Song of Solomon chapter 3 and verse number 1
begins by saying,
By night on my bed I sought him,
whom my soul loveth.
I sought him, but I found him not.
The title of the sermon tonight is,
I sought him, I sought him.
Now this is of course the wife
seeking her husband.
You know, she's woken up in bed
and she realized, hey my husband's not home,
my husband's not here.
And so she said, look I'm going to go out and seek him.
I love my husband.
I want to be with him.
In fact, as we keep going through this chapter,
you'll start to notice why she wants to be with him.
You know, they don't want to just catch up
and have a conversation.
You know, she has a physical need for him.
Alright, when it comes to that physical intimacy,
you know, the Bible teaches that
the only place that this should be had
is in the marriage bed.
You know, we are not to be fornicators.
Alright, we should remain as virgins
before we give ourselves to marriage.
And we're definitely not to be adulterous
because if God's law was in effect
and you commit adultery against your spouse,
you should be put to death.
And then your spouse should be allowed
to go and remarry someone else.
But look, she has a desire.
She's woken up I suppose there.
She's found her husband's not there.
She has a desire which is a God desire.
It's something that God has put
within the natural instinct between man and woman
and she wants to be physically with her husband.
Alright, now you say, well is that right?
Well of course it's right.
You know, why is it that so many people seek
that physical companionship?
And you know, God has put that within us.
To desire to be with the opposite sex.
You know, to enjoy one another.
And the right place as I said earlier is in marriage.
And I'm going to quickly read to you
from Genesis chapter 3 verse 16.
Genesis chapter 3 verse 16 says,
unto the woman he said,
I will greatly multiply
thy sorrow and thy conception.
In sorrow thou shall bring forth children.
Then it says, God says these words to Eve.
He says, and thy desire shall be to thy husband
and he shall rule over thee.
We learned a couple of things there
but we see that the husband is the head of the wife.
He is to rule over his wife
but the wife's desire is toward her husband.
It should be no surprise then
that the wife in the Song of Solomon here
is seeking her husband.
She desires her husband.
And of course the husband desires his wife
because God said it's not good for a man to be alone.
He created Eve to be a help
unto Adam.
And so men we need a wife
and wives they're looking for a leader
they're looking for a husband
they can desire after.
And so that is how God has created us.
It's not sinful
as long as it falls within the right boundaries of marriage
it's a beautiful thing
but outside of marriage of course
it's sinful.
It can even be when it comes to adultery
a punishment worthy of death.
At least in God's eyes.
But as far as God is concerned
adultery, please church
if you're married
that's it. Your eyes are for your spouse
and your spouse alone.
Please don't let your eyes wander.
Don't let your emotions and your heart wander after someone else.
It's just going to cause damage to you.
God created you to have that one partner
for life.
Alright, let's keep going there.
So she's seeking her husband. What does she do?
In verse number 2
she says
I will rise now and go about the city in the streets.
In the broad ways
I will seek him whom my soul loveth
I sought him
but I found him not.
I can't find him.
She's seeking for him. Verse number 3
The watchmen that go about the city
found me of whom I said
saw ye him whom my soul loveth.
Now the watchmen are the people
that are on the walls there
they're watching for any
dangers outside the city
but they're also watching within the city
if there's any issues
you might say these are kind of like
your modern day policemen
they're kind of just watching
making sure that things are going okay
there's no violence taking place in the city
anyway she finds one of these watchmen
she finds one of these police officers if you want
she tells them I'm looking for the man that I love
I'm looking for King Solomon
she's the wife of Solomon
they say well, he's not there
verse number 3
it says that the watchmen
where am I up to?
