Christ Loves His Bride. She was not stylish, and palace etiquette was to her an unknown art. Nor did her occupation as a farm girl mark her for any special honor. She spoke of being befriended by the king. What vain delusions! they all thought. But the king really did come to see this lowly Shulamite maiden. He brought her into his banqueting house and showered her with love. Why did the king choose her over polished society girls?
The answer lay in the maid's deep capacity to appreciate her king's love. His very name to her was as ointment poured forth, his fellowship sweeter than the rarest perfume, his fruit delectable to her taste, his voice more alluring than the songs of 10,000 suitors. Nothing could satisfy the maiden besides the joy of his company.
The king's friendship changed her looks and demeanor. No longer drab, she now appeared all glorious within, radiant with the beauty of holiness. Her garments were of no ordinary texture or weave. Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, she bore a banner inscribed with a message that made holy those who read it and believed.
The story is told in the Song of Solomon. It can be viewed as an allegory of Christ's love for His bride, the church. This week's lesson introduces us to that beautiful relationship.