22005 Commentary on the Song of Songs – The Procession of Fetching the Bride, The Marriage Customs of the Israelites

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22005 Commentary on the Song of Songs
The Procession of Fetching the Bride
The Marriage Customs of the Israelites
The Song of Songs 3:6-11

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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

The Song of Songs 3:6-11

6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

8 They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Dear Church,

In the previous lesson, we finished the first part of the Song of Songs, which covers the period of love and betrothal between Solomon and Shulamite. In this lesson, we will move into the second part of the Song of Solomon, which describes the wedding ceremony, including the procession of fetching the bride and the wedding night. First, we will explore the meaning of Song of Solomon 3:6-11, which describes the procession of fetching the bride. On this occasion, we will also delve into the marriage customs of the Israelites during the time of Christ and their spiritual significance regarding the love between Christ and the Church.

Below is the verse breakdown according to the context of the Song of Songs 3:6-11.

I. The Engagement Stage (1:2-3:5)

A. Love for Each Other (1:2-2:7)

1. Shulamite’s Love for Solomon (1:2-8)

2. The Language of Love (1:9-2:7)

B. The Maturity of Love (2:8-3:5)

1. The Springtime of Love (2:8-17)

2. The Anxiety in Love (3:1-5)

II. The Wedding (3:6-5:1)

A. The Procession of Fetching the Bride (3:6-11)

(1) People: Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

(2) People: King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

(3) People: Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Next, let us explore the meaning of each verse:

(1) People: “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.”

The wedding day of Solomon and Shulamite has arrived. Before dawn, Solomon, along with his guards, left the palace in Jerusalem and traveled to the country estate to fetch Shulamite. By daylight, the wedding procession was already on its way back to the palace. The people of Jerusalem came out to the city gate to celebrate the wedding procession.

From a distance, in the wilderness, there seemed to be columns of smoke moving along the road leading into the city. The air was filled with the fragrant scent of myrrh and frankincense, along with other aromatic spices. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these were the columns of smoke from the procession returning. The smoke was rising from the incense burners carried by soldiers at the front of the procession. Next came Solomon’s sedan chair. In addition to the soldiers carrying the chair, there were 60 valiant warriors with swords, experienced in battle, surrounding the chair to protect Solomon. The wedding procession had left the palace before dawn. The warriors were armed with swords, ready to confront any dangers that might arise in the darkness. These dangers could be wild beasts, bandits, or anyone with the intent to harm the king.

The phrase: “threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel” implies that the 60 soldiers accompanying King Solomon were the most distinguished soldiers in the Israeli army.

The phrase: “They all hold swords, being expert in war” does not mean that the 60 valiant men are currently holding swords in their hands. The following verse indicates that they carried their swords at their sides. Rather, it means that they are elite warriors skilled in the use of swords and have achieved many military successes.

Verse (1) can be paraphrased as follows: The people of Jerusalem came out to witness the wedding procession and said to one another, “Look! Over there! From afar, in the wilderness, it seems there are columns of smoke moving along the road into the city. The air is filled with the fragrances of myrrh and frankincense, along with various other scents. It turns out that this is the smoke rising from the incense burners in King Solomon’s wedding procession. Look! There’s King Solomon’s sedan chair! There are sixty valiant men from among the valiant men of Israel surrounding it to protect the king. All of them are warriors armed with swords and skilled in battle. Each one carries a sword at his side, ready to face any unexpected dangers in the night.”

Spiritual Lesson: The day when Christ appears in the heavens to receive the Church and bring her into heaven will certainly be magnificent, even though we do not know the details at present. The Bible only tells us that on that day there will be the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God, signaling the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the transformation of those living in Christ. Then, the entire Church will be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ in the air.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Nearly two thousand years have passed since Christ promised that He would return to receive the Church into heaven (John 14:3). If to the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day (2 Peter 3:8), and nearly two thousand years have passed since the Israelites rejected Christ, handed Him over to the Roman soldiers, and crucified Him, then this period of “two days” represents the time of spiritual death for Israel. According to the prophecy of Hosea [1], God will revive them on the third day. Therefore, the day when Christ receives us into heaven is very near. Let us live wholeheartedly in holiness according to the Word of God, so that we are not left behind on that day.

(2) People: “King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.”

King Solomon’s sedan chair was likely designed and selected by him personally. The wood of the chair was probably sourced from the cedar trees growing in the mountains of Lebanon. The pillars of the chair were likely made of silver tubes. The backrest and the side supports were made of gold. The seat cushion was upholstered in purple silk. The curtains surrounding the chair were probably woven and embroidered by Solomon’s queens and concubines, who crafted them with affection for King Solomon. This is a depiction of King Solomon’s glory and power.