oh yeah, verse number 4
it says but it was but a little that I passed
from them but I found him
but I found him whom my soul loveth
she finally found him
I held him
that's romantic
she found him, she embraces him
she takes hold of him
and would not let him go
would not let him go
you say pastor Kevin, that sounds like a possessive wife
exactly
if you listen to the sermon last week
my wife, she's my possession
and I'm her possession
that's how God instructed things to be
we're not twain anymore
we're one flesh
we belong one to another
and she grabs hold of him
she's not going to let go of her husband
she wants to be with him
she's like honey, come home
stop hanging around in the city
whatever you're doing
whether it's out shopping or just having conversation with the locals
she says come home
be with me
and it says here
I would not let him go until
I had brought him into my mother's house
and into the chamber
of her that conceived me
so the chamber there refers to
a bedroom
and of course
the Song of Solomon is, I've said this before
the book of romance
in the Bible
it should spark greater passion
in your love for your spouse
if you're struggling
to have a strong marriage
and maybe you don't feel as in love with your spouse
as you used to be when you first got married
you need to read the Song of Solomon
you really need to read it
and take what
God's Word is teaching us
how we ought to think about our spouse
she takes him home
to the bedroom of course
they have that physical intimacy
when it comes to the Bible we don't get
any of the great detail
when it comes to
this type of relationship
but we can definitely see what's taking place here
we get the impression of what's taking place
when it comes to God's Word
every word of God is pure
we should not think that the Song of Solomon
maybe that's a little bit too
what's the word
people might say
maybe it's something you shouldn't be preaching on
there are kids in church
I probably don't want them to hear these things
but listen, this is the Bible
this is God's book
the Song of Solomon is to teach us
not just to have a good marriage
but also before we get married
so we know what the expectation is
going into marriage
God's Word is not graphic
it doesn't go into great detail
but we understand what's happening between husband and wife
she desires him
she takes hold of him
because she's got a physical need
and there's no need to be embarrassed about that
it's God's Word
if that's what God has put in his Word
then it needs to be preached
it needs to be taught
maybe one reason we have so many
loveless marriages in this world
is because people refuse to preach
from the Song of Solomon
but this is where we learn the great love
that we also have between husband and wife
can you keep your finger there
and go to 1 Corinthians 7
1 Corinthians 7 please
1 Corinthians 7
1 Corinthians 7 verse 1
we have this great teaching here
between husband and wife
and this is such an important teaching
when it comes to marriage
1 Corinthians 7 verse 1
it says, now concerning the things
whereof ye wrote unto me
it is good for a man not to touch a woman
nevertheless
to avoid fornication
let every man have his own wife
and let every woman
have her own husband
you see Paul understands by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost
that man and woman
we need a spouse
man needs a wife
and a woman needs a husband
and this is one way to protect us from fornication
because that natural desire
is going to be there
for that physical intimacy
so where's the right place to have it?
between husband and wife
in the marriage bed, amen?
look at verse number 3
it says, let the husband render unto the wife
due benevolence
and likewise also the wife
unto the husband
the wife have not power of her own body
but the husband
and likewise also the husband
have not power over his own body
but the wife
you know what it's just teaching us
that we ought to have that physical relationship in our marriage
and that my body does not belong to me
it belongs to my wife
and her body does not belong to her
it belongs to me
this sounds old fashioned
this is God's teaching
when society has moved away
from these basic truths of marriage
what do you find?
you find divorce
you find loveless marriages
grown up in a home
and they don't even know what love is between mother and father
because they don't even see that between their own parents
you have a society
that teaches that marriage can be same sex marriage
you have such
so many problems
with society
when they move away from God's truth
you have feminism that says
I don't need a man
why should I belong to a man?
that's what marriage is
you belong to a man
he belongs to you
he is to give you due benevolence
and vice versa
as well
it says
defraud ye not one the other
except with consent for a time
don't defraud yourself one to another
if the husband
wants to be physically with his wife
don't prevent that
you should be sharing that love
one to another
otherwise you're defrauding him
against your husband
if you don't allow him to take you
in that physical relationship
but it's the same way
if she, like we saw in the Song of Solomon
who had the desire?
it was the wife
she went looking for her husband
she goes, hey, come home
and that's the right thing, he comes home
and he spends time with her
that's the right thing to do in a marriage
except to be with consent for a time
the only time you should withhold
that relationship with one another
is if you make consent
if you both are in agreement
for a period of time, for a week, for two weeks
whatever you think is right
you know, we'll withhold that one from another
and then it keeps going there
that ye may give yourselves to prayer and fasting
sorry, to fasting and prayer
and come together again
and that Satan tempt you not
for your incontinency
alright?
what the Bible is teaching us
is if you withhold that marital
physical relationship
then you're allowing Satan to come in
and hurt your marriage
alright, if you're having a loveless marriage
you're not having that physical intimacy
husbands, your eyes are going to start looking at
other women
and women, your eyes are going to start looking at other men
this leads to adultery
alright?
