THE WEDDING DAY

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SONG OF SOLOMON 1:1-2:7
Lesson #02
THE WEDDING DAY

• Memory Verse: Song 2:2.
• A Reminder of the three themes for our study:
  • =1= The marital, sexual relationship between a man and a woman.
  • =2= The relationship between God and Israel where God says He married Israel to make her His wife.
  • =3= The intimate relationship between Christ and His church, the bride of Christ.
• The Narrative:
• The story of Shulamith and Solomon in the book of Song of Solomon begins with the bride, a Shulamite woman, on her wedding day.
• Song 1:1-8 Preparation: In the Palace
• Shulamith: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.” (2-3)
  • She describes her relationship with King Solomon.
    • She already has a personal love-relationship with the king. (2) Notice that this is not an arranged marriage as has been common in all cultures through history. It is a love relationship that is joyfully celebrated.
      • Symbolism of wine:
      • Wine = all joyful celebrations in Jewish culture were referred to as “wine celebrations”.
    • She is being prepared for the wedding through special anointing. (3)
    • She realizes she has been especially chosen to be the wife of the king. (3)
  • She introduces us to the women who are with her (called virgins).
    • The virgins also love the king and were chosen for their positions.
    • These women make up the choral group called the “daughters of Jerusalem”.
  • These women are the ones preparing her for her wedding day.
• Shulamith: “Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers”: (4a)
• Chorus: “We will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.” (4b)
  • Shulamith explains to these women more about her love for the king. (4a)
  • They respond with understanding for they love the king also. (4b)
    • She has been chosen to follow the king. (4)
    • The love she has for the king and his love for her are a pure, righteous love that all will remember. (4)
• Shulamith: “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.” (5-6)
  • She is amazed by his love because, even though she is a beautiful woman physically, her skin is darkened by the sun.
  • She had to work hard in the vineyard of the king even though her family may have had their own vineyard.
    • Her brothers made her work in the vineyard.
    • She refers to her “mother’s children” indicating that her father had died when she was a child.
  • Solomon had a vineyard near the town of Shunem. This was probably her hometown and the reason why she is called a Shulamite. The name Shulamith is the feminine form of the name Solomon.
  • She grew up as a country girl accustomed to hard work.
  • She did nothing to prevent her exposure to the sun.
    • She likens her body to a vineyard when she says she did not protect it from the sun.
    • In other words, her beauty was a natural beauty.
  • Symbolism: black like the tents of Kedar or black like the curtains in the palace.
    • The tents were made from black goat’s skin that had a silky texture to repel the rain. The reference is to her country lifestyle.
    • The curtains were made from very expensive black goat’s hair that had an iridescent appearance in the moonlight. The reference is to his kingly lifestyle.
• Shulamith:“Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” (7)
  • When she first met Solomon in his vineyard, she mistook him for a shepherd probably because he was travelling in disguise. (7)
  • In reality the kings of Israel were considered the shepherds of the nation.
• Chorus: “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents” (8)
  • The women give advice to Shulamith.
    • She was interested in him from the beginning as a shepherd.
    • The women tell her to accommodate herself to his professional lifestyle.
      • She thought he was just a lowly shepherd.
      • Instead he is the shepherd of the nation. He is a man busy with the affairs of state.
  • She needs to get to know him better as to his lifestyle because his is very different from hers.
• Song 1:9-14 Anticipation of the banquet table
• Solomon: “I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.” (9)
  • Shulamith imagines what it will be like to sit with Solomon at the banquet of the wedding feast.
  • Solomon compares Shulamith to all the others. (9)
    • He says she is like the best horse in the stables of Egypt’s Pharaoh.
      • At that time, the best horses came from Egypt and the Pharaoh had a stable full of the best horses in the world. Solomon, too, had a large stable of horses from Egypt.
      • Solomon loved horses and built a very large stable on the temple mount.
    • Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. (1Kin 10:26)
• Solomon: “Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.”(10)
• “We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” (11)
  • Shulamith is richly dressed on this day of her wedding.
  • She imagines that he will comment on her appearance. (10-11)
    • Gold = symbolically in the Bible gold represents the extreme wealth of royalty. She becomes queen.
    • Silver = symbolically in the Bible silver represents redemption. Silver was used to purchase the redemption of the firstborn. (2Chr 21:3) Thirty pieces of silver were used to betray Jesus who purchased our redemption for us.
  • Solomon promises her even more beautiful jewelry after they are married.
• Shulamith: “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” (12)
• “A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.” (13)
• “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” (14)
  • The women used spikenard, myrrh, and camphire to anoint her in preparation her for her wedding day.
  • The custom was to rub the body with aromatic oils after a bath in preparation for a festive occasion.
    • Also, small cones of perfumed oils were placed on the forehead. As the body heat melted the oils, they ran down the face onto the clothing. (Psa 133:2).
