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OT10.9 Song of Songs: A Wedding Song ©Beverly Wilson 2020

Unit 10: Books of Poetry OT10.9 Song of Songs: A Wedding Song

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:1-8

Lesson Goal: Song of Songs is a book written by King Solomon about the love in a marriage that honors God. This lesson shows us how the love of a husband and wife pictures God's love for his people.

Introduction: The wisest man who ever lived was King Solomon. God gave him a special gift of wisdom. Solomon wrote three books in the Old Testament--Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. In these books Solomon gives practical rules for living wisely.

Song of Songs is in the third group of books in the Old Testament called Poetry. Let's say the Books of Poetry in the Old Testament: Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.

Attention Getter: “A Wedding” Have you ever been to a wedding? Maybe you got to be the flower girl at someone in your family's wedding? Did you get to wear a very pretty dress and drop rose petals? Or, perhaps you were the ring bearer and got to carry the rings for the groom? The rings might have been a treasure box or on a satin pillow. You probably had to dress up in s suit like the groom! A wedding is a beautiful time when a man and wife express their love for one another. Did you know that the Bible has a book about the love in a wedding? It is called the Song of Songs

Opening Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for giving to us the book of Song of Songs to teach us about your great love for us. We thank you for creating us to love others like you love us. Help us to look forward to the time that we will be in heaven as your Bride. Help us to share the gospel with others so they too can know the power of your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is 1 John 4:11 "Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/EBt7r0YcrfQ

The Song of Songs was written by King Solomon. It is a songbook about a wedding and tells about the love in a marriage that honors God. The wedding is also a picture of how much God loves his people. In the book Solomon sings a song that tells about his love as the groom for his bride. King Solomon was marrying a beautiful woman from Israel called a Shulammite. She was a peasant girl who owned a vineyard.

King Solomon often visited various parts of his kingdom. One day as he visited some royal vineyards in the north, he came upon a beautiful peasant woman tending the vines. He surprised her so she ran away from him. But King Solomon saw how beautiful she was and he did not forget her! Later King Solomon disguised himself as a shepherd. He returned to the vineyards and won her love. Then he revealed his true identity and asked her to return to the palace in Jerusalem and become his wife. The wedding took place in the woman's garden and in the king's palace. Solomon and his beloved bride are being married in the palace as the book begins.

The Song of Songs is a series of seven poems. These poems tell about Solomon first meeting the Shulammite woman, their engagement, their wedding, and their love after the marriage. The poem has three characters or groups of characters. There is the bride or beloved, King Solomon the lover, and the "friends." Each character or characters describe the beauty and love in a marriage.

https://youtu.be/EBt7r0YcrfQ

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A wedding is a great event. It all begins with a man and woman who love each other and want to spend their lives together. Here is a picture of Joe and me at our wedding.

The wedding begins when the man asks the woman to marry him. If she says yes, they agree upon a date to have their wedding.

Here is a picture of Joe and me when he asked me to marry him. I was so excited because I loved him very much! We had lots to do to get ready for the big day. We were married at First Baptist Church in Augusta Kansas. I worked very hard to sew all the dresses for my bridesmaids and flower girl. I also had a ring bearer and little flower girl too! It was a beautiful day! I had a beautiful long white dress with lots of lace ruffles. I wore a white tiara with a veil. Joe looked very handsome too in his white sports coat and bow tie! We had a beautiful cake for the reception. We cut the cake and shared a piece. Then all the guests got to eat cake too! And I had a lovely bouquet of flowers! It was a wonderful wedding! Just like the story of King Solomon and his bride, we too had a beautiful wedding.

The poem in Song of Songs is also giving us a picture of Jesus' love for the church. We who are the believers in the church represent the bride and Jesus represents the groom. Someday the church who is the bride of Christ will be united or married to the groom Jesus Christ. This event is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the book of Revelation.

This picture shows the bride of Christ--the church. The church is made up of all the people from all over the world who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Because we have believed in Jesus, we are part of the body of the church. So we are the bride of Jesus! The groom represents Jesus Christ. He is waiting to be met by the body of believers.

You can see how much the groom loves his bride by the way he is looking at her. This is the first time he sees her all dressed up in her beautiful white gown, ready to be married. The groom is filled with love. He knows the church has been made pure and has been set aside to become his and his alone. The church, or those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, belongs to Jesus Christ. He died for us. We will someday be with Christ in Heaven.

