Solomon’s Song of Songs 2:1 “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”
The Bride in the Love Song realizes something about herself. She realizes she is beautiful. Not only beautiful but she is the most beautiful being. She see’s her holiness and it is beautiful, the most beautiful site and oh, so lovely with the Love of God written on her heart. 8:6
The beauty of her heart that the bride see’s is her holiness which consisted in her love to God and husband/Husband. The bride had an unquenchable love in her heart for God 8:6 yet at the same time she had a dark side which she compares to a black evil dwelling place of sin and corruption. Her words are “Dark am I, yet lovely” 1:5
In our verse above she has in view her loveliness. What is it about her that makes her lovely? We know from Song 8:6 that the loveliest part of her is her inside. Her heart was lovely. Why was her heart lovely. And not only was it lovely but the most beautiful sight she has ever seen!! Her holiness is more beautiful than ever.
She was an enemy save girl, sunburnt from working in the vineyards. Her sunburnt dark skin gave it away that her heart was evil and only evil continually. She neglected the duty God gave her to guard her vineyard and the consequences were enslalved to another (husband, Satan). She hears of the coming messiah and believes in his/His name thus experiencing the Love of God 8:6 And credited righteousness by her faith like Abraham was for believing God in Gen. 15:6. Her love to God was increasing as she grew in the knowledge of him/Him and his/His love for her. Being the good shepherd and admirer that he is he leads her, she listens and he admires as “the most beautiful of women” both inside and out 1:9-10. She is encouraged by all this and highly values the one hear heart loves 1:13. Her eyes stay fixed on him/Him and His doves eyes are fixed on her 1:15-16. And it only just begun and the foundation of this relationship is strong as the cedars and covered with luxury 1:17 . Her next thought is that she is the most beautiful she has ever been. “I am a rose of Sharon” She is a changed person. Before she was only dark and in 1:5 she see’s herself as dark in one sense and lovely in another, for she says “Dark am I, yet lovely”1:5 . Now her loveliness is increasing. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of the coming Messiah was increasing along with the flame in her heart for the LORD. 8:6
“I am a rose” Not any particular rose but a rose from a garden in Sharon where roses grew the most beautiful!
By Chapter 2 she has learned quite a bit but she has so much more to go. She was on fire for the LORD, wanted to be married to the greatest type of Christ alive. This righteousness that comes by being covered in the righteousness of the coming Messiah, depicted in God covering Adam and Eve with the covering of the lamb that died in their place and in the sacrificial system. Oh what Love God had for Israel to provide a substitute for their sin. The substitute would be perfect and holy with no mixture of evil in him/Him at all. All that this substitute has and Is is hers. His righteousness becomes hers, Her debt becomes his responsibility, therefore she is lovely. “I am a rose..” I am the most beautiful rose in all of the gardens. I am a rose in Christ. Her beauty did not originate in herself. It came from another. She was only dark before faith in the coming messiah, but now she is dark yet lovely. Though currently in view the bride has her loveliness in sight. “I am a rose of Sharon.” She is lovely with His righteousness credited to her account, therefore with the most perfect life credited to her account as if she lived a perfect life, this is her loveliness or holiness. This holiness of heart attracts Solomon.
When the bride viewed the most beautiful rose in all of the gardens she thought of her beauty, both inside beauty and external. The rose reminded her of beauty. The beauty of the rose was easy to see with her physical eyes. But with her understanding she knew her heart to be beautiful as well.
What was it in her understanding that made her inside beautiful?
How did she recognize it? Did what she did in chapter 1 lead up to her knowing she was beautiful or is this a new revelation all of the sudden?
Her being different and holy lead to her persecution for those who want to live a godly life will have thorns in their life. Trials will come. Situations in life will come that will help you prove yourself to be different. You are taking different life choices and this makes your inner heart more beautiful. You are meditating on scripture so this washes her heart and it becomes more beautiful. You think often of the love of God in Christ and you become more loving, thus more beautiful like the most beautiful roses that came from the most fertile valley of Sharon.
Her husband/Husband see’s her beauty still shining in the various trials, each thorn seemed to test her faith. Sometimes failing, but when the test came around again she would learn how to obey. She would learn to put her armor on and not sin. She became more beautiful and the darkness was fading away. Less was dark but what remaining darkness was left looked worse than before because now her nature is more excellent like the blossoming rose among its own thorns.
Solomon notices her beautiful holiness and steadfast love to God in the trials and it was beautiful like a lovely “lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.” Solomons song of songs 2:2
So we notice some truths about the bride in this comparison she makes of herself in 2:1 and his lovely estimation of her in 2:2
Both verses use the metaphor of thorns. Implicit in 2:1 and explicitly in 2:2
“I am a rose of Sharon…
Rose have thorns, they grow up with the blossoming rose. Interestingly here the thorns protect the beauty and life of the rose. Her own thorns protect her beauty. Her own thorns in her flesh protect her holiness and love to God. They keep it growing. Her own thorns keep her growing strong, lovely and beautiful. To stay humble the bride needs to have thorns in her flesh. Things that keep her humble like trials or otherwise thorns.
Thorns are very vague here on purpose so that the application is easily made to all. Each one has his own unique thorns. Paul’s thorns or trials where false teachers trying to destroy the truths he taught, Paul had more than than anyone else 2 Cor. 11:23-27 plus one that he prayed 3x for it to go away and because of the great revelations that Paul was getting of Jesus Christ, Go said “My grace is sufficient for you.” When the thorns exposed Paul’s weaknesses Paul needed to know that God’s undeserved favor toward him in the worst of times God is trying to humble us and keep us from being proud. God wants to destroy pride in your life by using thorns suited particularly for you. The degree of your beauty or holiness depends on how far you can humble yourself in the presence of your Savior and Lord in prayer or true holy communion.
