September 17, 2023
Wedding Plans
- Matt Nickoson
Sermon Notes
"A fine wedding is pricey, but a fine marriage is priceless." – Dr. David Jeremiah, What the Bible Says About Love, Marriage, and Sex
Song of Songs 3:6 NIV
Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?
Song of Songs 3:7 NIV
Look! It is Solomon's carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel,
Carriage = "mittah" (מִטָּה) = a couch or a bed.
Song of Songs 3:8 NIV
All of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night.
The groom is going out of his way to make sure his soon-to-be bride feels safe.
Genesis 2:18 NIV
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Helper Suitable = ezer kə·neḡ·dōw
Genesis 2:19-20 NIV
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Genesis 2:21-22 NIV
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Genesis 2:23 NIV
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."
Genesis 2:24 NIV
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Genesis 2:25 NIV
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Genesis 3:16 NIV
To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
"Eve is deceived...and rather easily, as my friend Jan Meyers points out. In The Allure of Hope, Jan says, "Eve was convinced that God was withholding something from her." Not even the extravagance of Eden could convince her that God's heart is good. "When Eve was [deceived], the artistry of being a woman took a fateful dive into the barren places of control and loneliness." Now every daughter of Eve wants to "control her surroundings, her relationships, her God." No longer is she vulnerable; now she will be grasping. No longer does she want simply to share in the adventure; now she wants to control it. And as for her beauty, she either hides it in fear and anger, or she uses it to secure her place in the world. "In our fear that no one will speak on our behalf or protect us or fight for us, we start to recreate both ourselves and our role in the story. We manipulate our surroundings so we don't feel so defenseless." Fallen Eve either becomes rigid or clingy. Put simply, Eve is no longer simply inviting. She is either hiding in busyness or demanding that Adam come through for her; usually, an odd combination of both." - John and Stasi Eldredge, Captivating
1 Peter 3:7 NIV
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Men, are you honoring your bride in your words and actions toward her, and also privately when she is not in the room?
Song of Songs 3:9 NIV
King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Carriage = “appiryon” (אַפִּרְיוֹן) a sedan, litter, palanquin
Song of Songs 3:10 NIV
Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior inlaid with love. Daughters of Jerusalem,
Song of Songs 3:11 NIV
come out, and look, you daughters of Zion. Look on King Solomon wearing a crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.