Bible

I Flunked Song of Solomon 907

I wrote it for ninth graders and overshot the mark.

You may know I’m writing Old Testament lessons for high school freshmen. Recently I got to the sole lesson on the Song of Solomon.

The instructions I had were quite elementary:

The lesson focus is that last sentence.

In addition to those mandated parameters, I had these of my own:

  • Make it practical for ninth graders.
  • Avoid eye-rolling stretching to make the passage point to Christ and the church.

Well, I finally settled on using these passages:

  • Song of Solomon 2:4 (85)
  • Song of Solomon 4:1-7 (176)
  • Song of Solomon 5:10-16 (143)
  • Song of Solomon 7:10 (107)
  • Song of Solomon 8:6,7 (217)

The numbers in parentheses tell you how many words I dedicated to each passage.

I began and ended the lesson with these paragraphs respectively:

Song of Solomon is a difficult, much-debated, little-understood book. Perhaps it describes a real-life romance. Perhaps it’s more a poem or play to instruct and encourage husbands and wives. Perhaps it’s an intricate allegory illustrating God’s relationship with His people. Perhaps it’s some combination of those. This lesson, though, will help you consider several portions of the Song of Solomon from three different angles: pre-marriage guidelines, marital principles, and spiritual truths pertaining to Christ and the church.

Nothing shall be able to separate us from divine love (Romans 8:35-39). As the church is secure in Christ, so the church must secure her love for Christ alone (Matthew 24:12; Revelation 2:4). We should let Him know in thought, word, and deed that we are His alone.

Considering the parameters I had, I was enamored with what I submitted. Well, that’s too strong. Maybe infatuated. No, not that either. Pleased, anyway.

So much for feelings. I received instructions to please rewrite the lesson. :mrgreen:

(Oh, you’re wondering about the 907 in the post title? Well, 101 is so predictable, passé, and/or blasé.)

Today I started that process by reading through Song of Solomon. Alas, now I’m less optimistic than when I started. 😯

Do you have any passages to suggest (that fall within the above parameters)?

Where in the Bible Is That?!

Using the silence of the Scriptures to defend myself is a treacherous exercise!

“Where in the Bible does it say it is wrong to interrupt one who is speaking?”

I just searched for interrupt in the Bible.

I didn’t find it. (Well, I limited my search to the King James Version.)

Does that prove it’s OK for a Christian to be an interrupter?Read it all

The Bible and Friday the 13th

Maybe it’s just I, but someone is suffering from strange logic or faulty reasoning or biased disinformation or something.

Fortunately for those suffering from triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) or friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th), August is the only month this year where the 13th falls on a Friday. Last year, there were three such months – the most possible under the Gregorian calendar.

[…]

Roots in the Bible, myth

According to National Geographic, fear of the number 13 can be traced to both the Bible and a Norse myth.

[…]

In the Bible, Jesus is betrayed by the apostle Judas, said to be the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Whether Judas was the 13th to arrive is not stated, but there were 13 at the table, Jesus and the 12 apostles. Friday also has Biblical significance, as it is said to be the day Jesus was crucified (Good Friday).

Fear of 13

The number 13 also has numerical significance, in the Bible, astrology and other sources, due to its position relative to the number 12.

In the Bible, 12 is seen as the number of perfection. There are 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles, 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem the heavenly dwelling place of the saints and 12 gates to the New Jerusalem, among other references.

Source: Friday the 13th superstitions have roots in the Bible, ancient myth

Lemme see if I get this.

In the Bible we see that 13 is bad because that’s how many were at the Last Supper? 🙄

In the Bible we see that 13 is bad because 12 is good? 🙄

Maybe it’s 1 that’s bad, not 13. After all, one betrayed Jesus. And the difference between 13 and 12 is one. Puh. Leez.

Interestingly, they say “12 is seen as the number of perfection” because, among other twelves, there were that many apostles. So we take that perfect number (so to speak) and add in the Perfect One and we end up with an unlucky number. 😯

Well, anyway. Let’s just say I balk at using the Bible to explain why thirteen is such a terrible number.

Above all, love God!