how do we overcome fornication?
how do we overcome adultery?
having a good and healthy marriage
physical intimacy in the bed
that is the right thing
that's what the Bible teaches
I'm not embarrassed, I'm not ashamed
that's God's truth
and we need to hear it
because you know full well
society is teaching our kids
all kinds of disgusting filth
when it comes to this part of life
God's word is pure
marriage is beautiful
husbands being with a wife
and wife being with a man
beautiful, godly thing
which is going to bring forth children
this is how God instructed things in his word
alright?
so listen, if you're going to withhold
one from another for a period of time
let it be for prayer and fasting
because fasting, you're not giving your flesh
what it desires when you're fasting
you know, you're not feeding it food for example
and you shouldn't be intimate in that time
as well, you're giving yourself to that time of
prayer and fasting, alright?
but you don't want that to go on for too long
because then Satan's going to come and hurt your marriage
alright, you want your marriage to remain strong
and committed, you must
remain physical in your
intimacy
alright, going back to Song of Solomon chapter 3
and let's go back to verse number 4
now where did she
bring her husband?
it says, until I had brought him
in verse number 4 at the end of it
until I had brought him into my mother's house
and into the chamber of her
that conceived me, alright?
so she went into her mother's house
into the chamber, into her mother's
bedroom, you say, that's a bit weird
you know, why would that be written there in Song of Solomon
and you know, is this giving us license
you know, when we get married
to go and live with mother and father
is this giving us that instruction?
well, obviously not
and I've had people say to me
you know, I want to get married one day
but I just can't afford to rent right now
can't afford to buy a house
do you think it's right for me
just to get married and we just go and live with my parents
in fact
you know, before my wife and I got married
we were offered
to go and live with our parents
and I just said, absolutely not
you know, why is that the case?
because the Bible tells us
in fact, if you want to just keep your finger there
if you can go to Genesis chapter 2
go to Genesis chapter 2 for me please
and verse number 21
and let me encourage you in church
to get married
but make sure you've got a place to live
make sure, especially the men
this is your responsibility
that you've got a place that you can take your wife
that you can make a life for yourselves
you know, this is going to start your marriage
on the best foot forward
please don't go and live with your parents
don't do that
I know she took Solomon
to her mother's house in this scenario here
but let me assure you
they're definitely not living in the mother's house
it's King Solomon, he's got his own palace
he's got several houses
he's got several investments
this man can live anywhere he wants
it's not like, oh man, we have nowhere to live
let's just go live with the mother-in-law
that's not what took place
this is about King Solomon
I'll tell you why this is speaking about
the mother's place in a moment
but let me just show you here in Genesis 2.21
Genesis 2.21
it says, and the Lord God caused
a deep sleep to fall upon Adam
and he slept and he took one of his ribs
and closed up the flesh instead thereof
and the rib which the Lord God had
taken from man made he a woman
and brought her unto the man
and Adam said, now this is bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh
she shall be called woman
because she was taken out of man
now I want you to notice the next words
and really pay attention
because Adam and Eve, they're the first
man and woman that God has ever created
does Adam have
any earthly parents?
No. Does Eve have any earthly parents?
No.
They've got no earthly parents
but notice the next words
that Adam himself says
even though he's got no earthly parents
look how important this doctrine is
verse number 24
Therefore shall a man leave
his father
and his mother
and shall cleave unto
his wife
and shall be one flesh
and they were both naked
the man and his wife and were not ashamed
listen again preaching this topic
I'm not ashamed. The Bible says the man and the woman
were naked, his wife were naked
and they were not ashamed
what I'm teaching should not be an embarrassing doctrine
we should not be ashamed of this truth
this is how God's created things to be
but notice
for this cause, for the cause of marriage
Adam says I must leave
mother and father
but Adam you don't have a mother and father
of course he doesn't. This is why
this doctrine is so important
that even a man that does not have a mother and father
has to make a point
that this is what marriage is
you're starting a new family
unit
and if you want to make your spouse happy
please don't get them mixed up with the in-laws
there are too many
failed marriages
taking shortcuts, trying to save money
trying to live with the parents
if you can't afford it
just put off the marriage for a little while
work harder, get a second job
make sure you can provide for your spouse
then get married
leave your mother and father
and cleave unto your wife
your one flesh, your new family
this is the best thing
for your marriage
I'm speaking to my church
because I've seen people that refuse
to obey this very basic commandment
from the very second chapter there
the book of Genesis
and it just causes marital problems
listen, our spouse ought to be
the person that we love the most
our spouse is supposed to be
our best friend
please don't break
this relationship
by moving in with your parents
do exactly what Adam did
even when he had no mother and father
follow the commandments of God
and it will enrich your marriage
I promise you, it's going to be so much better
you're going to have unnecessary problems
if you decide, let's just move in with your parents
now look, is it ever wrong
to move in with your parents?