Verse (2) can be paraphrased as follows: The people of Jerusalem came out to witness the wedding procession and said to one another, “King Solomon’s sedan chair was designed by him and made from cedar wood from the mountains of Lebanon. The pillars of the chair were made of silver, while the backrest and side supports were made of gold. The seat cushion was upholstered in purple silk. Inside the chair, the decoration included the curtains woven and embroidered by the queens and concubines with affection for the king.”

Spiritual Lesson: The glory of Christ encompasses three aspects:

  • The eternal glory of divine nature. This is the inherent and everlasting glory of God the Word:

“And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” (John 17:5)

The Prophet Isaiah, in a vision, saw this glory and recorded it in Isaiah 6, referring to Him as the Self-Existing and Eternal One. The Apostle John quoted Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 6 and confirmed that:

“These things said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him.” (John 12:41)

The pronoun “Him” in John 12:41 refers to Christ, mentioned in John 12:30-37.

  • The glory given by God to His human nature in the work of human salvation:

“And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:” (John 17:22)

This is the glory given to a person who is bestowed with the title “God” and is called “God” by God Himself:

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11)

“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” (Hebrews 1:8-9)

  • The glory offered to Him by the saints through their lives of service to Him, motivated by their love for Him:

“And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.” (John 17:10)

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

The Church, as the bride of Christ, participates in glorifying Christ through a holy life, fulfilling the righteous works that God has prepared for each member of the Church. The saints outside the Church also contribute to glorifying Christ through their lives of service to Him motivated by their love for Him. An example is the saints in the End Times, who will use their suffering and their lives to honor Christ (Revelation 20:4).

(3) People: “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.”

Verse (3) can be paraphrased as follows: The people of Jerusalem came out to witness the wedding procession and said to one another, “The wedding procession is truly magnificent and majestic! O daughters of Zion, come out and see King Solomon on the day of his great joy! The king, majestic and seated on the luxurious sedan chair, wears the crown reserved for the wedding day, placed upon him by his mother.”

Spiritual Lesson: On the day when Christ comes to take the Church out of the world, He will appear in His resurrected body. We will behold His glory, which encompasses three aspects: the glory of Himself, which is the inherent and eternal glory of God in the person of the Word; the glory given by God to His human nature, which is the glory of God Himself; and the glory offered to Him by the saints.

A holy life, serving the Lord out of our love for Him, is the glory we offer to Christ. This is a life of loving God and loving others. Because we love God, we do not violate His commandments. Because we love others, we regard them as more esteemed than ourselves and are willing to help them attain the salvation and high status that God has ordained for them.

We have now completed our exploration of the meaning of the Song of Songs 3:6-11. We will summarize our interpretation of the Song of Songs 3:6-11 as follows:

Look! There! From afar, in the wilderness, it seems there are columns of smoke moving along the road into the city. The air is filled with the fragrances of myrrh and frankincense, along with various other scents. It turns out that this is the smoke rising from the incense burners in King Solomon’s wedding procession. Look! There! King Solomon’s sedan chair! There are sixty valiant men from among the valiant men of Israel surrounding it to protect the king. All of them are warriors skilled in battle, each carrying a sword at his side, ready to confront any unexpected dangers in the night.

King Solomon’s sedan chair was designed by him and made from cedar wood from the mountains of Lebanon. The pillars of the chair were made of silver, while the backrest and side supports were made of gold. The seat cushion was upholstered in purple silk. Inside the chair, the decoration included curtains woven and embroidered by the queens and concubines with affection for the king.

The wedding procession is truly magnificent and majestic! O daughters of Zion, come out and see King Solomon on the day of his great joy! The king, majestic and seated on the luxurious sedan chair, wears the crown reserved for the wedding day, placed upon him by his mother.

And here is the poem:

Behold! In the Wilderness

Columns of smoke rise on distant roads,
A fragrant mist of myrrh and incense forebodes
The return of Solomon’s grand procession,
A sight that stirs the heart’s elation.

Sixty valiant men, warriors bold,
Surround the king’s sedan, a sight to behold.
With swords at their sides, they stand alert,
Ready to face any danger or hurt.

Cedar from Lebanon forms the chair,
Silver pillars rise with regal flair.
Gold adorns the back and sides so bright,
Purple silk cushions, a royal delight.

