Song of Solomon 3:9-10 Why We Love Weddings, Part 3

[9] King Solomon made himself a carriage
from the wood of Lebanon.
[10] He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
(Song of Solomon 3:9-10 ESV)


Today we delve further into the wedding of Solomon and his bride, this time examining their love carriage, and all that it means.  There's a surprising amount of stuff we can learn from this, which actually shouldn't be all that surprising, because if Scripture spends time telling us about something, it's a good bet that it's saying something worthwhile.  Let's dive in!

Song of Solomon 3:6-8 Why We Love Weddings, Part Two

[6] What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
[7] Behold, it is the litter of Solomon! Around it are sixty mighty men, some of the mighty men of Israel, 
[8] all of them wearing swords and expert in war, each with his sword at his thigh, against terror by night. 


Today we get to keep studying and learning from the wedding day of Solomon and his bride!  Given that this ceremony occurred 3,000 years ago and we're still learning from it today, this just might be the most famous wedding throughout all of human history.  So let's keep reading!

"Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!"  In this great wedding procession, Solomon isn't walking -- he's being carried on a huge portable sedan chair.  This is the kind of thing that would be carried on the shoulders of strong men, lifting Solomon up so that everyone could see him.  He would be reclining on something resembling a huge couch, probably with a nice canopy providing some shade.  In his day, this was the height of luxury.   And yet, the most beautiful part of this luxurious portable couch is that Solomon didn't build it for himself.  He built it for a special reason, for a very special woman -- but we'll get to that later!

"Around it are sixty mighty men, some of the mighty men of Israel,"  Basically, Solomon has sixty groomsmen, and they're all highly skilled warriors, famous in the land for their skill and strength.  Apparently these guys were seriously impressive, because a short description isn't enough; the text keeps talking about them!

"all of them wearing swords and expert in war, each with his sword at his thigh, against terror by night."  As these guys are marching beside Solomon, they are decked out for war, wearing their swords proudly.  This means that they're also acting as Secret Service agents as well as groomsmen; if anyone attacked Solomon, they were ready to defend him.  They didn't just carry swords for show; they knew how to use them, and they were famous for their skill with them.  

So why does the text put so much emphasis on these guys?  I mean, don't get me wrong, stories with great warriors are wonderful and all, but why emphasize these warriors so much at a wedding?

There are several reasons.  The first is something we mentioned briefly with verse 6: having a large number of groomsmen highly esteems the groom.  A groom who stands alone, who can find no one willing to stand with him, has little honor.  Conversely, a groom who is surrounded by sixty men is lavished with great honor.

Further, these are not sixty random men, but sixty highly skilled warriors, famous throughout the land.  Skilled warriors were the rock stars of their day; in a time when foreign armies could attack at any moment, you tend to highly value your skilled swordsmen.  Solomon's father David had recently finished decades of near-constant warfare, defending Israel against her attackers on every side.  These sixty warriors have likely had years upon years of military service, having fought and won countless battles.  The very reason the civilians are free to enjoy this glorious wedding day is because these warriors are willing to boldly risk their lives to protect the land at any moment.  Not only that, but whenever these guys fight, they win; David experienced very few defeats in his lifetime, nearly always triumphing in battle, even if the enemy outnumbered him (he had a very unfair advantage, what with the God of the universe protecting him and all that).  

In short, the more this passage honors and esteems the warriors, the more it honors and esteems Solomon, because these sixty men are here to support him, to honor him, to protect and defend him as their king.  

This is partly why wedding programs will contain a few paragraphs giving a short bio for the various groomsmen and bridesmaids.  The couple wants you to know the quality of the people who are standing up with them.  The more their friends are esteemed, the more the couple themselves are esteemed.  

Any couple can generate a bit of honor and esteem by having lavish wedding decorations, or by renting out a beautiful place for the ceremony, or by serving delicious food.  But true honor for the couple comes from their friends, from those who are willing to stand up with them and declare by their presence how worthy of honor and esteem these people are.   If a couple can't find anyone to stand with them (or if those who stand with them barely know them), the guests can tell something is off.  There is little honor in being esteemed by no one, or in being esteemed by strangers, by people who don't really know you.  No matter how lavish the decorations, the honor just isn't there.  Conversely, if a couple is blessed by a large number of good friends who are eager to stand with them, then that couple has great honor and esteem even if the decorations are lacking.  