of course, emergency situations
come up
where something unexpected happens
and you may have to move in with your parents
temporarily for a period of time
but again, make sure it's a temporary
arrangement, make sure it's
just a month, for two months
what you need to get back on your feet before you move out
and make your own life again
okay, but don't start your marriage this way
alright, so you say
well then, what's the answer there, why is she bringing
you know, her husband to her mother's house
to her mother's bedchamber
well please, you're there in Genesis
so please go to Genesis 26
go to Genesis 24
go to Genesis 24 for me please
Genesis 24
and you know
when you've read the Bible several times
certain things
are going to jump out of you
you know, certain symbolisms
or certain parallel views
passages that you kind of pick up from
okay, and you may not
pick up on this, your first reading of
Song of Solomon, but it's something that became
quite apparent to me, because it reminded me of a story
here in Genesis 24
and let's read it together, Genesis 24
verse number 62
now this story is about Isaac
okay, so you've got
Abraham's son Isaac, and Isaac, this is about
Isaac's marriage
alright, you know, Abraham
sent a servant to go find Isaac
a wife, she brings back
you know, he brings back a wife
which is Rebekah, and we have the story
of their marriage, it says here in Genesis 24
verse 62
Genesis 24 verse 62
it says, and Isaac came from the way
of the well, Laheroi
for he dwelt in the south country
and Isaac went out to meditate
in the field at the eventide
and he lifted up his eyes
and saw, and behold the
camels were coming
and Rebekah lifted up her eyes and when she saw
Isaac, she lighted off the
camel, for she had said
unto the servant, what man is this
that walketh in the field to meet us?
and the servant
to meet us, and the servant had said
it is my master
therefore she took a veil and covered herself
and the servant told Isaac
all things that he had done
verse number 67
and Isaac brought her into
his mother Sarah's
tent
you say, well hold on, is Isaac
living with his mother?
you know, what's going on here? Why did he take
Rebekah into his mother's tent?
well let's keep going, it says, and took
Rebekah and she became
his wife, okay, so they had
a marriage, and he loved her
and Isaac
was comforted, look at this, after
his mother's death
why is Isaac living
in his mother's tent?
his mother had already passed away
okay, so she, so he was able
to inherit where she
was living, her tent, you know, so
ultimately, he's living in a
place of his inheritance, but he did
not take his wife Rebekah to go and
live with the mother-in-law, okay, no
his mother had passed away
but what do we notice there, by bringing her into
the mother's tent, it says that Isaac
was comforted after his mother's death
you see, Isaac was mourning the
death of his mother, she was an important
part of his life
and one thing you notice there
is that by bringing her into his mother's
tent, which she had inherited because of her death
you know, this marriage
caused him, brought comfort to him
you know, he was alone, again, it is not
good for a man to be alone
it's not good for Isaac to be alone
he needs a help, meet for him
and that was Rebekah
the Lord made sure that Rebekah would come
and they went to live in the mother's tent
okay, and
so what does this mother's tent represent?
