MESSAGE TEXT
Song of Solomon 3:6-11
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INTRODUCTION
These verses capture something of the excitement felt by the bride and groom and their families and friends. These verses describe a royal wedding procession – the bridal procession of a king’s bride.
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As the people of Jerusalem look towards the wilderness, they see a procession and inquire as to the identity of the one coming. You can see the dust being kicked up by so many feet - like columns of smoke ascending from the burning of expensive incense: myrrh and frankincense (3:6).
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Solomon has sent a bridal procession to bring back from the foothills of the Lebanon mountains in the north, to the palace in Jerusalem in the south and everyone in the city seems to know that the day of her arrival and of the wedding has come.
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The carriage belongs to Solomon, but he is not the occupant. The author writes this as if someone in the crowd is watching the approaching wedding procession and talking out loud as this scene unfolds. He describes things in the order that he sees them: smoke, followed by the royal carriage, the bodyguards (military attendants in full regalia), the carriage interior, and all the people. At this point, Solomon goes to greet his bride.
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DOMINANT IMAGE
There are some key THINGS that will make your wedding day great and your marriage even better! When we do these things – the relationship, the wedding, the marriage – all becomes a “Fragrance That Lingers”.
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perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant… (v.6)
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olfactory impact—smoke, perfume, incense, lingering scent. Fragrance lingers: the carriage will move on, the crowd will disperse, the moment will end. But the fragrance can remain. “What kind of fragrance will this marriage leave behind?” The six movements of the song become INGREDIENTS in the fragrance. These are the elements that determine the aroma your life and marriage will give off.
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MAIN POINTS
Marry the Right Person (the most important decision you make in life besides receiving Christ) (v.6)
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Build a Protective Community Around Your Marriage (friends that will support and remind you of your vows) (v.7-8)
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Practice Intentional, Sacrificial Love (it’s her special day, so go all out) (v.9-10)
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Invite and Value Covenant Witnesses (they are sharing in one of the biggest moments of your life) (v.11a)
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Honor Family and In-Laws While Establishing a New Household (it starts at the rehearsal and wedding and extends into everyday life) (v.11b)
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Begin Marriage with God-Centered Guidance (someone who will facilitate discussion on all the important aspects of a good marriage) (v.11c)
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CONCLUSION
Song of Songs 3:6–11 is about a shepherd-king coming for his beautiful bride. He comes with his armies and he is wearing a crown fit for the occasion. It is a magnificent scene to be sure, but it pales in comparison to the wedding processional it anticipates, a wedding processional described in Revelation 19 when King Jesus, the Shepherd-King greater than David or Solomon, returns from Heaven to get his bride, his wife (Rev 19:7). He will not come up from the wilderness, with the memories of the fall and the deliverance of the exodus occupying our minds. No, He will descend from heaven riding a white horse. On His head will not be a simple crown, but many diadems because He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:12, 16). The armies of heaven will accompany this Bridegroom (Rev 19:14) and He will shepherd the nations “with an iron scepter” (Rev 19:15).
Song of Songs 3:6–11 stirs our hearts for another wedding day that will consummate all of human history! There we will celebrate the marriage of the Lamb that was slain to His bride whom He purchased with His own blood (Rev 5:9–10).