Song of Solomon

Finished Song of Solomon. This book is a bizarre one for me as well. It's seems like a non sequitur - it doesn't seem to have much to do with God. I've heard that it can be a metaphor for God's love for us, his church, his bride. Sorry, that's just weird for me, and maybe kinda creepy. Or it could just be an endorsement for romance and sex within a marital context - although I don't think Solomon (with all his dozens or hundreds of wives and concubines) is such a great spokesman for such things.

Other thoughts and ideas are welcome on this topic.

(Pictured - gazelles - Song of Solomon 3:5: "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.")

There is nothing new under the sun

I finished Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

You gotta love Proverbs - lots of great one-liners and practical, useful advice. Such as:
"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man." (6:10-11)
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid." (12:1)
"Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult." (12:16)
"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." (14:30)

Ecclesiastes really resonates with me. I love this book. There's a jadedness and introspection to it that help me identify. This one also has some nice, quotable one-liners, like "there is nothing new under the sun". I like this verse too as a summary:

"A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" (Eccl. 2:24,25)

Finished Psalms

Let me see if I can sum up: some nice poetry in there, David and/or other psalmists do a good bit of complaining and asking God to do all manner of bad things to their enemies, some reminiscing about God's past accomplishments and miracles, and a fair bit of praising God. Sound about right?

No deep insights for me here. I think because this book is all songs and poetry it's not so great for theology; one shouldn't try to read too much into it.

Glad to be done with that one. Looking forward to Proverbs.