“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is better than wine.” (Song of Solomon 1:2, NKJV)

The Song of Solomon is his song of songs. We know that Solomon wrote 1,005 songs, but this is the only one that we have. Apparently, Solomon considered it to be the most important one. It is a love song between a husband and wife. Whether or not it was based on a real relationship that Solomon had, we don’t know. This song celebrates monogamous love, describing physical intimacy between a husband and wife and the courtship leading up to it. We should not be surprised that the Holy Spirit would include this in Scripture, since God created marriage and sexual relations. The world has corrupted and perverted sex, but God designed it to be a beautiful and pleasurable bond between husband and wife where the two become one flesh. This song portrays physical intimacy, not as animalistic passion, but as the loving and holy desires of two people who are bound together in a covenant relationship before God and man.

This is the only book of the Bible on this Simply the Bible podcast where I gave a disclaimer: parental guidance is suggested. The rabbis recommended that people not read this until they were thirty years old!

Now many Bible commentators have seen in this song a picture of God’s relationship with His people. Israel was considered the wife of Yahweh, and the Church is the Bride of Christ. The love that the husband has for his wife pictures the love Christ has for us. And the desire the wife has for her husband illustrates the love we should have for Jesus.

Admittedly, it feels strange to apply such sensual language to our relationship with Christ. But we ought to consider the love that He has for us to be better than wine. And we should desire Him more than any other. As Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15)