So single people: spend your time cultivating rich friendships.  I've heard it said that college isn't the time for you to find your spouse, but rather your groomsmen or bridesmaids.  Take the time to cultivate these friendships, so that when momentous days come, whether they're good days or bad days, you won't be standing alone.

Further, when you're in the high school/college/early 20's stage of life, it's most often the case that your friends will last longer than your girl/boyfriend.  Remember that the purpose of dating is to figure out if someone is the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with.  A lot of times, either you or your partner will come to the conclusion that the match isn't meant to last.  When those relationships dissolve, it's your long-term friends that you run to for comfort, as long as you haven't alienated them while you were dating.  

Most people go through several break-ups before they find "the one."  When you're dating, don't assume that you're going to marry this person unless rings are involved.  The future is uncertain until you promise yourselves to each other (and sometimes, not even then).  Given this, don't give up your solid friendships for an uncertain dating relationship.  Don't neglect your friends for your romantic partner.  It's fine to skip a few things to be with your main squeeze, but if your friends start feeling like you've disappeared, you've probably gone too far.  

If you're already married, then you probably already know that you need some solid friendships in addition to your marriage.  As wonderful as marriage is, it's not meant to replace all other relationships.  Since you liked already know this well, I won't belabor the point.

But I will say one thing to married people: don't forget about your single friends!  Speaking as someone who's 27 and single, it can sometimes be the case that people disappear into their marriages, as least as far as their single friends are concerned.  So if I might speak on behalf of single people for a moment and address all of our married friends: we still love you guys, and we'd like to see you more often than just the weekends when your spouse is out of town!  

But I digress.  Anyway, that's all for now.  Tune in next Monday for verses 9-11!

Song of Solomon 3:6: Why We Love Weddings, Part 1

[Solomon Arrives for the Wedding]
[6] What is that coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
[7] Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
[8] all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh,
against terror by night.


(Song of Solomon 3:6-8 ESV)


Today we arrive at the wedding of Solomon and his bride!  It's somewhat strangely placed in the book, for us as Americans; we're used to seeing the wedding before the couple lives out their married life.  Yet here, in Song of Solomon, the wedding is placed in the very center of the book, in order to emphasize its importance.  


We'll study the wedding in a few parts, for two reasons.  First, because shorter blog posts are a little easier to digest.  Second, because I'm still crazy busy and don't have time to write huge posts twice a week!

"What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke"  This is a huge wedding party.  Instead of the wedding party standing at the front of a church, here they march out into the wilderness, to the home of the woman, to pick her up and bring her to the palace.  The party is so large that you can see the cloud of their dust trail from a long distance away.  It's almost like an army marching.  

This is one of the great reasons why we have wedding parties.  The more groomsmen and bridesmaids we have, the more it signifies the worth and dignity of the bride and groom.  If the groom is surrounded by mighty men with great reputations, it shows his own quality and character, that he makes good friends and is approved by many.  Similarly, if the bride is surrounded by beautiful women, it goes to show how beautiful she is, that they would support her, love her, and be honored to stand with her on this tremendously important day.

This is a very public event, and rightly so!  Weddings should be public events, celebrated by many.  

The text itself reflects this.  The speaker for these verses isn't clearly identified, but it is clear that this speaker is observing this great event publically, with others.  Instead of simply describing the situation, the speaker is addressing others nearby: "What is that coming up from the wilderness?... Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!"  We don't use the word "behold" terribly much anymore, but it could also be phrased "Check this out!  It's Solomon's carriage!"  Everyone is watching this, and the speaker here is calling even more attention to it.  This speaker could be Solomon's bride, as she is delightedly watching her husband-to-be arriving for their wedding.  Even if the speaker is someone else, it still emphasizes the excitement of this day.  Any bride would be filled with excitement to see her beloved approaching in grandeur and glory, ready for their day of marriage!

So when I examine this text, I want to ask myself why this is appealing, what it is about Solomon being presented for his wedding that makes hearts melt.  The speaker in this passage may still be the bride, but even if it's not, this passage still appeals to women's hearts; look at verse 11, where all the girls in Jerusalem are asked to go look on him!  Either way, this passage crystalizes something of what makes a man attractive to a woman, especially on the day of their wedding.  That's what I want to find out.

