I AGREED TO WRITE this book in 1996, when my life was relatively uncomplicated. The invitation to write a commentary focused on the application of Scripture, yet dealing with two Old Testament books that in many ways are among the more challenging of the Scriptures as they address the modern church, was simply too tempting. I have since moved halfway across the world to a new country, and I have changed the context in which I am teaching Bible.
This disruption has proved both helpful and unhelpful to the project. On the one hand, I have had less time than I would have liked to complete the work. The deficiencies of the book that have arisen from this fact will be obvious at least to some. On the other hand, I have had my thinking helpfully unsettled and challenged—part of a long process that has lasted many years and has affected my understanding of myself, the Christian faith and life, and the world around me. One result is that I believe (rightly or wrongly!) that I understand both Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs better than before, and I see more clearly what they have to say as Christian Scripture to both church and world. We shall see . . .
I need to thank some people for their input and support. The exercise of leading a men’s Bible study on these two books in 1998–1999 in Surrey, British Columbia, was valuable as preparation for the task of writing. I therefore want to express my appreciation to Dieter Glups and his circle for their part in the process (and also for the front-row seats to the Grizzlies/Lakers game!). The Board of Regent College granted me research leave, and Ivan Gaetz and Charles Bellinger of the Regent College library gave great research support and bibliographical help. My teaching assistant Sungmin Min Chun did an outstanding job in offering all kinds of help, especially in his thorough and careful proofreading of the final drafts and his preparation of the Scripture index. He operated well above and beyond the call of duty throughout, and I am deeply grateful to him and to Rick Reed, who offered valuable help with the subject index.
Above all I want to thank my family, with whom I have learned, often painfully, what it means to be a Christian and a human being at the same time. If Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs are about anything, as Christian Scripture, they are about this, and my ability to write coherently about these books (if I have succeeded in doing so) arises in the first instance from my pilgrimage with this small band of travelers. The commentary is therefore dedicated to them, with deep love and affection.
Iain Provan
December 1999