Although Solomon tragically became the Hugh Hefner of his day, we have much to learn from his writing because of three reasons.

Straight Lines from Crooked Sticks

The Reformer Martin Luther rightly said, “God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.” Outside of Jesus, all of our teachers are deeply flawed. The Apostle Paul was once a terrorist who imprisoned and murdered Christians, but by the grace of God, he was transformed into the one of the greatest church planters of all time and the author of half of the books of the New Testament. Likewise, God chose to depict His intent for marriage through a man who would also experience the folly of forsaking God.

All Scripture is God-Breathed

Paul writes of the Old Testament, “All Scripture is God-breathed.”[1] Though the life of Solomon was deeply flawed, by the inspiration and grace of God, his writing of the Song of Solomon was not.

A Wise Warning to All Who Hear

Thirdly, Solomon’s future tragedy paints a haunting backdrop over the beauty of his pure passion experienced in the Song of Solomon. Anecdotally, we receive great warning when marriage is in a season of bliss and grace, that apart from vigilance, repentance, and the pursuit of God, we—like Solomon—are prone to wander and can wreck our marriages or future relationships with our sin and folly.

[1] 2 Timothy 3:16a.