It represents the comfort
it represents the joy of being united
the one flesh aspect
of this relationship
and of course, the Song of Solomon
you know, it's not a history book
it's a song book
it's a poetic book, you know, it's full of
symbolism, you know, last week I went through
last week I went through some symbolism
between husband and wife
and you know, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
about the rapture
there's a lot of symbolism when it comes to
the Song of Solomon
and so when we see the wife taking her husband
you know, to her mother's house
you know, that should bring thoughts to us
as we've read our Bibles
how Isaac was comforted in his marriage
so the thought behind that
of course, in the song, is that this is a time
of comfort, okay
once again, you know, you're not looking for
comfort from your former family
from your mother and father, but you're looking for
comfort and companionship
from your spouse, okay
that's the significance of being brought into
the mother's house
in fact, later on in the Book of Solomon
Song of Solomon
you know, the wife speaks about, you know, wishing
that her husband was like a brother
like, she kind of just wishes she could have
spent more time with him in childhood
that he had grown up with her
and share the same mother, okay
like, she just loves his companionship so much
that she just wishes she knew him
from a very young age
okay, and so there's a lot
again, this is a song
it's poetry
and it's using symbolism that you'll find
in other passages of the Bible to understand
what, you know, the words of the song
to help you enrich your marriage
alright, back to Song of Solomon
chapter 3, verse number 5
Song of Solomon, chapter 3
and verse number 5
let's keep going there, Song of Solomon, chapter 3
verse number 5
she says, I charge you
O ye daughters of Jerusalem
by the rose and by the hinds of the field
that ye stir not up nor awake
my love till he please
now this same verse is repeated for us
in a previous chapter, but she's saying
to her friends, look, please don't wake up
my beloved, say, why is he sleeping now?
again, look, they just had
physical intimacy
she just went looking for him
okay, it was out and about
she brought him to the bedchamber
you know, they've had a time of intimacy together
and now he's sleeping
like, what do you think took place?
alright, obviously, the Bible's quite clear about this
but again, we don't want to use language
that is kind of excessively graphic
or anything like this, alright
when we talk about this topic, this beautiful topic
you know, we used what the Bible teaches
you can see how God just makes it clear
alright, but we don't have to be graphic about
this kind of stuff
you know, we don't need to be talking about the privacy
of our own bedrooms to other people
in church or to our friends
you know, there was a time when I was working in summer
and one of my work colleagues came up to me
and, you know, he wanted all the secret
can you tell me what's going on, you know, in the bedroom
and this and that, and I just rebuked the guy
said, look, you've got to shut up
it's got nothing to do with you, alright
and that's the right thing, you know, when it comes to the privacy
of the bedroom, that's between husband and wife
nobody else needs to know about it
okay, now obviously we know it takes place
in marriage, Lord willing
okay, that's the right place that it's meant to take
but we don't just have to go on and on about every single detail
okay, hey, let's be like God
like God's word
we know it takes place, where do you think children
come from, okay, they come from
this intimacy, alright, but again
we don't need to go into the details
that's something to be explored
between husband and wife
let's keep going there, verse number 6
verse number 6 takes a bit
of a change in direction here
again the wife is speaking, she says
who is this that cometh out of the wilderness
like pillars of smoke
now, who's this coming
out of the wilderness, it's just me about her husband
okay, so she's coming out, like pillars
of smoke, you know, I guess
you know, if you saw pillars of smoke
in wilderness, it'd be quite an impressive
sight, it'd be like, man, where's this smoke
coming from, is there like fire somewhere
okay, it's like an impressive sight
and so when she sees her husband come home
like to her, like he's impressive
she's impressed by him
okay, and why is she impressed
by him, well he keeps going there
it says, perfumed
with myrrh and frankincense
once again, man, there's nothing wrong with
perfume, okay, this man
this godly man
King Solomon is perfumed
okay, again, look
it's okay to put on perfume
it's not sinful
it's not metrosexual
or whatever people call it, you know, I don't know
it's fine, okay, it's fine
to cover your body odor
it's going to impress your wife
she's impressed by this
what else, it says
with all powders of the merchant
so I don't know what kind of powders
King Solomon has, I don't know exactly
but I don't think it's like
foundation or something on the face
like, you know, I put on
deodorant and my deodorant that I put on
the kind of deodorant that I put on
is more like a powder than it is a liquid
okay, so I don't know what kind of powders he's
got on, alright, but I put on the
deodorant, okay, I try to cover my
body odor, I try to smell
pleasant to my wife, alright
if I start to stink up
a little bit, you know, I go and have a shower
and make sure that, you know, I kind of smell lovely
to my family and especially to my wife
and this is manly
please don't think this is not manly, okay
again, we should base what manliness is
we should base what love is
we should base what marriage is
we should base what intimacy is according to God's word
not according to the standards of man
alright, so look
maybe he's wearing deodorant, he's definitely got perfume on
and when he comes home
she's impressed
man, he smells good, alright
and he's impressed by the appearance of his wife
she goes, man, she smells good too
alright, she looks lovely tonight
alright, you know, they're not just dating
they're not just trying to impress each other
to get married one day, no, this is within marriage
they're still seeking to impress one another
alright
they're still trying to enjoy one another
please make this a priority in your life
especially men
we get lazy, we get lazy with our smells
okay, you've got to cover up
alright, be respectful
toward your spouse, okay, about your body odor
let's keep going there, verse number seven
it says
behold his bed, which is Solomon's
King Solomon's
so, obviously Solomon's
got a bed, this is not at his mother-in-law's house
he lives in the palace
and you'll soon see
what the significance of this bed is
alright, she goes, behold his bed
which is Solomon's, free score
so that's, a score is
twenty, so three times twenty
that's sixty, sixty
or free score valiant men are about it
look, when it comes to King Solomon's bedroom
he's got sixty
soldiers
sixty bodyguards
protecting his bedroom
alright, it says
of the valiant of Israel
they all hold swords, they're all ready to fight
okay, they're all armed
being expert in war
alright, Solomon doesn't get the laziest soldiers
he gets the best
alright
every man have his sword upon his thigh
because of the fear of the night
now obviously, what might happen
in the night?
