First Things First. The Song of Solomon is a beautiful story of the relationship between a bridegroom (Solomon) and his bride (the Shulamite woman), AND it is a beautiful picture of the relationship between The Bridegroom (Jesus Christ) and His Bride (The Church).  This week, as I was reading the story again, my attention settled on two verses: “The king has brought me into his chambers” (SoS 1:4) and “He brought me to the banqueting house” (SoS 2:4).  The “chambers” are what we call today the bedroom and indicates a place of intimacy.  The “banqueting house” is the place where wine flows and there is great celebration.  We mustn’t miss the sequence of these events – first, the private place (chambers), then the public place (banqueting house).  This is a stark reminder for us that before we spend time with Christ in public, we must spend time with Him in private.  When we rise in the morning, we must spend time with Christ privately before we interact publicly with others.  When we come to public worship on Sunday, we must come having spent time in private fellowship with Christ throughout the week.  Our Lord and Savior modeled this in His own life (Mar 1:35); how could you and I do any less?  Let us recommit ourselves to private communion and public celebration!