QT 02/02/2025 Sun. Song of Songs 3. The "chiong" and "brake" of relationships. 关系的“冲”与“停”。

QT 02/02/2025 Sun. Song of Songs 3. The "chiong" and "brake" of relationships. 关系的“冲”与“停”。

QT 02/02/2025 Sun. Song of Songs 3. The "go" and "brake" of relationships.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/song3

The bride was thinking of the groom in the night (3:1) and takes active steps to search him out (3:2–4). She was not afraid even to let the watchmen in the night know about who she was looking for (3:3). Love that is courageous and pro-active is great, isn't it? This aspect is the "go" ("chiong" in Hokkien) of this relationship.

The title of the book Song of Songs is connected with Solomon. The English has "which is Solomon's" (ESV) while the Hebrew has the preposition "le" in front of Solomon. This means that the Song of Songs was possibly written "which [is written] to Solomon". Solomon's reputation has the seemingly positive side—"he has a wise guy reputation" and he bravely came for the bride with his entourage (Song of Songs 3:6–11). However, reading 1Kings 11 would also disclose how he did not love the LORD rightly, nor handled his relationships with women properly.

REFLECTION: Therefore, the orientation of the book might possibly be a critique of Solomon's lifestyle and an attempt to display and demonstrate to readers then and now what true, committed, courageous and sacrificial love looked like. The book also urges modern readers to re-look at their ideas of love, commitment, companionship and relational beauty. Which part of the book has impacted your outlook so far?

Reading this chapter also encourages us to endorse the fact that the relationship between a man and woman has its (1) sexual, (2) emotional, (3) spiritual or psychological dimensions. Even though this might seem complex, the readers are to affirm that this was a part of God's "very good" design as disclosed in Genesis 1:31. This man-woman relationship was not to be reduced to anything lesser.

On the other hand, there is the "brake" of the relationship. Stop.

Song of Solomon 3:5
[5] I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases. (ESV)

Verses 2:7 and here 3:5 speaks of the same concept. It's meaning seemed deeper than meets the eye. These verses contained a command as well as a prohibition—the command was to make sure readers take note of the prohibition! If the wedding is interpreted as only occuring later in the book/narrative, then these two verses remind readers of the boundaries between man and woman at that point of the relationship that they should not go beyond. However, the idea of using physical force to dictate/manipulate the other party into unwillingly agreeing to an outcome which he/she was not pleased with, could equally be prohibited within any marriage today.

Whether "I will seek" (go) or "do not stir" (brake), are you going and braking well? Are you following the advice to progress or pause within the boundaries of the design of The LORD for relationships, including that of between man and woman? Will the song that you sing rank low on the song charts, or would it be the song of songs, the best of all songs?


QT 02/02/2025 星期日. 雅歌 3. 关系的“去”与“停”。
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/son/3

新娘在夜里想着新郎(3:1),并采取积极的措施去寻找他(3:2-4)。她甚至不怕让守夜的人知道她在找谁(3:3)。勇敢主动的爱是伟大的,不是吗?这方面就是这段关系的 “去”。

《雅歌》的书名与所罗门有关。英文是 “which is Solomon's”(ESV),华文是“所罗门的歌”,而希伯来文在所罗门前面有介词 “le”。这意味着雅歌可能是 “写给所罗门的”。所罗门的名声似乎有积极的一面--“他有智慧的名声”,他勇敢地与他的随从前来迎娶新娘(雅歌 3:6-11)。然而,阅读《列王纪上 11 章》也会发现所罗门如何没有正确地爱耶和华,也没有正确地处理与女性们的关系。

反思:因此,本书的方向可能是对所罗门生活方式的批判,并试图向当时和现在的读者展示和证明什么是真正的、坚定的、勇敢的和牺牲的爱。该书还敦促现代读者重新审视他们对爱、承诺、陪伴和关系之美的看法。到目前为止,书中哪一部分对您的人生观产生了影响?

阅读这一章还促使我们认可这样一个事实,即男人和女人之间的关系具有(1)性、(2)情感、(3)精神或心理层面。尽管这看起来有复杂的一面,但读者应该肯定,这是《创世记》1:31 中揭示的上帝的设计 “非常好 ” 的一部分。这种男人和女人的关系不能被贬低。

另一方面,这种关系还有 “制动器 ”的作用—停。

雅歌 3:5 耶路撒冷的众女子啊!我指着羚羊、田间的母鹿恳求你们,不要惊动他,不要挑起他的爱情,等它自发吧。

2:7 节和这里的 3:5 节说的是同一个概念。它的含义似乎比字面上看到的更深。这些经文既包含命令,也包含禁止--命令是为了确保读者注意到禁止!如果婚礼被解释为只发生在本书/叙事的后面,那么这两节经文就提醒读者注意男女之间的界限,在这段关系中,他们不应该超越这个界限。然而,使用武力支配/操纵对方,使其不情愿地同意自己不满意的结果的想法同样今日也应该是被禁止的。

无论是 “我将寻求”(去)还是 “不要惊动”(刹住),你是去得好还是刹得好?你是否听从建议,在耶和华设计的人际关系(包括男人和女人之间的关系)的范围内前进或停顿?你所唱的歌在歌曲排行榜上排名靠后,还是会成为歌曲中的歌曲,所有歌曲中最好的歌曲呢?