well, as the king of Israel
there might be some type of assassination attempts
right, on him
you know, as he's gone to sleep
you know, they might find the night time the best time to attack
and if there
ever were some type of assassination
attempt on King Solomon's life
in the night
or that assassin's going to have to face sixty armed men
alright, sixty experts at war
right, sixty bodyguards
obviously they're not going to make it through
to King Solomon
why is she speaking about this?
you know, why is this such a priority?
you know, obviously she's saying that
and look, I don't believe while husband and wife
are sleeping in this bed
I don't believe they're just around the bed
you know, obviously they're protecting the bedroom
alright, they're protecting the bedchamber as it were
alright, but what this teaches us
is that Solomon is making sure
that his wife is safe
the security, alright, in their lives
you know, he's making sure
he's protected
you know, as the queen, she could also face assassination
attempts, alright, and he makes sure
he's got his best soldiers
protecting his spouse
and the lesson that we learned out of this man
is that we too need to be protectors of our wife
we need to make sure we give our
wives security
alright, we need to be a strong leader
I know you can't afford sixty bodyguards
I know that
alright, and neither can I
alright, but let me just give you some examples of things
we can do potentially
alright, I remember when we bought our first house
you know, it was in Fairfield
and then we bought another house in Bonnery
you know, we're not talking about the safest suburbs
in Sydney, right
so one of the very first things I did was to go and purchase
some block out shutters
on the windows, alright, just so
that time at night we can load those shutters
you know, especially the little
children's bedrooms, we want to make sure
that, hey, they're closed, it's not easy to break in
when we bought our second house
the second house in Bonnery
the main entrance
like the door
had these windows that were meant to be
kind of frosted, but you could still
see through the windows, like you could still see
into the living room and
you know, it made my wife a little bit uncomfortable because
you know, while I'm at work
you know, anybody could come to the door
basically just looking through the window easily
and they could see maybe a single mother
little children there and
hey, they might look at that as an easy
house to break into
potentially, alright, they can assess
whether there's a man in the house or not
and so, you know, very quickly, once I saved
that money, you know, removed that
and we installed double doors
double security screen doors as well
making sure, you know, we got rid of those windows
on the side, that way, nobody could
really look through into the living room
and what did I give my wife?
