The Wedding Day

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Song of Solomon 3:6–5:1
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

---

Sermon Title: The Wedding Day

Scripture: Song of Solomon 3:6–5:1

I. Introduction and Context

A. Song of Solomon is God's instruction on attraction, dating, marriage, and sex B. One of only two books in the Bible that does not explicitly mention God C. Marriage is not fully understood apart from the relationship between Christ and his church (Ephesians 5) D. Written as poetry — calls us to slow down, imagine, and consider beauty and mystery E. Written by Solomon, who paradoxically did not live up to the standard he describes F. Series so far has covered attraction, courtship, the importance of character, and restraint; today arrives at the wedding day

II. The Public Portion of the Wedding — Song of Solomon 3:6–11

A. An extravagant royal procession is described

1. A lavishly appointed carriage built from wood of Lebanon with silver posts, a gold back, and a purple seat
2. Sixty mighty men of Israel armed with swords escort the procession
3. The groom wears a ceremonial wedding crown placed on him by his mother

B. The bride is notably absent from the description — likely reflects the royal and cultural context C. The occasion is marked by joy and gladness — explicitly stated in verse 11 ("the day of the gladness of his heart") D. The whole community participates in and is blessed by the celebration E. God often leads through a wilderness period before bringing something good — the procession coming up from the wilderness reflects this theme F. The groom comes to the bride's home and brings his royalty to her — parallel to Christ leaving heaven and coming to meet us on earth

III. The Groom's Adoration of His Bride — Song of Solomon 4:1–7

A. The section is framed by an inclusio emphasizing her beauty

1. Opens: "Behold, you are beautiful, my love" (verse 1)
2. Closes: "You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you" (verse 7)
3. Repetition in Scripture signals importance — stop and pay attention

B. He praises seven aspects of her beauty, moving downward: eyes, hair, teeth, lips and mouth, cheeks, neck, and breasts

1. Seven is the number of perfection in Scripture
2. The analogies are culturally distant but poetically deliberate — he is not improvising; this praise is careful and intentional

C. Christological parallel — just as the bride is declared perfectly beautiful despite her imperfections, Christ declares the church perfectly righteous despite her unworthiness D. In Song of Solomon 2:17 she described him as a gazelle grazing among the lilies; here he describes her breasts with the same image — intentional poetic parallelism E. Lesson for husbands: intentional, thoughtful, careful praise of a wife's beauty

IV. Transition to the Consummation — Song of Solomon 4:8–15

A. "Come with me from Lebanon" — he is gently drawing her toward him B. The dens of lions and mountains of leopards evoke fear and danger

1. Marriage, especially after a season of proper restraint, can bring apprehension and nervousness on the wedding night
2. He is not dismissing her fear but drawing her toward himself and promising his protection

C. Verse 12 — "a garden locked, a spring locked, a fountain sealed" — describes the woman's virginity before the consummation D. Verse 15 — the same garden and well imagery reappears, now opened — the consummation has occurred E. Nine or more spices and choice fruits are mentioned — all five senses are engaged F. Contrast with Proverbs 7:17 — the seductress perfumes her bed with some of the same spices, deliberately mimicking what is good; Satan twists God's design and frames evil in the appearance of something beautiful, but the end is death

V. The Consummation — Song of Solomon 4:16–5:1

A. Verse 16 — the bride speaks for the first time in this section; "Awake" stands in stark contrast to the repeated refrain of Song of Solomon 2:7 and 3:5 ("do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases")

1. The time for restraint has passed; action verbs now replace the call to wait
2. She gives herself to him — "let my beloved come to his garden" — she now describes it as his garden

B. Chapter 5:1 — the groom responds with delight and satisfaction: he comes, gathers, eats, and drinks

1. The experience is pleasing to all the physical senses — God designed sex to be pleasurable
2. The final line ("Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love") is a condoning of the entire sequence as right, good, pure, and pleasing to God because it has been done in accordance with his design

C. Being "drunk with love" is presented positively here because God's design has been followed

1. Sex outside of marriage is compared to drunk driving — the same intoxicating pleasure becomes deadly outside its proper context
2. Within marriage, the danger is removed and enjoyment is unreserved

VI. Conclusion — Both Public and Private Components Are Essential

A. God has designed marriage to have both a public ceremony and a private consummation — neither can be replaced by the other B. Analogy to salvation and baptism: the public act (baptism) and the inward reality (faith) must go together; neither alone is sufficient

1. Claiming you don't need baptism because you are saved privately violates Christ's command (Matthew 28:19)
2. Claiming baptism without saving faith is equally insufficient
3. In the same way, the marriage ceremony is the public profession of what is then consummated privately

C. The importance of friendship as the foundation of marriage

1. Attraction and romance alone will not sustain a marriage
2. The groom calls her "my sister, my bride" — equal and friend first, then spouse
3. Practical application for singles: seek a brother or sister in Christ before seeking a spouse

D. God holds up his standard here and also redeems and restores those who have fallen short — the passage is both an ideal and an encouragement