This is also the first time the bride will see the groom all dressed up in his wedding clothes. The bride is filled with love. They are in love with each other. Jesus Christ loves us and we should love him!

It is a great moment of excitement in a wedding because everyone is happy that the bride and groom are in love! The Song of Songs describes Jesus as the bride groom who loves us!

We can see what people look like because we have pictures. But we do not know what God looks like. This is just a drawing of what someone thinks Jesus must look like. He does not have a human body. The Song of Songs gives us a picture of what Jesus Christ our Lord looks like through His character.

At the wedding reception all the friends and family of the bride and groom come to celebrate. They cut the cake and hear speeches from the best man, the bridesmaid who is the Maid of Honor, friends, and the parents of both the bride and groom.

Since we are studying about the coming wedding of Jesus Christ we are going to hear some testimonies from people who want to honor Him. These statements come from the Bible and most from the Song of Songs, chapter 5. Let's listen to what is said about our bridegroom Jesus.

Best Man: "I am grateful to Jesus Christ and I want to praise Him because of His greatness. This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us. We also ought to love one another. I want to praise Him because He is pure, strong, healthy, and He stands out in a crowd. Everyone is impressed by His presence."

Bridesmaid: "I want to praise Him because He is God and He never changes. I am thankful that He is always in control. That means I can count on Him to keep His promises."

Friend: "He is beautiful to me, because I love Him. His face is beautiful. Those who do not know Him cannot see that beauty in Him but I do. I am encouraged because He is gracious and tender in His

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speech. I am covered in His love and I live by His grace. Jesus Christ expresses His special love and grace to me."

Bride's Mother: “Jesus is superior in strength. His legs are strong and able to bear all the weight of the government that will be upon His shoulders. He will never fail. He is kind and loving Bridegroom, mighty and strong. He stands out in His excellence and greatness. He stands before us as our Savior, Shepherd, and Ruler!"

Bride's Father: “Jesus Christ uses sweet words. The words of His mouth are most sweet for every Christian. He has said that He will give us rest, and that no one will ever take us away from Him. He is preparing a place in Heaven for us and He will give us peace. What comfort and assurance His words give us!

All these things that the people said are the descriptions given of Jesus Christ in the Song of Songs and throughout the Bible. He is our Bridegroom! He cannot be compared to any other! He is special, one of a kind, the most excellent One! We learn from the Bible that "He is altogether lovely." This is our beloved. This is our Friend! He is ours! Jesus is our Savior and we are so glad that He is!

A familiar song that we often sing has words that are taken from Song of Songs 2:4. It is called "His Banner over Me is Love." Listen to the words and think about the time when Jesus will be our Bridegroom! “The Lord is mine, And I am His. His banner over me is love. His banner over me is love. He brought me to His banqueting table. His banner over me is love. His banner over me is love. Jesus is the Rock of my Salvation. His banner over me is love. His banner over me is love.

Let’s pray. Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for giving to us the book of Song of Songs to teach us about your great love for us. We thank you for creating us to love others like you love us. Help us to look forward to the time that we will be in heaven as your Bride. Help us to share the gospel with others so they too can know the power of your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Remember God loves us!

Review Questions: “Hang Man” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: This activity helps students to recognize and spell key concept words from the lesson as they answer review questions about the lesson. Preparation: You will need a large dry erase board and dry markers. Draw the Hangman gallows. Key words to use for this game include: vineyard, wedding, bride, groom, wedding cake, preacher or minister, flowers, veil, ring, banquet, music, dancing, candles, etc. Procedure: Divide the group into two teams. Each of the teams must correctly answer one of the review questions below. If the team answers correctly, they may guess a letter that is in the key word. Have the students on each team to play a game similar to Hangman. Draw blank lines for each letter in key word. Students are to guess the letters of the alphabet. Print the correct letters on the appropriate blank letters. Print an incorrect letter to the side of the blank lines and add another feature to the man. Student who correctly guesses the word wins 10 points for their team.