Safety, security, now look, maybe
nobody would even try to break into a house, I don't know
alright, but one thing we clearly
see in the Bible is that men, you need
to be the security guard, you need to
keep your wife safe, okay
hey, keep her safe, yes, physically
hey, keep her safe
emotionally, right, make sure she knows
that you've said your vows of
marriage, you're not just going to run off
you know, she's not worried that you're just going to run off
with some other woman on the job or something like that, okay
you have to give her all kinds
of security, you need to give her
financial security
you know, that's, I think that's like the number one reason
why divorces take place, is when
our spouses fight about money
men, it's your job
to give her financial security
that she's dependent upon you
she needs your emotional strength
she needs to know that she's protected
you know, that that's your responsibility
that's what you need to do, yeah, you can't
afford 60 bodyguards, I understand
neither can I, okay
but the principle is true
it's our job, we ought to prioritise
the safety, the security, the stability
for our wives, they need it men
they need it, okay, they need the stability
of your love, they need
to know that you love them, that you care for them
like I said, that you're not just going to run off
following some other relationship
okay, give her your
love, give her your security
that is your job, let's keep going
to verse number 9
it says
King Solomon
made himself a chariot
of the wood of Lebanon
so he's got this chariot
what's so special about this chariot
verse number 10
he made the pillars thereof of silver
so you can see, man, this is an expensive chariot
the bottom thereof of gold
and covering of it of purple
the midst thereof being paved with love
being paved with love
for the daughters of Jerusalem
so King Solomon's got like the best chariot
of the land, alright
the pillars of silver
the bottom of it is gold
I mean it's a raid with purple
expensive linen at this point in time
and you know
this would be the Lamborghini
of the day
King Solomon was riding around in the fanciest
car, the fanciest transport
that obviously the richest man on the earth
you know, a very wise
man, great kingdom
he travels around in a very nice
chariot, okay
now, you say
maybe the pastor has given me
permission to spend, you know
my money on a nice sports car
maybe that's what he's teaching us, no no no
this wasn't about just seeking his own
pleasures, again what was it
paved with, it's paved with love
this is a chariot of
love, in what sense
you know, does he love his chariot
does he love his Lamborghini, is that what he
no no, he loves his wife
amen, you know, he's made
this chariot for his wife
okay, so
she can have something nice to
travel in, say why would that be
you know, I don't think ladies really care
what kind of chariot they're going around with
we will soon see
that the reason he built this
chariot is for a very special occasion
alright, and again, once we understand
the special occasion, then we can take the principle
and apply it to our lives, because men
you're not going to buy the Lamborghini, you're not going to buy the
Ferrari, I understand, okay, you can't
afford it, neither can I, alright
maybe if we put our money together guys, maybe we can
buy something nice, I don't know, we can share it around
but no no, that's not the teaching, okay
verse number 11, it says
go forth, O ye daughters of Zion
so now, we're talking to the daughters
of Zion, we're talking to the ladies of Jerusalem
it says
and behold King Solomon
hey, go and look at
King Solomon in the chariot, say why
what's the purpose?
with the crown wherewith
his mother crowned him in the day
of his espousals
and in the day of the gladness
of his heart
what is the day of his espousals?
you know, what is the day that someone
becomes your spouse?
it's your wedding day
his chariot was built to celebrate
his wedding day
his chariot was built to celebrate his wedding anniversary
so what does he do?
you guys look, my wedding anniversary is coming up
he builds a beautiful chariot
very expensive chariot
hey, this is a chariot that I'm going to pay with love
you know what, my wife and I
we're going to travel in the chariot
we're going to go through Jerusalem
all the daughters of Jerusalem are going to watch
and they're going to see how much I love my spouse
we're going to celebrate our wedding anniversary
men, celebrate your wedding anniversary
please, it's so important
what should your wedding day be like?
at the end of verse number 11 it says
and in the day of the gladness of his heart
you know what gave Solomon
great gladness in heart?
remembering his wedding
you know what, we need to remember our wedding day
just celebrate our wedding day
men, don't forget your wedding anniversary
please don't forget it
mark it in your calendar
put it on your phone
tell your kids to remind you if you'll easily forget
days like that
don't ask your wife to remind you
ask the whole world to remind you
and plan ahead
if you can buy a nice car to drive your wife around
and celebrate your wedding anniversary
then do it!
but I know you can't afford it
take her out to a nice restaurant
I know you can't have
pillars of silver
in your
chariot
so what do you do?
maybe buy her some silver earrings
maybe buy her a gold ring
maybe buy her something that's not going to
completely break your wallet
but listen, celebrate your wedding anniversary
it should be a day of joy
a day of celebration
proclaim your love to other people
when you're going out
leave the kids to your parents
and say hey parents
it's my anniversary
can I leave my kids with you guys for a little while
so I can just go out and celebrate
and have a great time with my wife
husbands, wives
please celebrate your wedding anniversary
let me tell you about a day
I was working a day once and we had a very long
shift, we would start the day
at 7am because we also serviced
customers in
New Zealand, in Auckland
and they're always like 2 hours ahead of us
like in the eastern coast
so we would have a
ross
ross time would start at 7am
then we would have a late shift as well
they would go as far as 8.30
and that's because we serviced
customers in Western Australia
and they can be 2 or 3 hours depending on daylight savings
different to
the eastern coast of Australia as well
so we had these shifts and it was my time
to work the morning shift
so I was there from 7 o'clock
and then I would go home by 2.30
and I liked working the morning shift
because you can go home earlier
you've got the day to enjoy
and then
my work colleague
who came for the late shift
came in
weeping, upset, angry
and I'm like what's wrong
what's the issue
and she goes I just had an argument with my husband
this and that, don't worry about it
I was like alright, and then she goes actually
I'll just tell you
today's our wedding anniversary
and my husband wants to go out and celebrate
but I told him I've got my late shift
I've got to work, we can celebrate on the weekend
why do we have to celebrate today?
