Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. Then he constructed the supporting terraces. (1 Kings 9:24 NLT)
Solomon must have loved his wife very much. He built an entire palace just for her! Of course, the marriage was a political move, ensuring that Pharaoh would not attack from Egypt. (He wouldn’t attack Israel with his own daughter living there.)
Solomon clearly thought romantically, though. The Song of Solomon, a book in the Bible, is a romantic play/poem written by Solomon. Some of the imagery doesn’t make sense to us today, but other parts are crystal clear even to current-day readers.
Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine. How fragrant your cologne; your name is like its spreading fragrance. No wonder all the young women love you! (Song of Solomon 1:2-3 NLT)
Solomon was a romantic. He loved his wife. Romance and marriage, however, are not some secret we need to hide from God. Sometimes it seems like we think we do. We forget that romance was God’s idea. We forget that God designed us as sexual beings – male and female. We forget that marriage is God’s design for romance, sexuality, and companionship.
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. (Genesis 2:24 NLT)
All too often, though, when we try to separate romance from God we are actually trying to hide our romantic actions from God. We don’t want God to know the way we are living out this part of our design. Solomon understood that romance was from God. That’s why he included a warning in his “song” of romance.
Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right...my vineyard is mine to give… (Song of Solomon 8:4, 12a NLT)
How about you? Do you try to hide your romantic life from God? Or, do you recognize that romance and marriage are gifts from God?
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