Jensens survey of the old testament adam 179

7. Various outlines have been made of
Ecclesiastes. Some expositors feel there is no
organization of thought, that the book is
“disjointed in construction” (G. S. Hendry,
“Ecclesiastes,” in The New Bible Commentary, p.
538). The position of this book is that there is a
discernible pattern of thought, developed in four
“sermons,” shown on Chart 76.
8. Read Exodus 5:22—6:9 for the signi cance
of this covenant-name Jehovah (“LORD,” KJV).
Solomon refers to Jehovah often in the book of
Proverbs, so it isn’t that he himself did not know
God as “LORD.” If Ecclesiastes was composed
after Proverbs, Solomon is recalling his search
for meaning in life before he came to know God
as his Redeemer (cf. 1:13). Some maintain that
he wrote from a backslidden spiritual condition.
9. Wick Broomall, “Ecclesiastes,” in The
Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p. 232.
10. A marginal note of NASB suggests the
word “futility” as a translation of “vanity” (1:2).
The use of this word helps one’s understanding


of the message of Ecclesiastes.
11. The list is from J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore
the Book, 3:163. (Used by permission.)
12. Oswald Chambers, Preface, Shade of His
Hand.

19
Song of Solomon: Union and
Communion

A healthy balance in Bible study is
maintained when the Song of Solomon is
studied along with Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes
focuses on the intellect of man—his mental
outlook on life. The Song of Solomon is a
book
about
the emotions of man—in
particular, the emotion of love.
It is a recognized fact that man’s total
experience is directed by these three
responses: intellect, emotions, and will.
Actually, all three responses are involved in
a full experience of genuine love, just as this
is true of genuine faith. To say that the Song
of Solomon is a book about the emotion of
life is not to rule out intellect and will.1 It is


just that the emotion aspect is prominent in
the story.
But the Song of Solomon is more than a
human love story. It is a picture of the love
between the Lord God and His people. If
your study of the Song of Solomon will
arouse in you a more genuine love for your

Lord, as well as a deeper gratitude for His
love to you, then it will not surprise you
that God chose to include such a love story
in His Holy Scriptures.
I. PREPARATION FOR STUDY
Read the New Testament book of
Ephesians to learn of the intimate relation
between Christ, the Bridegroom, and His
Bride, the Church (e.g., Eph 5:25-32). What
does the picture of the marriage relationship
teach about the believer’s salvation?
II. BACKGROUND