Part of this answer is suggested by what we've already talked about.  The fact that weddings are usually public heightens the romance of this grand endeavor.  When you are willing and eager to proclaim before hundreds of people that you have chosen this one person to be your spouse for the rest of your life, that you are pledging yourself exclusively to them and they to you, it highly esteems you both.  The fact that you boldly declare this to so many shows that you are confident: there will be no one else for you, and you are not ashamed to let the whole world know that you will joyfully limit yourself to only this person for the rest of your life.  In essence, you are declaring that being with this one person is worth more to you, and is far more precious to you, than leaving yourself available for all the other people in the world.  

Solomon's bride isn't delighted solely because Solomon is arriving in style in a grand parade.  She's excited because he's arriving for her, and only for her.  Solomon is proudly declaring before the entire nation that this woman, and this woman alone, has captivated his heart, and will become his bride.  The grandeur and extravagance of his retinue heighten the esteem and honor that she feels, but they are merely icing on the cake.  The true delight for her, and for any person on their wedding day, is that you are loved by the person you love the most, and you are not ashamed to let the whole world know it!

"perfumed with myrrh and frankincense"  At one level, I don't want to make too much of myrrh and frankincense being mentioned here; they are common spices in the Ancient Near East, so it isn't surprising that Solomon is fragrant with them.

Yet it is interesting to notice one of the other times these spices are mentioned in Scripture: as gifts to Jesus on His birth.  I wouldn't take this to the level of being a prophecy, but it is a beautiful parallel to explore.  Solomon, the groom, is fragrant annointed with myrrh and incense as he approaches his bride.  Jesus, the Groom, is fragrantly annointed with myrrh and incense as He comes to Earth, ready to do the work necessary to claim His Bride, the Church.  

"with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?"  Solomon has spared no expense to smell nice on this day of days.  Again, we can see how important smell is to romance, but the bigger idea here is that Solomon is tremendously excited about this day, and he is showing in every arena of life how important this day is to him.  This is incredibly esteeming and honoring to his bride, as she is the treasure he is so excited to receive.  The more care that Solomon puts into preparing for this day, the more she feels esteemed and exalted as the treasure who is worthy of this great effort!

So if you are dating or engaged, look forward to the day of your wedding.  Look forward to these messages being declared about you, and by you.  Know that even with the splendor and glory of your wedding, it is still a pale shadow compared to the grandeur of the love that Jesus has for you!

And if you are single, then seek to become these people!  If you are single, don't focus solely on finding a spouse.  Focus also on being a full-fledged member of your community.  Seek to stock your wedding day with hundreds of people who know you and care about you, because you know them and care about them.  If you are a member of a church, strive to be truly involved in that church.  If you're not a member of a church, find a church and make it your home.  Wherever you gather with others -- close family, distant relatives, parties, sports games, movies, beaches, wherever -- become a true member of your communities.  There is a wealth of good these people can share with you, and a wealth of good you can share with them.  And on the day of your wedding, on the day of your happiness, they can come around you and celebrate joyfully with you, which will only heighten the joy and the grandeur of that day!

And that's all for today!  We'll pick up with verses 7-8 on Thursday.  See you then!

Podcast time! Check out my sermon on Song of Solomon!

Greetings, all!


So as you may have noticed, my blog posts have been lagging behind schedule a bit.  Part of the reason is due to a very busy few weeks I just went through, which included a bit of preaching I had the joy of giving at Jacob's Well.  Since JW records and podcasts all their sermons, that means that you wonderful readers can listen to my sermon, which was focused on Song of Solomon.  In it, I began by talking about the love Solomon shared with his bride, how they enjoyed each other in marriage, and how they structured their dating lives to arrive at the bliss they shared in marriage.  As amazing as it is, it is still only a glimpse of the profound love that God has for us!  This sermon has a lot of practical application for romance, as well as a lot of theologizing about the meaning behind romance, marriage, and sex, and why God designed them as He did.




So if you'd like to give the message a listen, click on over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jacobs-well-on-campus-podcast/id389042008#  It will be the only sermon on the list from Song of Solomon.  While you're there, feel free to check out any of the other sermons!  Nate Ray and Bob Smith, the pastors of Jacob's Well, are excellent preachers.




(If for some reason my link doesn't work, head on over to www.jacobswelloncampus.com and click on the podcast section at the bottom of the page).