“On the day of his gladness of heart.”

“Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.”

Song of Solomon 3:11

Solomon, whose name means peace, ruled over Israel during a time of peace, and during this golden age he had a marriage and a love affair with a most excellent bride. The story of Solomon speaks to Christ, and the Song speaks to the marriage of Christ.

Many parts are obviously valuable and plain to learn how to love Christ. Seek him (3:1). Don’t rebuff his seeking (5:1). Admire him (many places). But what might we do with the nude descriptors?

The key to those passages is in the Hebrew word “yadar.” “To know”. But it gets used as a euphemism of sexuality. So there is our bridge to understanding. Deep knowing and intimate knowledge of the other person. Doesn’t the scripture tell us to press on to know the Lord, “yadar”? (Hosea 6). And doesn’t Jesus say “away from me I never knew you” to those who didn’t know him? In these two examples we have our lesson. Knowing Jesus, personally, is his wish for us. And is sharing our life with him so we are fully known is our gift to him. The delight in his heart of a person sharing themselves so freely with him is called out in this passage about his wedding day gladness: “Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.”

Making Jesus happy is something a true spouse does for the other. And being a bride for Christ is accomplished through deep knowing and giving over to him. And he to us. The joy he experiences from this is our gift to him as well as our own selves.

May Jesus be delighted in his prize on the day of his wedding.