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1 I am the rose of Sharon, and
the lily of the valleys. 2 As the lily among thorns, so is
my love among the daughters. (Song of
Solomon 2:1-2)
I am afraid many of my devotions overlap at many points over time; I consider
that to be acceptable since the Holy Scriptures, too, overlap in many points
over time. God is the Master Educator and He practices a very fundamental
principle of education: “Repetition enhances recall.” The more we hear a truth
repeated, the better and longer we will remember it. Unfortunately, the same
holds true for lies, and the world is quite adept at the constant reinforcement
of lies to our learning.
I have written before of the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valleys, but
each time I read the text in Song of Solomon, 2:1, I see even more of the
beauty that escaped my notice in the prior reading. So let us join minds and
hearts together to glean all that our frail intellects can gather from the
beauty and truth of these two simple metaphors for our Lord Jesus Christ.
We will approach the devotion in three parts: 1) The Rose of Sharon in its
beauty and sweetness as a likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ; 2) the Lily of the
Valleys as representative of the purity and ever-presence of Christ in our
Journey; and 3) the Lily as a likeness of the character of the church compared
with her Bridegroom.
The Rose of Sharon
Point of Interest: The Plain of Sharon extends along the coastal
and inland region of ancient Israel from Nazareth all the way down to Bethlehem
– quite a coincidence, don’t you think? Surprisingly to some, this is part of
southwest Asia making our Lord’s nativity of oriental, and not occidental,
origin. The Plain of Sharon is a fertile plain which is watered by the
warm air masses moving from the Mediterranean over the land mass of that
bordering Plain of Sharon. As the water-laden air is lifted by the rising
terrain, it is cooled and loses its moisture content. The countryside is dotted
with a variety of beautiful white, purple, red, or light blue flowers known as
the Rose of Sharon. The scientific classification of Rose of Sharon, also
called "althaea" or "althea," is Hibiscus
Syriacus. The red and purple Rose of Sharon is also known as Lil Kim
perhaps deriving that name from Korea where it is the National Flower
(Mugungwha).
The Rose of Sharon is, first of all, a flower of great beauty, and soothing to
both the eye and the smell. Its fragrance is sweet and subtle. Our Lord is
beautiful to behold in the eye of the believer, and His Gospel fragrance is a
sweet-smelling Savor to all who recognize it in the wilderness regions. Even
those who are physically blind, and who seek, are able to find the Rose of
Sharon simply based on following that fragrance to its source in the same way
that the physically blind may find Christ by knowing the sweet and wonderful
aroma of the Gospel which emits His character and nature. Fanny Crosby, a
blind, prolific hymn-writer, stands at the bar in wonderful testimony of that
truth.
The Rose of Sharon is not a cultivated, but rather common, flower of the Plain
of Sharon. Jesus Christ came among us as one like unto those for whom He came
to save and to redeem. He was not found by the Wise Men in a King’s Palace at
Jerusalem, but rather in a lowly dwelling-place in the little hamlet village of
Bethlehem. The Rose of Sharon, being a common plant of the Plain, was free for
the taking by the random passers-by. So is Christ available to all who hear His
Voice, respond to His Love, and know His Calling.
The Plain of Sharon, where this beautiful flower flourishes, was a place of
verdant pastureland for feeding of sheep. So is the Church, Bride of Christ, a
place of feeding and nourishment for the people of God. It was the area in
which David, of Bethlehem (City of David), fed his sheep. 29 And over the herds that
fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite. (1 Chron 27:29) So does the Son of Man (David),
and of God, feed His sheep today on the common plains of humanity with the
rich, nourishing Word of God.
The Rose of Sharon must be plucked from the stem in full
bloom or else it fades and withers. There is a time when a sinner must respond
to the beckoning and calling of God, or else that call fades and withers in his
spirit. 16 So
the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. (Matt 20:16) Our Lord knows His own and is
known of them. In justice, He calls many, but few in mercy are the elect at the
last.
