Song of Songs 3:9-10
King Solomon made himself a carriage
from the wood of Lebanon.
He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Tag: Character Fosters Love
In this love letter we are reading the thoughts of two people in love. In the above verses we are reading from a section where the bride is admiring her lover. Specifically she is enamored with the mans skills and craftsmanship. This might seem as odd lines in a love poem. But, perhaps not. In the passage we are not just reading about Solomon’s craftsmanship. It is doubtful that a man of Solomon’s wealth and position actually made the “carriage” that is being described in the verse (the word for “carriage” could also be translated as a “royals chair”). The point of her admirations is not what is being made, but rather how it is made/designed and what that says about the character of the designer. Solomon is a master craftsman. Note the design and the beauty of his piece. She has fallen in love with a man who shows meticulous work. He has an eye for beauty. He has a desire for excellence. Solomon does not simply do things to just get by. These are the qualities that attracted her to him. The description is not as much about the product he made as it shows her observations about his life. In much of this love poem, The Song of Songs, we read about the physical attraction the two have. And, physical attraction is certainly part of the loving process for two lovers (Song of Songs proves that God designed that aspect of our lives). But, in this small portion of the book we are more seeing the inward character of the man she is loving. We might learn from this section. We are not simply going through life doing “things.” We are not simply characters doing projects. In reality, our projects reveal our character. Love should be created by many different aspects of our lives. Physical attraction is one of those. Inward character is another. When we see the work product of others it tells us a lot about their character. What’s in the well comes up on the bucket. Or, in this case, what’s in the well comes up in the beauty of the carriage. Character matters and you can see the character of a man by watching his actions and product of his life. Good product, great character. Bad product, bad character.
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