Within, curtains woven with loving care,
By queens and concubines, beyond compare.
Embroidered with affection, a tender sight,
A testament to love’s enduring might.

O daughters of Zion, come and see
Your king in all his majesty!
Crowned by his mother on this joyous day,
Solomon returns in grand array.

Next, let us explore the wedding customs of the Israelites during the time of Christ and their spiritual significance concerning the love between Christ and the Church.

The wedding customs of the Israelites during the time of Christ involved several stages:

  • Stage of Choosing the Bride: The groom’s father arranges the marriage, selects the bride, and sets the dowry. This selection can occur when the groom and bride are still children, or it may happen about a year before the wedding. Often, the groom and bride do not meet until the betrothal or wedding day.

  • Stage of Betrothal: The groom goes from his father’s house to the bride’s house to pay the dowry. The groom then signs the marriage contract with the bride.

  • Stage of Wedding Preparation: The groom returns to his father’s house to prepare a place for himself and his wife. This stage typically lasts about a year. During this time, the groom and bride are not allowed to have sexual relations and often do not meet. The preparation may involve building a new house or adding a room to the groom’s father’s house. However, the new dwelling for the couple must be better than the bride’s current living situation.

  • Stage of Fetching the Bride: The groom arrives at the bride’s house to fetch her at a time that the bride does not know in advance. The groom’s father decides the date and time for fetching the bride once the couple’s new home is ready.

  • Stage of Purification: The bride undergoes a ritual bath to be purified before the wedding ceremony.

  • Stage of the Wedding Ceremony: The groom and bride return to the groom’s father’s house. The wedding ceremony takes place. The number of guests invited to the wedding ceremony is more selective than those invited to the wedding feast. Immediately after the wedding, the groom and bride perform the consummation of the marriage.

  • Stage of the Wedding Feast: The wedding feast has more guests than the wedding ceremony and may last for seven days.

Below is the spiritual significance of the wedding customs of the Israelites during the time of Christ with respect to the love between Christ and the Church.

  • Stage of Choosing the Bride: God chose the Church as the bride for Christ before the foundation of the world, and the bride price was the life of Christ:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:” (Ephesians 1:3-4)

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” (2 Timothy 1:9)

“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:” (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word [the word of Christ in Matthew 28:19-20], That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

  • Engagement Stage: Christ, having come from the divine realm in heaven to the world, took on human form, used His own life to redeem the Church, and made the Church His betrothed bride. Christ made a covenant with the Church with His blood.

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

“After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25)

  • Preparation Stage: Christ returned to heaven to prepare a place for the Church in heaven. The new dwelling of the Church will be far better than its current dwelling.

“In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3)

  • The Wedding Procession Stage: Christ will return to take the Church to heaven. The Church will know the signs of Christ’s return but will not know the exact day and hour.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

  • The Purification Stage: The Church will undergo a purification process before entering the wedding. This involves each person in the Church receiving a new physical body, either a resurrected body from the dead or a transformed body from the living, and being adorned with glory as a reward for their righteous deeds.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” (Revelation 19:7-8)

  • The Wedding Stage: Christ and the Church will be united in a mysterious way during the Marriage of the Lamb. The guests invited to the wedding will be very select, consisting of saints from before the Old Testament, from the Old Testament period, and those currently present in heaven.

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:9)

  • The Wedding Feast Stage: This may occur on earth, immediately after Christ has defeated the powers of Satan and the Antichrist, with the participation of all inhabitants on earth who believe in the Gospel. However, the true Israelites who sincerely adhere to the Old Testament and have been led into the wilderness to escape the Antichrist will not participate in the wedding feast, as they have not accepted the New Testament. They are symbolized by the five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).

The lamp represents the lives of the faithful, shining with the glory of God. The oil in the lamp symbolizes the Word of God in the Old Testament, while the oil in the vessel represents the Word of God in the New Testament. God’s people must invest time and effort to learn the Word of God from both the Old and New Testaments. The Old and New Testaments are the two powerful witnesses of God, as recorded in Zechariah 4.

Dear Church,

We are truly living in the last days before the Lord judges the whole world. The day when we will enter heaven with glorious, immortal bodies and be united with Christ in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb could happen at any moment. Let us use the Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 to remind and encourage each other to live a holy life wholeheartedly, always prepared for the return of Christ.

May the love, grace, and fellowship of God forever cover each of us. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
09/29/2018

Note:

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/065-hosea-61-2-and-the-end-of-the-world-part-2/