Your neck is like the tower of David, built with courses of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. – Song of Songs 4:4

Today's Scripture Reading (December 2, 2022): Song of Songs 4

Kemmons Wilson decided to build a motel after being disappointed by the poor accommodations for his family on a trip between Memphis, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. He believed travelers wanted a good place to stay, making the endeavor profitable. And so, Wilson hired an architect and began to build his hotel. Eddie Bluestein, Wilson's architect, made a joke; Wilson should call the new motel "The Holiday Inn," a reference to a movie that had been released a decade earlier starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Apparently, Wilson agreed, and "The Holiday Inn" chain of hotels was born. Likely, most of us don't even remember the movie "Holiday Inn," although we do remember the remake of the movie titled "White Christmas." The main difference between the two movies is that "White Christmas" is a musical which "Holiday Inn" was not, although both movies featured the song "White Christmas."

It is an interesting phenomenon when a fictional place or a historical memory becomes real. The name "Enterprise" has been used for centuries to represent several ships. But when the Space Shuttle Enterprise was launched, it was not a nod to all the historical ships that had carried that name; it was a nod to a more famous, albeit fictional, starship called 'Enterprise." The starship Enterprise roamed the stars, bearing such captains as James T. Kirk and Jon Luc Picard. What was once fictional had become real. If we do develop more space-faring vehicles in the next few decades as we attempt to plant colonies on the moon or Mars, or even begin to mine the asteroid belt for needed minerals, then I predict there will be at least one more Enterprise in our future. 

We don't know much about "The Tower of David." There is a Tower of David in Jerusalem, but it was built less than eight hundred years ago. It was built on the ruins of another tower, also named after David. However, the earliest fortification built in that spot was constructed when the city was rebuilt following the Babylonian Exile. And that tower was named after this verse in the "Song of Songs."

There was an original tower; we just don't know much about it. But Solomon knew the original tower and compared his bride to that building. It is not that she had a long neck, but ancient civilizations believed the posture of the neck reflected the person's character. A bowed neck revealed humiliation, and a stiff neck indicated stubbornness. But neither is reflected in the neck of Solomon's bride. Dr. Craig Glickman notes that;

The tower of David was a military fortress of the nation. The country depended upon the faithfulness and integrity of that fortress. And it must have been very reassuring to loop upon that awesome stronghold, displaying as it did all the shields of war. The people had a healthy respect for it. Therefore, when the king likens the neck of his bride to the fortress, he is paying her a great compliment. The way she carries herself reflects an integrity and character that breeds a healthy respect from all who see her.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 5