You know it seems like what has been going on is that since the mainstream idea of what “holy communion” is, is this notion that its Catholic Mass only. The true Biblical idea of communion with God is illustrated in the Song. Solomon plummeted the depths of intimacy with God by his/His Wisdom, enflaming his heart for God and others. Solomon grasped the height, depth, breathe and length of God’s love more than anyone else. Solomon beheld the glory of God in the Temple. The glory of God’s nature is His Holiness. Solomon beheld God in the holiest of holies. The holy of holies was where God manifested His Holiness to sinful man in a degree or light like no other. This greatest manifestation of the the Beauty of the LORD is blissfully addicting to say the least. It is more delightful than any other experience. Holy communion is back and forth holy delightful mutual conversations between two in a union. Ps. 27:8
How humble can you go? How soon can you humble yourself? What can you deny that the LORD wants you to do? How can you get a higher experience of God’s love for you? Ask for it bigger than before!! God can do above and beyond what you can think or image just ask for it. I mean, God sent His Son to live a perfect life for you, then He bore our sins on the cross, what wondrous love is this!! Taking their punishment upon Himself and fully exhausting the Wrath of God for the sins of His bride, Jesus had already proved His love to His bride to the highest degree at the onset of the union. ( I think I may have gotten a little off track) My point is that the beauty of your heart depends on the more humble you are. Higher views of God gets you closer to him and also allows you to see yourself for who you are. When you have been thoroughly humbled then you are ready for the sweetest most holy communion with God through Christ. Back to the lily among thorns.
“like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens”
The bride is with the maidens and she is getting persecution for it. “like a lily among thorns” So this is more of a compliment because He call her a lily among thorns and not a thorn. And he doesn’t call her trash or a twig worthy to be burned but she is beautiful and staying lovely under persecution and trials that come with her new union with Solomon.
These trials and times of testing are like going through the wilderness, the bride will learn how to keep her faith in God and not forget her love to her. She has much to learn and will be unstoppable in her pursuit due to the unquenchable fire in her heart 8:6 the trials will be blessings that only propel her forward faster by keeping her humble and revealing to herself her own holiness which consisted in love to God or Christ in her.
She did not fail the test. She looked for love to God in her heart at times of testing and it was there. She not only noticed it but Solomon did as well, therefore he compliments her for staying holy under trials.
This testing of her faith produced perseverance, her mare like character just picked up speed and the fire is burning hotter than before.
2:2
“Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.”
The thorns around the rose protect it’s beauty.
The blossoming idea carries in it growing beauty, like the loveliest rose in bloom in the fertile valleys of Sharon yet lowliest lily among thorns.
Here, similar to “Dark am I, yet lovely” we have balanced emotions and what keeps us humble in times of praise and adoration from the one our heart loves. For knowing that our lover/Lover see’s us as beautiful among thorns will comfort us. Its extremely difficult to obey under trials therefore her beauty is all the more praiseworthy due to the difficulty. The greater the difficulty overcome the greater the praise, provided she stays humble under the praise, Solomon adores her beauty and lets her know it especially when he saw the beauty of her holiness shining brighter and brighter after many trials. Nothing could quench the covenantal love of God for her in the coming Messiah.
Application
- Rejoice in trials that test your faith and you know you came out not sinning because the unquenchable fire in you kept you moving forward even when you fell. James tells us that these thorns or “trials” are for our good, for the holiness of our hearts God disciplines us Heb. 12:7ff
- If you need wisdom then ask, God will give it to you. If you lack the skill to make it through the trials and thorns and come out beautiful then ask God for Him to reveal many ways in which Jesus is beautiful and loves his Bride so that you fire for Him will grow for love is reciprocal.
James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Husbands
Praise your wife for the good biblical responses during trials. Yes, she man not have been perfect but look at all the good she did and how hard she was trying. The one you love is doing her best and likes to be recognized for it. Compliment her beauty like a rose among thorns and explain the metaphor, she will be delighted and I’m sure she will give God the ultimate glory. But don’t hold back on your praise of your wives excellent behavior under trials. This is one of the times when she is most beautiful when Christ shines in her when her love to God is opposed by Satan and she wins and doesn’t fall prey to his lies. How beautiful is the warrior bride of Christ during the time of trials!! Nothing can separate her from the love of God that is in her comping Bridegroom. Look your wife is trying. Trials are tough, kids aren’t born holy and there’s always laundry to do and she has had a loss in the family and she stays joyful knowing that all this testing is producing perseverance and perseverance hope and hope in the promises of God will not disappoint us. Encourage her with promises in Scripture and God Character or even knowing that He is there and never will forsake her. Love her as Solomon loved his bride so that the world can see the love of Christ on display in you loving your wife. She only wants to experience God’s love through you over and over again because it is the most delightful experience on earth. Show your love to God and wife by praising her beauty when the thorns hurt most, when the trials are the hottest. This is when we need strength and encouragement, be there for you wife if you love her, Christ is always there for you.
Repent, confess you lack of love to God, and wife. You deserve hell fire for not loving your wife as Christ would love the Church. Confess your sin and look to the love of God in the face of Christ at the cross and melt your heart in the understanding of His Love to you. Don’t harden your heart. Go to Jesus daily for strength to obey. You know you should praise her more, therefore resolve today to do it more often and get better and better at it till she is shining like the noon-day sun and nothing can get her down.
Solomon was a type of Christ and he praised his wife in according with Prov. 31:28-30
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