KING SOLOMON and his assumption of the throne in Jerusalem is the focus of our Old Testament study this week. We discuss his request for wisdom and a psalm asking God to bless the new king, and then we read one of the most unusual books of the Bible, the Song of Solomon.

It is full of poetic language depicting the love between Solomon and his bride (which one, we are not told). There are aspects of the book that present a picture of the love between Christ and his bride, the church, although it isn't a perfect picture — some of the euphemisms (which we opted not to discuss in depth) make that association difficult in places.

Still, when you consider that the love of God for His people is beyond our understanding, it is not a stretch to view the Song of Solomon as an attempt to describe the love of God, which is beyond our understanding, in terms we mortals can understand.

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