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.

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.

When we read any book, we usually identify with the hero. the Bible is no different. We always think we would make the right choice. We think that put in the same situations as people like the young rich man of Matthew 19, we would make the right decision... But would we? Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

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."

In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon reminds us of how much better life is with two (or more) people, rather than one. Friendship is the one trait, Solomon never writes off as vanity, which means it must be worth a lot! Before jumping into friendship, Solomon discusses power and watching the evils of the world.

The last two chapters of Ezra deal with an admission of sin and how the community will repent of that sin.

1 Chronicles' treatment of David after his anointing through his crowning as king of Israel.

All great rulers have a weakness, these verses tell us Solomon's.

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.

These chapters mostly discuss the success of David. These successes include capturing of the ever-controversial city, Jerusalem, moving the ark, and upholding his promise to Jonathan. Also discussed is the rift that suddenly emerges between David and his first wife, Michal. Finally, we see a semi-messianic prophecy from the prophet Nathan.

Samuel dies, David seeks help from an old ally, and we learn about 2 of David's wives.

Saul becomes jealous of David and attempts to kill him. This post covers those attempts, the help of David's supporters, and David's reaction.

The book of Ruth is about so much more than just marriage.

More information on how priests were to behave is given in Leviticus 21 and 22.

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.