1. Who is the wisest man who ever lived? (The wisest man who ever lived was King Solomon.) 2. What books did Solomon write? (Solomon wrote three books in the Old Testament--Proverbs,

Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.) 3. What is the Song of Songs about? (It is a songbook about a wedding and tells about the love in a

marriage that honors God) 4. Why did King Solomon write the book of Song of Songs? (He wrote the song to tell about his love

as the groom for his bride. It was also a picture of God’s love for the church.)

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5. Who did King Solomon marry and where did she live? (King Solomon was marrying a beautiful woman from Israel called a Shulammite. She was a peasant girl who owned a vineyard.)

6. How did King Solomon meet his new bride? (King Solomon often visited various parts of his kingdom. One day as he visited some royal vineyards in the north, he came upon a beautiful peasant woman tending the vines. He surprised her so she ran away from him.)

7. How did King Solomon win the heart of the young beautiful woman? (King Solomon saw how beautiful she was and he did not forget her! Later King Solomon disguised himself as a shepherd. He returned to the vineyards and won her love. Then he revealed his true identity and asked her to return to the palace in Jerusalem and become his wife.)

8. How does the Book of Song of Songs begin? (Solomon and his beloved bride are being married in the palace as the book begins. The wedding took place in the woman's garden and in the king's palace.)

9. What are some things that might happen at a wedding? (The bride dresses in white. The groom is all dressed up in a suit. The bride and groom exchange vows. The bride has bridesmaids and the groom has groomsmen. There might be a flower girl and ring bearer. Everyone has beautiful flowers. The ceremony is followed by a big celebration. There is music and dancing. The bride and groom have a special wedding cake.)

10. Who do the bride and groom in the Song of Songs represent? (The poem in Song of Songs is also giving us a picture of Jesus' love for the church. We who are the believers in the church represent the bride and Jesus represents the groom. Someday the church who is the bride of Christ will be united or married to the groom Jesus Christ. This event is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the book of Revelation.)

11. Who makes up the church or the Bride of Christ? (The church is made up of all the people from all over the world who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Because we have believed in Jesus, we are part of the body of the church. So we are the bride of Jesus! The groom represents Jesus Christ. He is waiting to be met by the body of believers.)

12. What are some words of praise that are said about the bridegroom or Jesus at the wedding? (He is worthy of all our praise. He keeps His promises. God loves us and sent His Son Jesus to save us. He beautiful, kind, and strong. He is altogether lovely. He speaks with sweet words of love and kindness. His banner over us is love.)

13. What is our memory verse? (1 John 4:11 "Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another.")

14. What are some of the lessons we should learn from this lesson? (We should honor marriage as a gift from God. God loves the church like a groom loves his bride. We should love God like a bride loves the groom.)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Catch the Truth”

Our memory verse is 1 John 4:11 "Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another." Have students locate the verse in scripture and read aloud together several times.

Say: “This verse tells us that love began with God. He created us to love Him as well as others. God’s love was sacrificial because He sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior. We too are to love one another unselfishly.” Preparation: You will need a set of table tennis balls for each word of the memory verse, a marker board, and a dry erase marker for each team of players. Procedure: Write each word of the memory verse on individual table tennis balls and on the dry erase marker board. Make a set of balls for each team to have a complete memory verse with several blank balls.

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Form two teams of students. Give each team an equal number of the blank balls and a set of the memory verse balls. Line the teams up on opposite sides of the room. As long as there are an equal number of teammates on each side, it will work well for everyone to stand in random places. However no one is allowed to stand directly across from someone on the same team. Instruct the boys and girls to throw all the balls from both sides of the room, so everyone will scramble to catch as many as they can. Only those caught will count toward the team’s total. After all the balls are caught, the teams will determine which words of the memory verse were caught and mark them on the board. Continue throwing the balls until all the words in the memory verse are caught. The first team to catch all the words wins. Optional: You can use ping pong paddles to serve the balls if desired but you will need a larger space for students to play.