    • These purified oils were very expensive. These elements have a distinctive smell that will catch Solomon’s attention. (12-14)
      • Spikenard = Nard is a very expensive perfume that only the wealthy or royalty could afford.
      • Myrrh = It was common for a woman to wear a pouch of myrrh around her neck at night. Then the smell would linger the next day. The symbolism of myrrh = the wisemen brought this gift to baby Jesus which was the gift for a savior as myrrh was also used to perfume a dead body.
      • Camphire = These are yellow-white henna blossoms used as decoration and called the flowers of paradise. Solomon planted vine gardens in En-gedi west of the Dead Sea. It was an oasis in the desert.
• Song 1:15-2:7 Anticipation of the bridal chamber
  • Shulamith imagines what it will be like to lie with Solomon for the first time.
  • She imagines the dialogue.
• Solomon: “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.” (15)
  Solomon speaks to Shulamith of his love for her. (15)
  • He says she is fair even though her skin is darkened by the sun.
  • She has eyes like a dove.
    • The symbolism of a dove speaks of peace and innocence.
    • The symbol of a dove in the Bible is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. (Mat 3:16)
• Shulamith: “Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.” (16)
• “The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” (17)
  • She speaks to Solomon of her love for him. (16)
    • She calls him “My beloved”.
    • She says that the bed is green.
      • Green in the Bible is the symbol of new beginning.
      • The wedding is in the Spring when plants start to bloom.
      • She and Solomon are just beginning their life together with the consummation of their marriage.
  • Their new life together begins in the beautiful palace, in a room built for the wedding night. (17)
    • The palace and the temple constructed by King Solomon were made from the famous cedars of Lebanon. (17) Remember that she came from the place where these famous trees grew.
    • It was customary for a wealthy man to build a special bridal chamber for his bride.
• Shulamith: “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” (2:1)
• Solomon: “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” (2:2)
• Shulamith: “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” (2:3)
• “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” (2:4)
• “ Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.” (2:5)
• “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.” (2:6)
  • With such a strong foundation in their life together, his love for her makes her see herself in a new way, through his eyes.
  • He does not focus on her as “black”.
    • She is the rose of Sharon. (2:1) This is a flesh colored meadow flower.
    • She is the lily of the valley. (2:1)
      • In Israel this is a red wildflower that blooms in the countryside.
      • She is the lily among thorns. In other words, while all the daughters of Jerusalem love the king, her love is the purest and best. In comparison, love by the virgins of the court is like thorns. (2:2)
    • Shulamith’s love for Solomon. (2:3)
      • Her love for him is like the apple tree.
      • The symbolism of the apple tree =
        • The apple tree is known for its fruit and the protection of its shade.
        • The apple was a symbol of sexual passion and fulfillment.
    • The banqueting table is an example of his provision for her during their marriage. (4)
      • His love for her is like a banner of possession over her. (4)
        • The banner is his protection over her that she belongs to him, and he has the responsibility to protect her and care for her.
        • The banner is his provision over her that because she belongs to him, he will provide for her needs.
        • Raisins (flagons) and apples are his provision. (5) These are symbols of joyful, erotic love.
      • His left hand under her head and his right hand of embrace. (6) This is the physical expression of physical love.
• Shulamith: ^“ I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” (7)
  • She warns the other women not to awaken sexual desire outside of marriage. The animals in the field indulge in sex at any time and with any other animal of the same species and of the opposite gender. But humans are not to be like the animals.
  • This warning is repeated three times in this book: Don’t awaken love before it is time. (2:7; 3:5; 8:4)
• Theme #1: Marital Relationship
  • Shulamith anticipates Solomon’s sexual demonstration of his love on their wedding night.
    • God created sex to be used, enjoyed, and demonstrated within the bounds of marriage.
    • Sex in marriage is beautiful, but outside of marriage it is dirty, degrading, and shameful.
    • The Hebrew word for love here is sexual love (dodem). When she says she is sick of love, it is the height of sexual passion.
      • She looks forward to his kisses. (2)
      • Solomon’s love gives her more pleasure than any joyous celebration.
      • He is the most eligible bachelor of all. (3)
    • She is described as having eyes like doves. It means you can see her sexual innocence in her eyes.
  • The love relationship is initiated by the man, though she was interested in him from the beginning. (4)
    • The man is the initiator.
    • The woman is the responder.
  • The man and the woman become one flesh at the sexual consummation of the marriage. (Gen 2:24)
    • For this reason we see that the feminine form of Solomon’s name is her name.
    • For this reason the woman takes on the name of her husband when they are married.
  • When she first met Solomon she thought he was a shepherd. (7) Later she discovered he was the king.
    • A couple should get to know all they can about a person and lifestyle before marriage and before a sexual relationship occurs. In this way you can better evaluate the changes in lifestyle that will occur after marriage. Love always involves the cost of commitment and compromise.
