The Wedding Day Is Here! (The Song of Solomon 3:6–5:1)

Gold glints in the sun, incense rises like a banner, and a bride walks toward a love that has learned to speak with care. We step into Solomon’s wedding day to watch more than ceremony; we watch character revealed. From the royal litter to the careful poetry of praise, every detail shows what honor looks like when desire is guided by dignity.

We unpack the metaphors—hair like a flock of goats, teeth like shorn ewes, a neck like the Tower of David—and translate them into modern insight: attentive praise, wholeness, and noble strength. The turning point arrives with “a garden locked,” a phrase that restores the moral beauty of guarded desire and the joy of covenant intimacy. When the gate opens, the Song’s garden imagery protects privacy while celebrating delight, modeling a way to talk about sex that is sacred, modest, and deeply affirming.

The story widens into theology as we connect the wedding night to the gospel. Ephesians 5 reframes romance as self-giving love, calling us to a cross-shaped pattern where affection and sacrifice grow together. We explore how real couples can build that kind of home: rhythms of prayer, honest confession, forgiveness that disarms pride, and habits that keep trust strong. “Unless the Lord builds the house” is more than a motto; it’s a method for love that lasts.

If you’re longing for a marriage that blends joy with depth, this conversation offers a roadmap: honor before intimacy, covenant before celebration, and grace at the center. Listen, share with someone who needs hope for their relationship, and leave a review to help others find these timeless truths.

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Transcript

Wedding Day In Song Of Solomon

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On our last wisdom journey in the Song of Solomon, we were introduced to a rather love-struck couple, Solomon and his soon-to-be bride. Solomon's love song has allowed us to listen in on their courtship. Now, as we begin our study today, we're in chapter 3 and verse 6. It happens to be their wedding day. And unlike many weddings, it seems to be stress-free, trouble-free. There's no mention of any bridezilla moment. There's no mention of a jealous bridemaid or maybe a late groomsman or even the bride's dad over there in the corner trying to figure out how he's going to pay for everything. Well, what strikes our attention first is the arrival of the groom. Verse six says, What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant? Behold, it is the litter of Solomon. Well, the litter was that shoulder carried couch of King Solomon. Solomon is evidently spared no expense to show his bride how much this wedding means to him. His coach is described here in verse ten. He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple, its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem. Keep in mind this is the getaway car. So Solomon is going to escort his bride away in lavish style. This description reminds me of the carriages used by the royal family whenever they arrived at Buckingham Palace, lavish, gold covered. Now, chapter four opens

Solomon’s Lavish Arrival

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with a little speech Solomon has prepared for his bride. He says to her here in verse one, Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. I'm glad I didn't think of saying that to my bride on our wedding day. Your hair looks like a flock of goats. Well, in Solomon's day, this was a rather poetic compliment. Mount Gilead is a beautiful mountain range of eastern Israel around the Jabok River, and it provides beautiful pastures. And a flock of long haired goats in green pastures would have made any red blooded Hebrew man stop and just take in the sight. Well, to Solomon his bride's hair has made him stop and take in the sight. It just takes his breath away as she walks toward him. Well, he continues his little speech here in verse two.

Poetic Compliments Explained

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In other words, she's she's not missing any teeth. She's got a perfect smile. Evidently Solomon is not going to need much dental insurance. He continues now here in verse four. Your neck is like the Tower of David, built in rows of stone. On it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. Well, it sounds like she's either dressed up to play football or to go to war. But what Solomon is saying here, he sees his bride, she's wearing dazzling jewelry around her neck, and he describes it all in terms of power and dignity and honor. Now, up to this point, Solomon hasn't used the word bride at all. But beginning here in chapter 4 and verse 8, going all the way through chapter 5 and verse 1, he's going to use that term six times. And that signals now a change in their relationship. You see, now the courtship is over, the wedding ceremony is completed. One of the bridesmaids has probably edged her way to the front to catch that bouquet, but I can tell you this, Solomon's mind is now somewhere else. He describes his bride in verse 12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed. These are references to his bride's virginity. This is a wonderful wedding gift to any husband today, as is the husband's virginity to his wife. Well, here in this section, you'll notice that Solomon uses nearly a dozen different garden metaphors to describe the moment of consummation. He uses poetry and he uses it in order to write with discretion. This

Bride As Garden Locked

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here, beloved, is not off-color. This isn't vulgar in any way. This is certainly how God intended it to be. God created this. In fact, the book of Hebrews says marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. Hebrews 13, verse 4. Well, at this point, Solomon's wife makes it clear the garden gate is now unlocked, so to speak. And she says here in verse 16, Let my beloved come to his garden. In other words, she is entirely his and he is entirely hers. This is what the Lord meant in Genesis chapter two and verse twenty four when he said of a husband and wife, they shall become one flesh. This is what he had in mind. Now as we were arrive here in chapter five and verse one, Solomon uses past tense verbs, in fact four of them. He says here, I came to my garden, I gathered, I ate, I drank. So these verbs not only communicate sexual union, but also contentment, closeness, commitment. Well now with that, the marriage is consummated, and we read here at the end of verse 1 that their friends start singing, eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love. Now in the ancient Hebrew culture, it was customary for the wedding party to stick around celebrating until the marriage had been consummated. That would be rather awkward for us today, but it was the custom back in that day to signify that all uh was well. Well, let's leave the marriage bedroom uh and and let's take some time to step into God's throne room. The Holy Spirit led Solomon to write a celebration of the marriage

Consummation And Celebration

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bed, but there's a broader illustration here of God's love for us. In fact, you can't find a better picture of the love a bridegroom should have for his bride than what we find in the love of Jesus Christ for his bride, the church. Paul writes in Ephesians 5 25, Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. He adds in verse 32, This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it, that is marriage, refers to Christ and the church. And let me tell you, beloved, this kind of self-sacrificing love is humanly impossible. That's why Solomon wrote a psalm that's been recorded for us over in Psalm 127, where he puts it rather plainly in verse one unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Let me tell you, the most important thing you could ever do for your marriage is love the Lord. Love the Lord, and the Lord will enable you to love your spouse and then build your home on the strength of your Lord and Savior. The Lord Jesus is the one who makes possible both that vertical love for God and that horizontal love for your spouse. So let me sum

Marriage As Christ And The Church

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this up with two statements. First, Jesus makes true love possible. That's because he shows us how to love. Just read uh his life, read about his life and the gospels, how he demonstrated humility and sacrificial love. You won't find that kind of example anywhere on television or social media or at work or at school. This is unique love. This is the unique love modeled by the Lord for us when he died for us. Secondly, Jesus not only makes true love possible, he also makes true love permanent. The Apostle John wrote it this way, beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God because God is love, 1 John 4, 7 and 8. His love is permanent. The very nature of the Lord is love, and when you love your spouse like the Lord loves you, you have every hope in the world that your marriage will last a lifetime. Now it might not, because it does take two people committed to the same Lord and the same kind of love, but you're making sure you're doing your part. Now, if you're demonstrating sacrificial love in your courtship, your engagement, your wedding ceremony, and your home, you're actually building a path toward the Lord or a path that includes the Lord rather than away from the Lord. And that will make all the difference in the world. Well, until our next wisdom journey together, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.