and she was kind of like bagging at her husband
for trying to celebrate their wedding anniversary
and I kind of
rebuked her
I said well look, if I was your husband
I would be mad as well
it's your wedding anniversary
it ought to be the day of the gladness of your heart
this ought to be the best day
in your calendar
if you knew this is your wedding anniversary
why don't you take the late shift?
alright, you should be going out with your husband
I understand that he's mad
you're the one that's in the wrong here
it's your wedding anniversary
so I said to her look
I'll work your late shift
I meant to leave at 2.30
you leave at 2.30
you go out with your husband
you guys have a good time
celebrate your wedding please
and I'll work the late shift
so there I was, starting from 7 o'clock all the way to 8.30pm at night
doing a 13 and a half hour shift
you say why did you do that pastor?
I wasn't a pastor back then
but I know what the Bible teaches about weddings
marriages, they're so important
families, celebrating your wedding anniversary
you must do it
next day she comes back
happy, rejoicing
had a great time, thank you for covering my shift
and then I said okay, now you owe me these many hours
I'm leaving early one day
and you've got to make up my hours now
but listen, I'm glad that took place
I'm glad that I could help at least
enrich that wedding for a period of time
because the wedding anniversary is so important
even the King of Israel celebrates it
even the King of Israel gets excited
makes a nice chariot
make his wife
goes and shows off his wife
and his love
to all of Jerusalem
so men, celebrate your wedding anniversary
the other thing you notice in verse 11
it says
go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, behold
King Solomon with the crown
so he's travelling in his chariot with a crown
he's got a crown
of course he's got a crown as a king
but this crown is important
it says, with the crown wherewith
he found him in the day of his espousals
so this crown
isn't just his kingly crown
it's a special crown given to him by his mother
on the day that he got married
now again men, we don't have that crown
but most of us
at least have this
that's pretty much my golden crown
this represents
the day of my espousals
my wedding ring
I've lost this ring so many times
thank God I've always found it
and I get really upset when I lose it
and I don't know where it is
I've lost it for months on end
I think I've lost it once
even for over a year potentially
and I think it was just
in a couch
just sitting at the bottom of the couch somewhere
but
men, I guess what I'm trying to say
and ladies as well
put on your wedding ring
and look, I don't like to wear jewellery normally
the reason I lose it so much
is because I just don't like jewellery in my hands
and so when I'm home I take it off
and I try to put it away in my drawer
or I forget, I put it on a table
and then comes the little fingers and they grab it
and it disappears
but every time I go out
I want to make sure I've got that crown
of my espousals
on, I've got my wedding ring on
why is that so important?
because any lady that looks at me
not that I think I'm great or anything like that
but anyone that looks at me can say hey, this is the married man
and look, he takes his marriage seriously
doesn't look, whether I have it on or not
I'm still married
but by having it on
I'm showing that I'm serious about my marriage
I'm not looking for anyone else
this means I'm not interested
I'm not looking for any other partner
and King Solomon made sure when he went out
he had his crown of espousals
because look, I'm a married man
I'm happy about my wedding
I'm rejoicing on my wedding anniversary
alright Brevin
as I said to you, the title for the sermon was
I sought him
his wife loved King Solomon
she wanted to be with him
she wanted to spend time with him
and you can see, again in this chapter
not very long, you can see some great principles
that we can take
the wedding ring
the celebration of the wedding anniversary
the bodyguards
the security, the safety
that men we ought to give to our wives
and we also learnt how our bodies do not belong to us
but they belong to our spouse
my body belongs to my wife
my wife's body belongs to me
and this is how God created marriage to be
alright Brevin, let's pray