Suprised by the Song of Solomon

I have studied the Bible all of my life. I have been a student of it in Bible College and Seminary, going into great depth. I have taught from it in many different places, using much of the Bible to do so. And I have preached for a couple of decades, many times preaching through entire books of the Bible. I don't say this because I have better knowledge than others or am a better preacher than others. I rank pretty low on both accounts. I say it because it means I have had all kinds of experiences hearing and communicating the Word of God over my lifespan. I could give you a brief summary of every book of the Bible; and I love the Scriptures with all my heart: because they reveal the God who loves me, and with whom I am growing in relationship.

With all of that said, there is only one book of the Bible that I can say has truly surprised me. I admit that I have not preached through the entire book of Revelation, and I realize that it is full of figurative language and holds many challenges. There are many books of the Bible which are very challenging to study, let alone communicate. But, it is this one book, which I just finished preaching through, that has surprised me, while at the same time challenging every aspect of the preaching process for me.

Studying the book was especially difficult, with almost every resource available disagreeing as to what the book means, in almost every verse! Then, trying to communicate it in a way that is biblically accurate and makes sense to people, a particular group of people (my church family), seemed like an insurmountable challenge every week. I think the series lasted 7 weeks, and yet it seemed like 7 months. I mean no disrespect to God's Holy, Inspired Word; since, in fact, I spent most of the series boldly proclaiming its inspiration and relevance. But I was completely surprised by how difficult it was to study and preach this particular section of it. More later.