Song of Solomon 3 Devotional

Love Brought Into the Open

“Come out, O daughters of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon, wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding—the day of his heart’s rejoicing.”Song of Solomon 3:11 (BSB)

Song 3 moves from a lonely night to a public celebration. At night the woman seeks the one she loves and does not find him, so she gets up and searches the streets and squares of the city (3:1-2). Just after passing the watchmen, she finds him and holds him fast (3:3-4). Then the charge to wait for love's proper time is repeated (3:5).

The scene shifts to a grand procession. Solomon's carriage comes up from the wilderness, guarded by sixty warriors (3:6-8). The daughters of Zion are called out to see the king wearing the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day, a day of great joy for him (3:11). Private longing finds its home in a public covenant, celebrated by a whole community. Weddings matter to God. When the wine ran out at a wedding in Cana, Jesus performed the first of his signs there, turning water into wine (John 2:1-11). Marriage is meant to be honored openly and rejoiced over together, not treated lightly.

To think about: How can you honor and celebrate marriage, your own or others', in a way that reflects how much God values it?