Love. Fighting and making up again. The chapters of this one are poems--songs--and the story they tell isn't as straight-forward (if straight-forward at all) as other genres of Scripture--aka historical writings.

Why do believers need to study the Song of Songs?

In the introduction Ryken writes, "We live in a world where sexuality is ruined by sin, its beauty obscured by our brokenness. We need a divine vision for the way sex was meant to be, with a gospel that offers forgiveness for sexual sin and an empowering grace to live into the sexuality that God wants to give us."

Is the book about human sexuality and marriage? Is the book about Christ's love for the church? Every commentary has to pick a way to interpret the book. Ryken answers with a yes to both. He argues that it isn't about a historical couple--Solomon and one of his many wives. He argues that it is about an ideal couple--courtship and marriage as it should be even if it isn't always. He also believes that it can teach us a great deal about God's love for his people. When Ryken is through guiding us through the book Song of Songs, he takes a chapter to flash to the REAL happily-ever-after--Christ's marriage to the church as celebrated in the book of Revelation.

Who is this book for? Engaged couples? Married couples? Single people? Ryken's audience is all the above. He makes a case that the book is equally for the single. And not in the wimpy way that single people will one day marry and need to start preparing their hearts and marriage now for that moment when all the waiting will be over. He acknowledges that not every single person will marry--and that God's plan may include singleness. That God's good and perfect plan may never include marriage for some. To be single is not to be missing out on God's magnificent plan.

I had my doubts about how much I'd like this one. I am single. I didn't really know how applicable this one would ever be to me. But I found it worth reading.

In the last 18 months I’ve read three books now on the Song of Songs. This is the best book I’ve read so far. Commentators have a hard time knowing what to do with this book of the Bible- some go deep into allegory (I read one book that said that the woman’s two breasts represented faith and love), and some try and read the book as if it is a 21st century Christian manual for dating and marriage. At times Ryken’s book falls into the latter category, but overall I think the book does a good job of keeping the focus on Christ.

The mystery of marriage is one of the Bible's main metaphors for the romance of our redemption. We are fickle, but he is faithful, so against all odds, we are still together. Tim Keller likes to say that God has been trapped in the longest bad marriage in history. Even when he had legitimate grounds for divorce, God never gave upon his people. This is all leading up to the happy day when the church of Jesus Christ will be presented as a perfect bride for the Son of God.

The Songs of Solomon, a small book of the Old Testament that is poetic in nature but overwhelming shares the attributes of our Savior told in a love story. The desires of both man and woman for each other. How they respond to each other with passion and a fierceness that is love centered. God is not prudish but he is faithful and loyal. A purity that is rare and beautiful when love is protected and pursued. A relationship that is celebrated as it is set apart for holiness.

Each chapter goes thru the scripture as it written and the context begins. The context in bibical times and how it pertains to our marriage and most important our relationship with the Father. I resonated with what Ryken says that there are passages where the Bible shows us the way things were meant to be. The word of God is not being unrealistic when it does this; instead it is holding out a promise. We desperately want everything to be right with the world. This in itself is a clue that we were made for eternity. In fact, it is more than a hint: it is an invitation. Through the Songs of Songs, Jesus is calling us to come away and be his love.

This study gave me a new appreciation for this book of the bible that is not taught much but should. The key word of the book is my beloved. What a sweet phrase to be called someone's beloved. My favorite is My beloved is mine and I am his. A relationship that is set apart from all relationships. That is soul satisfying and heart pursuing. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I'll say this again, anyone who guides and speaks at a Christian university has my attention. I think it is very hard to communicate in a higher education within a Christian organization, so I have a lot of respect for Philp Ryken to do so. Thus, because of his role, I also know that he puts a lot of time and energy in what he is hoping to communicate with a younger age audience. I have read all of his books thus far and they have been excellent, so I knew this book would be no let down, especially the topic and focus. Philip has done it again. I love pastors who dig into the Scriptures to help bring out the golden nuggets of what the author might be trying to reveal to us about the character and nature of God. Philip purely wants us to know the love of God in this book and it is a book on spiritual intimacy. If you want to go deeper in your pursuit of Jesus, then this book is what you want. It is worth the time.

“The Song of Songs is like the box top for a jigsaw puzzle. When you dump the pieces on the table, they’re a total mess; you need a picture to help put them into place. The Song of Songs is a picture of love for people who are still figuring out how the pieces fit together. It doesn’t show us everything that’s broken, but mainly shows us the way things were always meant to be.”

Ryken undertakes one version of interpretation of the Biblical book Song of Solomon. He undergirds the book as a practical guide for relationships in light of KChrist’s love us especially centered on the love of Christ and the church as to that of the love experienced between a couple. One could call this Ryken’s mixtape on healthy love and relationships as there is a lot of direct application for married couples as well as those that are still single. Because of this, at times, it felt too pastoral though I can easily excuse this as he built it around his university context.

It is not a verse by verse commentary so much as a resource for contemplation and meditation than edification or preaching. In a few places, I felt it was tame and lacked the oomph in engaging with spiritual eroticism.

It is thick in experiential connection to Christ and even if you do not use the practical buide at the end each section lends itself to good meditation and contemplation.

Tags: Bible; theology

Who might be interested: couples, single (healthy sexuality)

**This was a review copy**