The Rose of Sharon may be taken and enjoyed as the sole property
of its taker; but our Lord Jesus Christ is a Rose of Sharon that can be owned
both individually and popularly by many everywhere.
The Lilies of the Valley:
We must immediately recognize that this verse does not claim Christ as our comfort
and presence in only one forlorn and sorrowful valley of this life; but rather
in every low point and valley of an entire lifetime. He is the Lily of the
Valleys – not Valley, as the old gospel song goes.
The flower of this plant displays humility in the way it hangs its head on the
branch. In fact, it is shaped like a bell which reminds us of the great poetic
dissertation of that old Anglican cleric, the Rev. John Donne of old, For
Whom the Bell Tolls, and quoted by Ernest Hemingway in his book by the
same title:
“No man is an island, entire of
itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be
washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death
diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to
know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
“Neither can we call
this a begging of misery, or a borrowing of misery, as though we were not
miserable enough of ourselves, but must fetch in more from the next house, in
taking upon us the misery of our neighbors. Truly it were an excusable
covetousness if we did; for affliction is a treasure, and scarce any man hath
enough of it. No man hath afflicion enough, that is not matured and
ripened by it, and made fit for God by that affliction. If a man carry
treasure in bullion or in a wedge of gold, and have none coined into current
moneys, his treasure will not defray him as he travels. Tribulation is
treasure in the nature of it, but it is not current money in the use of it,
except we get nearer and nearer our home, heaven, by it. Another may be
sick too, and sick to death, and this affliction may lie in his bowels, as gold
in a mine, and be of no use to him; but this bell that tells me of his
affliction, digs out, and applies that gold to me: if by this consideration of
another's danger, I take mine own into contemplation, and so secure myself, by
making my recourse to my God, who is our only security.” (excerpted
from MEDITATION XVII. NUNC LENTO SONITU DICUNT, MORIERIS)
A point worth considering: the Lily of the Valleys is
poisonous even to death. The life of our Lord led directly to His death in
remission and redemption of our sins. Knowing this in the dark Valley of the
Shadow of Death, we are made hopeful even in death by that pure white Lily that
lines our Way on that Narrow and Upward Path.
The Lily of the Valleys is easily seen in minimal ambient
light. In the darkest night, we can find our way by that pure white flower that
lines our way. Yea though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
I shall fear no evil for thou art with me. Christ is with us everywhere and every time.
The Bride of Christ
“As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” The Lily
of the Valley forms a root system underground that feeds the growth of many
other plants. So the Church, when oppressed, goes underground to bear much more
fruit than in times of calm and rest. Each successive plant formed bears the
same fruit of like nature to the parent plant. So the Church, filled with
disciples and believers of Christ, bear fruit deriving their nourishment from
unseen spiritual sources. And their natures bear a likeness to that Great Lily
of the Valleys that bore their burdens before the time of harvest.
“Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) is a herbaceous
perennial plant that forms extensive colonies by spreading underground stems
called rhizomes.
New upright shoots are formed at the ends of stolons
in summer, these upright dormant stems are often called pips. These grow in the
spring into new leafy shoots that still remain connected to the other shoots
under ground, often forming extensive colonies. The stems grow to 15–30 cm
tall, with one or two leaves 10–25 cm long, flowering stems
have two leaves and a raceme of 5–15 flowers
on the stem apex.” (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
From the stump of Calvary’s cross life springs anew in the
season of new birth (Spring) to populate the Church as the Lily of the Valley
grows from those upright stubs of summer’s heat.
The Church of Christ is like their Redeemer who bore the
Crown of Thorns for us. We are as the Lily among thorns since we have our
own cross to bear daily in following Him. The Lily among thorns must struggle
double-well to grow and bloom among those thorns. But in the struggle, it grows
to a stronger plant, and blooms in spite of ill fate of thorns. The Love of Christ
blooms among us deriving nutrition from unseen sources, that Love is evidence
of who we are as a Church in Christ. 34 A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another.
(John 13:34-35)
