A look at what I learned and struggled with during this reading of Song of Solomon.

Song of Solomon concludes with a spring rendezvous and the couple together once and for all. Now that the drama of the wedding has passed, the couple is free to enjoy each other's company and begin their life together.

After the wedding, the couple is once again separated and searching for each other. In between the compliments and longing, we can find much symbolism and meaning.

What's the most exciting and important part of a relationship? Did you guess the wedding? The middle of Song of Solomon gives us front row access to the marriage of a couple deeply in love with each other, with the intent of reminding us of our own upcoming marriage to Christ. It's pretty powerful, if you ask me.

To understand Song of Solomon 3—well Song of Solomon in general, to be honest—it's nice to understand the customs of a Jewish marriage ceremony. The first half of chapter 3 shows us someone who is distraught that their lover is not with them and goes off to find them. I'm fairly certain that the speaker in these verses is the woman, but don't take my word on that.

So, it's official: Jay-Z cheated on Beyoncé. We already knew this, but we didn't know this until Jay-Z confirmed it in his interview with the NY Times. Hearing the confirmation that Jay-Z did in fact cheat on Beyoncé made me stop to think about cheating—or what the Bible refers to as adultery—in a general sense. As I pondered the issue this past week, I started thinking on all the complexities and went searching for a Biblical answer. I'm not here to speculate on or judge their situation. However I do want to talk about the general question of staying versus leaving after cheating has occurred. As you'll see, this isn't a post on what people should do, just some thoughts I had has I pondered the question and read people's two cents about Beyoncé's decision online.

Reading Song of Solomon is kind of like watching a period love story. I imagine if it were made into a movie, it would look like a Shakespearean play... The second section of Song of Solomon features a conversation between the young lovers that centers on enjoying a spring day together. Once again we see significance for our literal love lives, as well as, significance for our spiritual lives.

The first two chapters of Song of Solomon introduce us to the leading lady and her lover. Solomon switches from her point of view to his point of view throughout the book, making it important to constantly re-evaluate who is speaking to whom as we read. Within these first chapters we find much inspiration and many lessons that apply to our own lives today.

Song of Solomon is beautiful poetry. This book reminds us of why love and marriage is so beautiful! Solomon was the wisest man to live, yet he took the time to compose such beautiful poetry. He knew that the beauty of love is to be appreciated. Although we don't know the time period between Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes, love remains one of the few things Solomon never calls a waste of time or "vanity."

People are always writing think pieces about what women are doing wrong. Whether you're Black, educated, Christian, or whatever, there's a think piece dedicated to telling you what you're doing wrong in dating. I've always been of the mind that being single isn't a bad thing. Paul confirms that some people are meant to spend their lives focused on God rather than on another human being. But for those who are meant to marry, and are following God it's important to remember that He's going to steer you away from the unnecessary.

Bathsheba was a young woman just trying to stay clean, when David's wandering eyes got both of them into trouble. The hidden lesson in this passage confronts the double standard for men and women concerning sex.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? --1 John 4:20 KJV

Isaiah 54:5, Isaiah 62:5, Jeremiah 2:2, Ezekiel 16, Hosea 2:16-20, Ephesians 5:25-27, Matthew 25, John 3:28-29, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:7-9, Revelation 21:9 Let's break down the analogy of "The Bride of Christ," how it relates to us personally, and how it can answer our questions about our relationship with Jesus.