7-3-3 Psalm 45

Despite  all  the  self-deception  and the fact that Solomon was caused to lose his faith by this girl, the whole relationship is typical  of  that  between  Christ  and  the church. Psalm 45 is quoted  in  the  New Testament concerning the marriage of Christ and the church, and yet this has at least some reference to that of   Solomon  and  Miss  Egypt  (as  well  as  to  Hezekiah  and Hephzibah).  Psalm 45  is  subtitled  " A  song of loves" , using the Hebrew  word 'Jedidah', the name of Solomon (2 Sam. 12:25). There are  many  links  between  Psalm 45  and  the  Song of Solomon. The wedding appeared highly spiritual, it seemed as if Solomon would reign  for  ever  (Psalm 45 v.6), and his wife undertook to forsake Egypt and  her  father's  home (Psalm 45 v.10).  

The Psalm has many allusions to Joseph,  who  also  married  an  Egyptian wife (see the links in Psalm 45 v.2,4,5,7,10,14  NIV,  16).  So  we  can  see  the way Solomon's half-spiritual  mind  was  working:  Joseph, peerless servant of Yahweh that he was, married an Egyptian girl, and their children were  given  the  great  blessing  of being counted as tribes of Israel;  so  what  on earth was wrong with marrying an Egyptian? However,  there  is  another  way  of  looking  at Psalm 45. It was evidently  written  by  someone for Solomon; the writer commands the  wife  to forget her father's house. There is good reason to think  that  Psalm 45 was written by Solomon's mother Bathsheba and recited  at  his  engagement  party,  when she crowned him again (Song 3:11).  

Prov. 31  was  also  written  by  Bathsheba  as advice to her son Lemuel (Solomon). In it she seems to be rebuking Solomon for his ways:  " What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to them that destroy kings (i.e. women and adultery;  surely this was said with a sideways glance at her own relationship with David)" (Prov. 31:3 RVmg). While Solomon was still  quite  young,  i.e. within the lifetime of Bathsheba, she rebuked  him  for  his  wayward  tendencies.  Prov. 31 goes on to describe the ideal wife for Solomon; exactly the opposite of the women  Solomon married. We are left to imagine Bathsheba's grief of  mind,  especially  recalling  her husband's special pride in Solomon.  This was not just a case of protective mother checking out  Solomon's  girlfriends  in a disapproving manner. She knew, through  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit  as  well  as her own personal  experience, the seriousness of messing with women. And she could see her ever so spiritual son going wrong in this. Her warnings  in  the  same  chapter  against  alcohol were likewise totally   disregarded   by  Solomon  in  his  later  search  for fulfilment  in  the  flesh  (Ecc. 2:3).  His  alcoholism likewise contradicted his own earlier condemnations of drink as being for the  unwise  (e.g.  Prov. 20:1).  Thus by turning to drink he was throwing  off  his  former  wisdom, even though his access to it remained  with him (Ecc. 2:9; cp. 'But I still believe the Truth, you know'). She pleads with him not to drink  lest he “pervert the judgment of any that is afflicted” (:5). And yet on his death, the complaints about his hard oppression of the people indicate that he did just this (due to his taking to drink, according to Prov. 31?). And yet Prov. 31 has Solomon praising his mother for her wisdom; he was proud of his mum, and yet he so miserably disobeyed her. He seems to have a mindset in which he felt it was impossible for him to be disobedient. The all important thing for him was who his parents and pedigree were.  

So  here  was  Solomon,  brought  up  in the Truth by parents as devoted  to  God as could be, yet (one can guess) both outgoing, balanced  and  with a good sense of fun in family life. Here was Solomon,  loving the Truth, deeply appreciating the ways of God, and  yet  throwing  it  all away by jut not facing up to his own weakness,   not   seeing   the  urgency  of  his  position,  the seriousness  of sin. Here was Solomon, dead keen on preaching to others,  on  inspiring  Israel to be spiritual, discouraging the youngsters  from  messing  with  the  girls from the surrounding nations,  fulfilling as few others had done God's intention that Israel  be a missionary nation, spreading His principles far and wide.  

But  he failed, utterly failed, to even begin to apply all these things  to  his own heart. There are copious connections between Solomon's  writings:  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes  and the Song; and also  between  then and the historical record of his life. These serve  to demonstrate how he clearly contradicted the principles of  the Gospel which he taught both to Israel and the world. One of  the  clearest  examples  of  this  is in Prov. 7:16,17, which describes the bed of the strange (i.e. Gentile) woman with which she  allures  the simple young Israelite: " I have decked my bed with  coverings  of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of  Egypt.  I  have  perfumed  my  bed  with  myrrh,  aloes, and cinnamon" .  Yet  these  are  the  very  descriptions  of the bed Solomon  shared  with  Miss Egypt (Song 3:6-10). The young man's heart  was made to go astray because of her (Prov. 7:25), and her house  led him to death (Prov. 7:27). Miss Egypt caused Solomon's heart  to  go astray (1 Kings 11:1-4), he built her a house, and her house became an idol temple which destroyed Solomon's faith. Yet  Solomon  warned  the  young men of Israel all about this in Prov. 7; and he even pointed out that such a woman would have all the  outward  trappings  of  Yahweh  worship; she would claim an enthusiasm  for  keeping  peace  offerings and vows (Prov.7:14). Solomon  was  the  young  man  whose picture he was painting. In Ecc. 9:12  he  says  that he suffered the fate of all men in that soon  he would die, he would suddenly be caught like a bird in a snare,  although  he knew not his time. These are the very ideas of  Prov. 7:23  concerning the snaring of the simple young man by the  Gentile woman: " As a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life" .