Bible Reading: Numbers 5; Psalm 39; Song of Solomon 3; Hebrews 3
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. 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. (Song of Solomon 3:4-5)
Here is the search the Shulamite goes on to find her beloved. He had invited her to come with him earlier and she had refused. Now she knows that he is the one she loves and she cannot find him. A desperate search through the city finally brings her to her beloved. This just prior to their wedding day and when she held him, she would not let him go.
You can hear the desperation in the Shulamite while she cannot find Solomon. This is a woman in courtship who says yes to the marriage proposal of her beau. She has made up her mind. She is not putting him off any more. She brings him to her mother's house, even to the very house where she was conceived. There is never a mention of the Shulamite's father in the Song, so he must have passed away. In her culture, a formal proposal of marriage would have been made by the groom to her father. Since no father is mentioned, Solomon would have had to make his proposal to her brothers.
Can you hear the expectation she has to be with her husband? Once again she charges the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up her love till he pleases. In other words she is ready to give herself completely to him, but she wants to wait until they are married. She even mentions the fact that while they are in her home it is the place where she was conceived. She is ready for marriage and she is ready to be with her husband all the time.
The rest of Chapter 3 is about the royal wedding. It was a big occasion with lots of attendants. What a special day for this Shulamite country girl who is marrying the king!
This portion of the Song of Solomon helps us realize that love and romance are real and good. However, they are designed by God for the covenant of marriage. The Bible tells us:
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
Those who do not know God live lustful lives. Those who do know how to possess their vessel (body) in sanctification and honor. Men honor women by waiting until they are joined in marriage to let loose their passionate love.
In Christ,
Rody
