King Solomon wrote this Song of Songs, which means “The Greatest of All Songs,” for his marriage to a woman known only as “The Shulammite.” It is expressed in beautiful terms, and the love of each for the other is evident. Christian husbands and wives can learn to value and honor one another the way the king and his bride honor one another in the Song.
But what is more, the Song depicts the relationship of God to His people Israel, which is frequently depicted in terms of a marriage. As St. Paul wrote (Eph. 5:25-26), “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…” But Israel was repeatedly unfaithful, and God repeatedly had to come after them again with his grace. In this, the Song of Songs also becomes a picture of the relationship of Christ, the Bridegroom, to his Bride, the Church.
So here, in our text, the Shulammite and her Bridegroom are in what we would call courtship. They aren’t married, but they long for each other. The Shulammite is longing for her Bridegroom, and she described as seeking Him.
