Song of Solomon / Proverbs / Ecclesiastes
If you have got your Bible—and I hope you do—we have a little bit of work to do today. We are going to cover three books together. Just to bring everyone up to speed for those who might be new with us, we are well into a series called Generations. Our goal is to walk through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation as an overview, cruising through using charts to make our way through the text.
Part of the goal of this series is to make the Bible more accessible for you. For a lot of people, you get lost because you do not see the big picture, and it gets frustrating. But what we know is that if you will read your Bible, God will change your life. If you have a little more awareness and a little more motivation to read it, good things are going to happen.
Today, we find ourselves in the wisdom literature of Solomon. Now, you might say, “Solomon? I thought we already turned that page.” Well, we did. But Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon, and I have a very special relationship with that book. I begged and pleaded with our teaching team. I said, “Please, guys, you teach Second Kings 1 through 10 and Obadiah, and let me come back and do Song of Solomon.” They were kind enough to let me do that. So we are going to cover three books together: Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
If you do not have the charts, they are available on our website. I encourage you to download them and bring them with you. The best way to go through this series is to have the chart in your lap, your Bible open, and a pen in your hand to mark it all up. Take notes and go for it. I understand the digital route, but it is not nearly as effective as taking notes, smelling the pages, and flipping through them. By the way, if you do not have a Bible, just head to the iHub, grab one, and follow along with us.
Song of Solomon: God’s Design for Love and Romance
Turn to the Song of Solomon. These three books were written or contributed to by Solomon, and they contain wisdom literature—poetry that helped frame life in his Jewish context. The Song of Solomon is sometimes called the Song of Songs, meaning it is the most superlative song.
There has been all kinds of theological debate about this book. Scholars have tried for centuries to figure out what it is about because they are a bunch of Type A people who struggle to understand romance. They assume, “Well, because it’s in the Bible, it has to be strictly an allegory about God.” Some say it is about God and His love for Israel. Others say it is about Jesus and His love for the church. That is what ninety-nine percent of the commentaries will tell you. It is very difficult to find a commentary that simply lets the book mean what it clearly means: this book is about marital love and romance.
The allegorical interpretation has flooded the church, and almost everyone has been influenced by it. Think about it: how many of you grew up singing the song about “His banner over me is love” with all the hand motions and spinning around? That song is actually about a woman reflecting on the protective care of her man—that he has brought her to his banquet table and his banner over her is love. Some folks got uncomfortable and said there is no way God would write a book about marital love and romance. But that is exactly what it is about.
Look at chapter 1, verses 1 through 8. It starts right off the bat with attraction.
[SCRIPTURE: Song of Solomon 1:1-8]
This book challenges us to recognize that attraction from a biblical perspective is very different from what we see in the world. The world promotes a looks-based attraction that says external beauty is the primary alluring factor in a relationship. Good luck with that, because at some point, none of us are going to look as pretty as we used to. If your attraction is based purely on externals, what happens when the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence forty years down the road? You will be tempted to wander from the bride of your youth.
Solomon challenges us right off the bat to be attracted on the basis of character rather than outward looks. In those first several verses, you see a playful interaction between a man whose name is like purified oil—reminiscent of temple worship—and a hardworking, submissive woman whose brothers placed her in charge of the vineyards. Both are attracted for the right reasons.
This also deals with the fallacy of looking for a singular “Mr. Right.” There is not just one single person out there where, if you miss them, you have missed your only chance. There are many godly men who could be the right type of guy. Ladies, do not buy into the Hollywood notion of soulmates. Set your standard high. Say, “I want a man who acts like Jesus,” and never compromise. Let God provide. Fellas, do the exact same thing: set your standards high, find a godly woman, and let God provide. Do you really think the God of the universe—who made dirt breathe, spoke the world into existence, and spun the earth on its axis—is not powerful enough to provide for you at the proper time?
As singles, we all want to marry a godly person, but the convicting question is: are we the type of person that a godly person would be attracted to in the first place? Instead of acting like big-game hunters looking outward, look in the mirror and focus on becoming the person God wants you to be.
Notice how their relationship deepens into a dating context starting in chapter 1, verse 9. On the chart, I mention three problems with looks-based attraction:
First, looks do not last. Gravity kicks in. Hair starts growing where you wish it wouldn’t, and you start losing hair where you wish you could keep it. That is just life.
Second, looks can be deceiving. You can find someone who looks great on the outside, and then they open their mouth and you are shocked by what comes out. Peter reminds us that true beauty is not merely about external adornment, braided hair, or fine jewelry, but rather the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. If a woman is godly, she gets better and better over time, like fine wine.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NASB)
Your adornment must not be [merely] external– braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but [let it be] the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
Third, looks are always canceled out by character. I have never met a single person who said, “My spouse is unfaithful and sleeping around, but I don’t care because they are so attractive.” Nobody says that. Character always matters most.
