Song of Songs 3:6-11 Groom Arrives
We see the groom arriving with a great procession and the crown that he is wearing is for his wedding day. Solomon is named as the groom.
In Israel, the wedding day is a long-anticipated day. This is true for all cultures, but ancient Israel didn’t have a fixed wedding date. It was expected to be around a year from announcement to wedding but that date wasn’t firmly fixed. The wedding date was established by when the groom had everything ready to receive his bride into their new home. With Solomon’s wealth, he could probably have had an engagement period of less than a week. We don’t know how long this one was supposed to be, but by the depth of their desire, I would expect it to be as short as possible to prevent any scandal.
The bride is watching for the arrival of her beloved, as all good brides were expected to be. Her heart must have been leaping out of her chest when she saw a LARGE group approaching. She stands still and strains her eyes, ears, and nose to identify who is coming towards her.
The second sense to be alerted is her sense of smell. She sees the dust rising into the air from the many feet moving towards her, but her nose detects a familiar scent. It is the scent she has smelled on her beloved! Now, she is certain! Now, she makes out the forms before her. It is her beloved, the king himself, approaching her dwelling place. What a grand procession it is!
Her heart is filled with joy and pride as she sees all he has brought to fetch her. His 60 guards, his beautifully adorned litter, and a special crown resting on his head. THIS crown tells her and all those watching that today’s approach is not a simple visit. It is the day she has been waiting for with GREAT anticipation. It is the crown for his wedding. It Is Time!
It takes ALL her strength to wait as her beloved approaches. She would like nothing more than to rush headlong into his arms and have him carry her away with him. But there is an order to this meeting that must be obeyed. ALL of Israel is watching.
The Church is the bride being prepared for Jesus. This betrothal has been from since her birth. Since the moment Jesus walked the earth. Her earliest years were spent walking in His footsteps as He proved Himself as her Husband. He laid her foundations during those years through the training of His disciples. Love was stirred up during this time but TRUE love didn’t find its purchase until after His resurrection and ascension. The gift of the Holy Spirit was His pledge to His bride, signifying His desire for her to become His bride.
There is coming a day when Jesus will come for His bride. His coming will be seen FAR AND WIDE. He will vanquish her tormentors at that time and take her into His Father’s house. It feels like ‘forever’ in this waiting, but it WILL be worth it! There are things we, as the church, need to do before He returns. And there are things He is accomplishing during our wait. It’s not the work of bringing salvation, but of bringing as many to that salvation as possible. Only God knows who that last person is and when they will turn their life over to Him. On THAT day, He will put His special crown upon His Son’s head. The crown signifying the day of His marriage has arrived. Jesus will come with an even GREATER procession to set things right for His wedding supper. Behold! Here He comes! Keep watching, for He WILL come and gather those who remained into the ranks of His bride.
Father God, thank You first of all for salvation. For making a way for me to be part of Your family. Thank You Lord Jesus for choosing me, even when I was in the middle of my ugliest places. You never gave up on me, no matter how hard I resisted change. I’m waiting for that day; OUR wedding day! I KNOW it is coming and NOTHING and NO ONE can convince me otherwise!!!
