As Good as It Gets is both a homiletical and a devotional commentary on the Song of Songs. Not only is Clark’s work grounded in the best traditions of theology and exegesis, it is brimming with brilliant insights that only an experienced pastor and a luminous scholar could provide.

As Good as It Gets: Love, Life, and Relationships: Fifty Days in the Song of Songs by Stephen M. Clark (Wipf & Stock, Eugene Oregon 2011).

The Song of Songs (shir hashiirim), or Solomon’s Song of Songs, Stephen Clark warns, is strange territory within the Bible: “It is a land filled with new fragrances and delights that at once seem both strange and wondrous….” The strangeness of the Song, obviously, has perplexed ordinary readers and scholars alike. Since the 2nd century the rabbinic tradition understood the Song to narrate the discourse between God and Israel, especially during the time of Moses. Christian expositors, too, treated the work as an allegory.

It was clear to most Christians that the Song depicted the relationship between Christ (groom) and his church (bridegroom). This interpretative history is understandable given the descriptive and highly metaphorical language found in the Song, and its earthy, even titillating subject matter. Read conventionally as erotic love poetry the Song would seem to fall patently short of the stature requisite for canonical inclusion.

Dr. Clark takes the Song to be just that, Hebrew love poetry. His careful exposition and clear theological reasoning demonstrate why those who cherish the Scripture as the Word of God, too, would benefit immeasurably from reading the work as it presents itself—lyrical poetry that represents the speech of two young lovers, with occasional responses from other voices. The Song of Song is canonical, and it appears in the third collection (The Writings: Kethuvim) of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh). The Song is further grouped with four other small scrolls (Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes, and Esther) called the ḥamesh megillot. This literary arrangement tells us a great deal about how to approach the Song, and it is clear to this writer that Clark understands this as well. His approach is spot on.

In two appendixes Clark considers a couple of observations most careful readers have made about the Song. One, the name of God does not show up in the text, as is the case with the Book of Esther. The second has to do with the doctrine of redemption, a doctrine that is palpably absent from the text as well. Clark is a dab hand when it comes to theology, and his treatment of these matters is particularly deft.

Thus, given the nature and purpose of the Song, Clark demonstrates that it is entirely fitting that “God” and “Redemption” are implicit in the work rather than explicitly set forth. The reason is that undergirding As Good as It Gets is a robust doctrine of creation. Clark understands that the whole of creation, including our eating, our drinking, our work, and our lovemaking are included in God’s sovereign purpose and plan of redemption. Being created in the image of God, humans are especially blessed with the beauty of love through creation and through redemption. Love, then, is both a gift and a responsibility that points beyond itself to the Great Lover who loves supremely all that he has made.

As Good as It Gets is both a homiletical and a devotional commentary. This kind of statement would make some turn away immediately, supposing any production of this sort to be categorically of little value. This may very well be true in the main; ordinarily I would not argue the point. With respect to As Good as It Gets, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only is Clark’s work grounded in the best traditions of theology and exegesis, it is brimming with brilliant insights that only an experienced pastor and a luminous scholar could provide. As an example, I would point to his arrangement of the work, especially day fourteen. On this day the author discusses “Transformation: ‘I am a Rose of Sharon.’” He determines that the key to a loving relationship is not simply “communication,” as popular psychology might hold; rather, the key to a loving relationship between lovers is “affirmation.”

A characteristic of this work is that its author is more apt to draw from the springs of Holy Scripture than simply to take his cue from the spirit of the age, or from the latest therapeutic offering. There is great insight to be had concerning human nature and relationships, if one will turn to what the older generations used to call Bible anthropology, an anthropology which is set in the context of theology or, put another way, of the knowledge of God. In the words of John Calvin, “Yet, however the knowledge of God and of ourselves may be mutually connected, the order of right teaching requires that we discuss the former first, then proceed afterward to treat the later” (Institutes 1, i, 3). In this work Clark has advanced the theological enterprise, not in a novel way, but by bringing his profound learning to bear on the devotional genre.

Dr. Clark is a Minister of Word and Sacrament (he is Pastor of Old Cutler Presbyterian Church in Miami, Fla.), and in his capacity as an active pastor he has done his share of marriage counseling. I have a hunch at some point Dr. Clark realized, maybe it was his plan all along, that this work would especially be suited for couples who are planning to be married.

The work is comprised of fifty devotionals, supplied with ample supporting verses from other portions of the Bible. Each devotional, moreover, is concluded with a prayer. This last feature suggests to me the wonderful maxim that stems from the early church: Lex orandi est lex credendi et agendi (The rule of prayer is the rule of belief and of action).

This is also a homiletical commentary. There is no question that this work can serve as an invaluable tool for preachers and Sunday school teachers, especially if one is considering a series from the Song of Songs. I will go one step further and say that this work should be found in every parish minister’s library, either for himself, or to give to another. This work is a vade mecum (a handbook for immediate use when needed).
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John L. Vance, Ph.D., is Lecturer in Philosophy and Religion at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Dr. Vance is also Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rock Tavern, N.Y.