Group Learning Activity: “Wedding Traditions or Not?” (Grades 3-5) Preparations: Print the sheet of wedding traditions template below onto copy paper. Cut the strips apart. Fold the strips and place in a basket. Say: “Have you ever been to a wedding? If so, what did you see? (Discuss weddings the children attended.) Let’s see if you can tell whether some traditions for weddings around the world are real or not. We will take turns drawing a slip of paper from the basket and reading the statement aloud. If you believe the statement is true then give a “thumbs up” to the class. If you believe the tradition is false, then give a “thumbs down” to the class.” Procedure: Pass the basket of traditions around the class. Take turns having the children read aloud the “Traditions” statements. Invite the children to give a thumbs up or thumbs down. Here are the wedding traditions statements:

Couples in the country of Congo are not allowed to smile on their wedding day. If they smile, it means they are not serious about their decision to get married.

In France the bride and groom eat chocolate from a toilet bowl.

In Fiji, when a man asks a woman’s father if he can marry her, the man must give his future father-in-law a whale’s tooth.

In Norway, the bride traditionally wears a silver and gold crown with small charms on it.

In Russia, the bride and groom share a wedding bread. Whoever takes the biggest bite without using his/her hands is thought to be the head of the family.

In Pakistan, the bride’s sisters and female cousins make the groom take off his shoe. If he wants it back, he must pay money.

In the Philippines, the bride and groom must release make and female white doves. This represents a long happy life together.

In Germany a bride and groom are given a large log and a saw. They must work together to saw the log in half to prove they can work together to overcome anything.

Say: “All of the traditions are true. Different cultures and people groups may have different wedding traditions. But we all have one thing in common. God has given people the gift of marriage. We are called to respect what the Bible says about marriage. Someday, if you do get married, I hope that you will remember that marriage is a special relationship between a man and a woman. God expects married people to always show love and care for each other. God expects married people to be faithful to their commitment to each other. Love is a gift from God.”

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Group Learning Activity: "Wedding Photos" (Grades K-5) Preparation: Bring wedding photos of your own wedding, parents of students in your class, church leaders, or pastor and wife to class today and share them with your pupils. Procedure: Have students look at the photos and see if they can tell who the couple is. This activity can generate a lot of fun for the students especially if the couple has been married several years. Say: "In our lesson today we studied the wedding of King Solomon and his bride the Shulammite woman. They loved each other very much. Their love also represents the love that God has for His church, the Bride of Christ. God wants our earthly marriage to be one of love and sacrifice for one another. We are to love others like He loved us. Why do you think love is important in a marriage? (Love is patient and kind and will help us stay together during difficult times.) God has also said that Christians are to marry only Christians. Why do you think that is an important command? (God knows that will bring happiness in a family when they agree on the most important spiritual decision of following Jesus.) Discuss personal testimonies of couples who have prayed about who their lifelong partner will be. Optional: You might want to invite a Christian couple with a strong marriage to bring their wedding photos to show. Have them talk about what it means to have a strong Christian marriage and family. Ask them how they help each other follow God.

Group Learning Game Activity: Wedding Pictionary (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Write the names of people, objects, songs, and places from the story on 3x5 cards. Use words such as vineyard, wedding cake, kiss, bride, groom, wedding cake, preacher or minister, flowers, veil, ring, banquet, music, dancing, candles, etc. Procedure: Have one student at a time pick a card. The student will try and draw the word on the chalkboard, while other students guess what it is. You can divide the class into teams if you'd like, or simply award tokens to the first student to guess. Or do the drawing yourself and have the students guess.

Say: "In our lesson today we studied the wedding of King Solomon and his bride. They loved each other very much. The love between a husband and wife is used to picture the love that Jesus the Bridegroom has for his Bride, the church. Someday the church who is the bride of Christ will be united or married to the groom Jesus Christ. This event is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the book of Revelation.”

Group Learning Activity: “God’s Gift of Marriage” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To help students understand that marriage is a gift from God and our marriages ought to honor Him. Preparation: You will need Bibles, spiritual journal page, pencils or pens. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Song of Songs is a book written by King Solomon about the love in a marriage that honors God. The love of a husband and wife pictures God's love for his people. We are going to look at some scriptures that tell about God’s gift of marriage.

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Procedure: Have students look up the following scripture. Discuss the meaning of each verse with the group.

• Genesis 2:20-24 “So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the

wild animals. But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” God is the originator of marriage. He established the relationship of man and woman when He created Adam and Eve. He designed marriage as a picture of what man’s fellowship with God should be like. We are to love God like He loves us. Husbands and wives are to love one another and be committed to one another.

• Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.” One of the Ten Commandments is devoted to the relationship of marriage. Marriage is to be a lifelong commitment of one man and one woman. Just like God is faithful to us, we are to be faithful to one another in a marriage relationship. A couple committed to God and each other will experience the best relationship that God intended for marriage.

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s love for us was sacrificial. We are to have that same kind of love in marriage. We should be willing to sacrifice our desires for our partner in marriage.

• John 15: 9-13 “9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

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you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy

may be complete. 12

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We are to love one another as Jesus loved us. He loved us enough to give His life for us. We might not have to die for someone but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love by listening, helping, encouraging, and giving.

• 1 John 4:7-1 “7

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God,

because God is love. 9

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that

he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one

another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the

Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.

16 And so we know and rely on the love

God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because

fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19

We love because he first loved us.” The love in a marriage must begin with our relationship with God. We cannot know real love without knowing Him. A couple that is not fully committed to the one true God can never fully experience God’s best in their marriage relationship.

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no

record of wrongs. 6

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects,

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always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” These verses describe the characteristics of love. God wants us to love Him above all things, but He also wants us to love our families, friends, and other Christians. Christian marriages and families should demonstrate this kind of love toward one another.

Have students record what they have learned about God’s gift of marriage in their spiritual journals.

Challenge students to recite the names of the Books of the Old Testament without any assistance. Encourage them to practice saying the books of the Bible at home.

Craft Learning Activity: "Wedding Gifts" (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need cardboard gift boxes (one per student); wrapping paper; crayons, markers, paint, paint brushes, ribbon, tape; scissors Say: In this lesson we learned that King Solomon wrote a love song to his bride to tell of his love for her. In a marriage the love between a husband and wife is a picture of the love that Jesus the Bridegroom has for his bride the church. Today we are going to wrap gifts to help us remember how much God loves us.” Procedure: Have students wrap the boxes with paper like a wedding gift using tape to secure. Decorate the box to look like wrapping paper with wedding symbols such as brides, ribbons, hearts, flowers, rings, etc. Use ribbon to make bows to make the package extra special. Gift bags or sacks with handles can be used to decorate. Use jewels, glitter and even silk flowers. While students are working discuss ways that a marriage can honor God. Say: “God created the relationship of a husband and wife. They are to love and respect one another. They are to be willing to forgive each other. They are to have a deep companionship. We honor God when we have that kind of marriage. “Solomon understood that the love between married people was special and it helps us to understand how to love each other. Jesus showed us the deeper kind of unconditional love when He died on the cross to pay for our sin. We are to love one another life God has loved us.” Review the memory verse: 1 John 4:11 "Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another."

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Craft Learning Activity: “Fruit Stamped Serving Towels” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need plain linen or flour sack cotton hand towels (one per child), lemons or oranges, paper towels, various colors of fabric paint such as pink, yellow, or green, paint smocks, and news papers or a covering for the tabletop. Say: “Have any of you ever been to a wedding? What do you remember about the wedding? Did you stay for a reception and have cake and punch? Many times people give the bride and groom gifts. These gifts are usually things they can use as they begin living as husband and wife. Some common gifts are towels, sheets, dishes, and things to use in the kitchen. Let’s make a serving towel that a husband or wife could use in the kitchen.” Procedure: Have students put on smocks. Cover the work area with newspaper or a plastic table cloth. Distribute the towels and markers. Guide the children to cut the lemons or oranges in half. Blot the fruit half a few times on a paper towel to remove the juicy part. Brush the paint on the fruit half and then use as a stamp to decorate the towel. (See picture.) Don’t go heavy on the paint but use just enough to cover the whole lemon. If you brush on too much you will just get a big paint blob. Test out a few stamps on a paper towel to get the right amount of paint. Or, you can use fabric markers to write the words such as “love”, “joy”, “kindness”, etc. on the towel. Students can also use the markers to draw or decorate towels with pictures of fruits or vegetables or other foods. Encourage children to decorate around the words. Encourage the students to take their towel home and ask their parents if they can hang it in the kitchen as a reminder of how your family is show love for one another.