    • To know a person sexually first, places the focus and the importance of the relationship on the body, when it should first be placed on knowing the soul and spirit of a person.
    • A wife must accommodate herself to her husband’s professional lifestyle. (8) In today’s world where both husband and wife have separate jobs, a couple needs to accommodate themselves to the professions of both so that they work out before marriage what will be their time together.
  • Solomon calls her “my love” (9).
    • The Hebrew word (vaghah) has two meanings:
    • [1] to guard and care for
    • [2] to take delight in having a sexual relationship with. (Sex is to be enjoyed by both the husband and the wife).
      • Love and protection go together. A woman needs the security of protection.
      • The more secure she feels, the more freely she will give her love.
  • Solomon promises her more jewelry. A husband should give his wife gifts periodically and not just on special occasions. Small, inexpensive gifts keep romance alive in a relationship.
    • Use objects that appeal to the five senses as we see here in this book.
    • A wife should praise her husband for the little romantic acts he does. (2:3)
  • Under the security of his commitment of love and protection, she tells him what pleases her sexually in regards to kissing and touching. Sexual consummation occurs when they are both ready in marriage. (2:7-8)
• Theme #2: God and Israel: God’s banner over Israel is love.
  • Read Isa 54:5 and Eze 16:8-14
  • When did Israel become God’s wife?
    • When God gave Moses the covenant in Mt. Sinai, God married Israel.
    • A marriage begins with a legal marriage contract of personal commitment.
  • God considered Israel’s kings as shepherds of His people. For this reason Shulamith thought Solomon was a shepherd when she first saw him.
  • Read Eze 34:12-15
• Theme #3: Christ and the Church
  • The book of Ecclesiastes precedes the book of Song of Solomon.
    • Ecclesiastes speaks of the emptiness of worldly life.
    • Song of Solomon begins with the aspect that she already knows the king. In other words, she is already a believer in Jesus Christ, the King, and already has a personal relationship with him. Spiritually speaking she is already a believer in Jesus Christ.
  • She is black but lovely. (5)
    • In Jesus Christ the believer knows he is a sinner, but Christ looks on what is our potential.
    • However, because of Christ’s forgiveness of sin purchased on the cross, the believer is now lovely with the righteousness of Christ. Christ looks on the inner beauty covered with the blood of Christ.
    • Shulamith could not believe that Solomon could love her with dark skin. In the same way, it is difficult to understand how a Holy God could love any sinful human being.
      • God’s love is the free gift that makes the difference between our reality and the way God sees us. The believer’s identity is found in Christ.
      • Read Joh 3:16
  • She thought Solomon was a shepherd. (7)
    • King Solomon is a prefigure of Jesus Christ.
      • Jesus Christ is called the Shepherd King as was David who started out as a shepherd and later became a king.
      • Joh 10 demonstrates Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
    • Just as Shulamith had to count the cost of commitment to Solomon, the believer must count the cost of commitment to Christ. (Luk 14:28-30)
  • Just as Solomon initiated the love relationship with Shulamith, Christ initiates the love relationship with believers through the work of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 3:11)
    • He desires us more than we desire Him.
    • Usually believers seek Christ when they have needs instead of desiring to express to Him their love.
  • The elements of oil and wine are symbols of the Holy Spirit and Communion. These represent the gift of the Holy Spirit that Christ gives to believers in Christ. (3) Christ was anointed and so are his believers.
  • Christ has also given us His name that is above all names. (3)
  • Christ promises us spiritual riches. We inherit the wealth of God through Christ. (10) (Eph 1:11) But the believer’s satisfaction does not reach the maximum level until commitment to love and obedience occur.
  • The believer in Christ celebrates a love relationship when Christ returns for us, his bride, at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). (12)
  • While the believer is a sinner with a black heart, through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, the believer is now covered by the red blood of Jesus Christ in the same way as the red lily of the valley covered the hillsides of Israel. (2:1)
  • In the same way that Solomon built a house for Shulamith, Christ said that He goes to prepare a place for us, His bride. (Joh 14:2)
  • The believer now belongs to Christ and He belongs to the believer as one in unity and love. (2:4)

Homework
Song of Solomon 2:8-3:5

• Application of Song 1:1-2:7
  • What from chapter 1 best relates to your personal life?
  • What new concepts have you learned about Christ? How does that change your prayer life?
• Preparation for Song 2:8-3:5 Read the passages:
  • Song 2:8-11 A Visit in Spring
    • How does verse 10 relate to the Christian life?
  • Song 2:12-14
    • How does verse 13 relate to Israel?
  • Song 2:15-17 The little Foxes
    • What do the little foxes represent that spoil a relationship?
  • Song 3:1-5 A dream on counting the cost
    • What are the costs that one must pay to be a disciple of Christ?
• Memory Verse: Song 2:16