When this couple spends time together before marriage, they do so in public and in groups. In Hebrew culture, arranged marriages were the norm, so they were not dating in the modern sense. But notice how they interact: they spend time in community, and it is non-escalating. They are simply enjoying each other’s company.
If I had a nickel for every time a young, well-meaning couple sat in my office in tears because they crossed moral boundaries, I would be a rich man. The story is always the same: they crossed boundaries in private—at an apartment or when parents were away. It never happens in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. We buy into the lie that we need private physical intimacy before marriage, but scripture warns us repeatedly.
[SCRIPTURE: Song of Solomon 2:7]
Fellas, commit that verse to memory. You will see it again in chapter 3, verse 5. It says, “Do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” When you feel chemistry in dating, that attraction is good, but it requires the right context. The context for fulfilling those desires is the marriage covenant.
[SCRIPTURE: Song of Solomon 3:5]
Then comes courtship and engagement in chapter 3, where intentionality kicks in. A man must step up and lead. We live in a culture full of relational ambiguity, where people say, “We’re just hanging out,” using endless words to avoid clarity. A godly man steps up and defines the relationship. Ladies, all you have to do is guard your heart and respond with clarity, letting him lead.
Chapter 4 describes the honeymoon night—head-to-toe celebration of marital intimacy. If you have ever wondered how provocative the Bible can be, read chapter 4. It is graphic, beautiful, and pure. In chapter 5, verse 1, God Himself speaks and gives a standing ovation to the husband and wife.
[SCRIPTURE: Song of Solomon 5:1]
God says, “Eat, drink, and imbibe deeply, O lovers.” That is the proper context for intimacy. It is not in the backseat of a car or at a party; it is within the sacred covenant of marriage. And in chapter 4, verse 7, the husband says to his bride:
[SCRIPTURE: Song of Solomon 4:7]
He tells her, “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” Is she objectively flawless? No human is. But she is perfect to him. He affirms her completely.
Right after the honeymoon, chapter 5 brings conflict. You do not build a lasting marriage on physical intimacy alone; you build it on godly communication and oneness. When they fight, the husband responds with gentleness rather than reacting, and the wife seeks restoration. She does not get “historical”—bringing up every past grievance from years ago. They work through their conflict with maturity.
By chapter 7, their love has matured. Chapter 7 opens with, “How beautiful are your feet in sandals!”
[SCRIPTURE: Song of Solomon 7:1]
When couples are first married, they focus entirely on the physical intensity of chapter 4. But after decades together, love deepens into profound appreciation. Love matures if you nurture it. Too many couples fail to reach that stage because they create child-centered homes, pouring everything into their kids’ schedules while neglecting their marriage. Eventually, the children leave, and the couple finds themselves living with a stranger. Marriages do not fall apart overnight; they erode through slow neglect. Chapter 7 reminds us to keep pursuing intentionality and romance through every season of life.
The book finishes in chapter 8 with a reflection looking back over a lifetime of love. To the singles: do not rush ahead into marriage out of impatience. The only thing harder than being single wishing you were married is being married wishing you were single. Set your standards high, pursue godliness, and trust God.
Proverbs: The Blueprint for Daily Wisdom
Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon early in his life, before his excessive compromises with a harem of a thousand women. From there, we move to the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs is a collection of object lessons and practical wisdom given to the Jewish people. These proverbs were designed to be taught primarily in two settings: within the home by parents, and within the context of godly friendships. They provide practical wisdom for daily life.
Solomon wrote chapters 10 through 22, along with other portions. First Kings 4:32 tells us that Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs. Centuries later, King Hezekiah commissioned men to compile additional proverbs of Solomon, which make up chapters 25 through 29. Sages, Agur, and King Lemuel contributed other sections.
1 Kings 4:32 (NASB)
He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.
In Proverbs chapter 1, verses 1 through 7, we find the entire purpose of the book: to know wisdom and instruction, to receive understanding, and to walk in righteousness, justice, and equity.
Proverbs 1:1-7 (NASB)
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Verse 7 gives us the core foundation: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The tragedy of Solomon’s life is that while he recorded these words, his own life eventually drifted into folly. His drift started small and grew heavier over time as he turned his heart away from God.
Proverbs is full of practical observations. Look at Proverbs 24, verses 30 through 34, regarding the field of the sluggard.
Proverbs 24:30-34 (NASB)
I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; Its surface was covered with nettles, And its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, [and] received instruction. ‘A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,’ Then your poverty will come [as] a robber And your want like an armed man.
The writer walks past a broken-down, weed-covered field and deduces a lesson: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come upon you like a robber.” Notice the repetition of “a little.” A little neglect in your finances, your marriage, or your spiritual life can lead to sudden ruin. That is how a proverb works: it takes a visible observation and extracts a universal life principle.