Craft Learning Activity: “Terra Cotta” Love Plague (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need Crayola Air Dry Clay called Terra Cotta available at craft and hobby stores. You also need plastic table cloth, small cups of water, plastic knives or craft stick, heart shaped cookie cutter, a rolling pin, water, paper clip, and tempera paint Say: ‘In this lesson we learned that King Solomon wrote a love song to his bride to tell of his love for her. In a marriage the love between a husband and wife is a picture of the love that Jesus the Bridegroom has for his bride the church. Today we are going to make a love plague that will help us remember to love one another like God loves us.” Procedure: Lay out a plastic table covering to protect the table. Distribute the balls of clay, bowls of water, and plastic knives or craft sticks to students. Have students use the rolling pin to roll the ball of clay to approximately 1/2” to 1” thick. Use the plastic knife to cut out a heart shape. You can use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut the heart if desired. Dip your finger in the water to smooth the surface of the clay heart. With the craft stick or plastic knife create a design on the heart. For example, you can put swirls or write the word, “Love.” To make the plague hang, insert a paper clip into the clay to form a hole to attach a cord when the plaque is dry. When dry the students may attach a cord to hang. Tie the cord with a slip knot at the edge of the heart. See photo. Say: “This plague heart reminds us of the very special commitment a couple makes to one another when they marry. Marriage is a promise of love. God wants us to love one another with the kind of sacrificial love He has for us.”

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Craft Learning Activity: “Q-Tip or Cotton Swab Flowers” Preparation: You will need Q-Tips or cotton swabs, scissors, Styrofoam ball, used plastic flower stems, hot glue gun, water based paint or food coloring, paint brushes, and a small bud vase or bottle for each student. Say: “In this lesson we learned that marriage should be a bond of love between a husband and wife. Love demonstrates itself in kind gestures. For example, a husband might give his wife flowers simply because he loves her and knows that she enjoys them. Giving flowers is a reminder of the loving things God does for us. We are going to make some craft flowers to give to someone as a reminder of God’s love for us.” Procedure: Have students use scissors to cut the Q-Tips in half. Allow the students to paint the balls and Q-Tips. Mix up some water and food coloring or water based poster paint. You can use aqua, orange, lavender, green, yellow or other spring color. Distribute a cup and Styrofoam ball to each student. Have students place the ball into the cup as support as they paint the ball. Rotate the ball so students can paint all sides of the ball. Next students are to paint the ends of the Q-Tips. Have students dip the tip of the Q-Tip or cotton swab in paint and then insert the non-painted end into the foam ball. Poke all the Q-Tips into the Styrofoam ball. The spacing of the Q-Tips can vary but too many in one area might weaken the structure. It is best to leave gaps as evenly spaced as possible, so the foam ball will hold the cotton swabs in place. Use the glue gun if necessary. If using food coloring, the color will lighten a little when drying so keep that in mind when you are mixing up your color. Roll the ball of Q-tips around in the food coloring until all the q-tips are evenly colored. Set the ball on a towel to dry. Snip the stems off some cheap plastic flowers. Keep the wire inside the stem. Poke the wire stem inside the ball. You may want to secure it with some hot glue. Display the flowers in a bud vase or small bottle. Encourage students to share who they would like to give their flowers to as an act of kindness and to show God’s love to us.

Life Application Challenge: “Love One Another” Say: “I know that you may not be thinking about who you will marry when you grow up. Someday, if you do get married, I hope that you will remember that marriage is a special relationship between a man and a woman. God expects married people to always show love and care for each other. God expects married people to be faithful to their commitment to each other. Love is a gift from God.” Have students think of someone that they can show love to this week. Have students share what act of love they will do to show them how much God loves us.

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Songs of Songs—A Wedding Song

1 John 4:11

"Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another."

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Describe a Woman with Similes A Song of Songs Activity for Kids

Read Song of Songs 4:1-4. Draw a woman’s face. Include her neck and hair. Draw the picture after you write the metaphors below. (For example if her hair is like goats, you should draw goats. If her hair is like a waterfall, you should make it blue and splashing.) Be creative and have fun with this activity.

Her eyes are like ___________________________________________________________.

Her nose is like _____________________________________________________________.

Her mouth is like ____________________________________________________________.

Her neck is like ______________________________________________________________.

Her hair is like _______________________________________________________________.

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ebt7r0ycrfq - storage.googleapis.com€¦ · shulammite woman, their engagement, their wedding, and...

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