[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!
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