Proverbs teaches us how to navigate debt, warning that the borrower is slave to the lender. It teaches us about righteousness—that the righteous hate falsehood, stand bold as a lion, and get back up even after falling seven times. It teaches us to hold wealth loosely. Consider the warning in Proverbs 23, verses 1 through 5.
Proverbs 23:1-5 (NASB)
When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you, And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of [great] appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food. Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration [of it]. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For [wealth] certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies [toward] the heavens.
It warns us not to wear ourselves out trying to get rich, because wealth can sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. The book of Proverbs calls us to remain humble, teachable, and continually growing. Reading a chapter of Proverbs every day is one of the most practical spiritual habits you can build.
Ecclesiastes: Life Under the Sun
While Proverbs gives us the principles for wise living, Ecclesiastes serves as Solomon’s swan song at the end of his life. It is a sobering reflection looking back on a life spent chasing after temporal things.
Solomon uses two key phrases throughout the book: “vanity” (meaning a vapor, a mist, or something elusive) and “under the sun” (referring to life lived purely from an earthly, temporal perspective without God). He writes under the title of “the Preacher,” the son of David and king in Jerusalem.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 (NASB)
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.’
He declares, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” He chronicles everything he tried in his search for meaning. In chapter 1, he tried intellectual wisdom, and it left him frustrated. In chapter 2, he tried extreme pleasure and self-indulgence, and it left him empty. He tried massive building projects, relentless ambition, and immense wealth. He indulged in every luxury imaginable.
Yet look at his conclusion in chapter 2, verse 26.
Ecclesiastes 2:26 (NASB)
For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
He realizes that collecting possessions apart from God is like striving after the wind. You can spend your whole life trying to win the game of Monopoly, but at the end of the day, everything goes back into the box and gets handed to someone else.
In chapter 5, verse 18, Solomon repeats a phrase found throughout the book: that the best a person can do apart from God is simply to eat, drink, and enjoy the fruit of their labor during the few days God gives them.
Ecclesiastes 5:18 (NASB)
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun [during] the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.
Solomon reached his wit’s end. He had all the wealth, power, and prestige in the world, yet life without God remained completely hollow. Finally, in chapter 12, Solomon cuts through the noise and delivers his bottom-line conclusion in verses 13 and 14.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NASB)
The conclusion, when all has been heard, [is]: fear God and keep His commandments, because this [applies to] every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
He writes, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” The wisest, wealthiest man who ever lived concludes that true meaning is found in revering God and walking in obedience to Him.
It Is Not How You Start, It Is How You Finish
When we step back and look at these three books together—Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes—what is the big takeaway for us today?
The central lesson of Solomon’s life is this: it is not how you start; it is how you finish.
Solomon started with immense promise. He wrote the Song of Solomon, expressing a pure, God-honoring picture of romance and marital oneness. Yet by the end of his life, he had accumulated hundreds of wives and concubines who turned his heart after other gods. He recorded profound wisdom in Proverbs, yet failed to practice the very discernment he taught. In Ecclesiastes, he chased after worldly pleasure with everything he had, only to realize at the end that it was all an empty pursuit.
Solomon started well, but he finished poorly. That reality speaks to two groups of people today.
First, it speaks to those who have walked with God for a long time. You might have decades of faith behind you, but do not coast on past victories. Marriages that have lasted thirty years can still crumble through neglect. Faith that burned brightly in college or youth group can cool into spiritual apathy. Do not live off the vapor of what used to be. Today should be the good old days. Keep serving, keep giving, keep growing, and keep investing in your relationships. It is not how you start; it is how you finish.
Second, this truth speaks to those who feel like they have made a mess of their lives. You might be sitting here thinking, “You don’t know what I’ve done or how badly I’ve failed.” But that is precisely why we have a Savior. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Scripture tells us that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed away, and the new has come.
You do not have to be defined by your past failures. In Christ, the old self is put to death, and you are given new life through His finished work on the cross. You can start fresh today.
Do not let your story end like Solomon’s, where people look back and say, “He had so much potential, but he missed it.” Whether you need to rekindle your passion for Christ or place your faith in Him for the very first time, turn to Him today. May it be said of us at the end of our race that we stayed the course, kept the faith, and heard our Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Let us pray together.
Father, we thank You for who You are. We thank You that You are the God of second chances. For those who have walked with You for years, we pray that You would rekindle the passion that once drove us. Enliven us again to the truth that we are on this earth today to honor You, not to accumulate comforts for ourselves, but to live for Christ.
For those who have yet to place their faith in Jesus, or whose lives feel stained with failure, may they sense the grace of Christ washing over them right now, making them new. Help us to run the race set before us with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.