Chapter 8

The Wedding

We expect the marriage of a king to be accompanied by much pomp, and in this, we are not disappointed.

⁶         “What is this coming up from the wilderness
          Like columns of smoke,
          Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
          With all scented powders of the merchant?

⁷         “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;
          Sixty mighty men around it,
          Of the mighty men of Israel.

⁸         “All of them are wielders of the sword,
          Expert in war;
          Each man has his sword at his side,
          Guarding against the terrors of the night.

⁹         “King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair
          From the timber of Lebanon.

¹⁰       “He made its posts of silver,
          Its back of gold
          And its seat of purple fabric,
          With its interior lovingly fitted out
          By the daughters of Jerusalem.

¹¹       “Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
          And gaze on King Solomon with the crown
          With which his mother has crowned him
          On the day of his wedding,
          And on the day of his gladness of heart.”

 

The scene is told from the viewpoint of a neutral third party – the narrator if you will. It opens with a view of a cloud of dust rising in the distance. As it draws near, we first notice the smells of expensive perfumes, as if we had stumbled into the marketplace of merchants in the perfume business. The procession comes closer and we see the platform carrying Solomon. It is one of those covered chairs that is born on the shoulders of men. Surrounding the sedan chair are sixty mighty warriors. They serve as groomsmen to the king.

As the procession moves by, we see the beauty of the platform being carried. No expense has been spared in this wedding. Even the noblewomen have a hand in the outfitting of the chair. And, of course, the one that everyone wants to see – especially the ladies – is the groom himself. Solomon is wearing a crown given to him by his mother just for this occasion.

Of the wedding ceremony itself, we are not told. Perhaps, as with most weddings, it becomes a large blur in the minds of the participants. The vows are made before the Almighty, but the exact details are lost in the excitement and joy of the occasion.

Questions:

1. Why do people make such a to-do over weddings? Is it important?
2. Would it be alright to skip the ceremony and just have a common-law marriage where two people live together without a prior wedding?
3. Why isn’t the actual wedding ceremony described?
4. If you married, what was your wedding like? What made it special? If you are not married, what would you want at your wedding?
5. Would eloping be as good as a wedding?