Good day Worthy Knights,
In this part 94, the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the valley Wikipedia
The Lily of the valley
The Bible mentions lilies 15 times in 15 different verses. Of these 15 mentions, 8 of them occur in the Song of Solomon. Perhaps the most memorable verses are the following:
- I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys. (Solomon 2:1)
- As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. (Solomon 2:2)
- My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. (Solomon 6:2)
- I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. (Hosea 14:5)
- And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. (Matthew 6:28)
- And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:29)
Here in these verses, we see several things about the lilies of the Bible. They grow in the valleys and in the field. They may even grow among thorns. Sometimes, they are cultivated to grow in planted gardens. In speaking of God’s blessing on Israel, Hosea states that “he shall grow as the lily.” This indicates that the lily grows rapidly and commonly in several areas.
The many places the lily is found in the Bible (valleys, fields, gardens, among thorns) shows the lily to be a common representation of a wide variety of flowers. This is like the usage of lily in English. The dictionary says that the lily is a large genus of perennial plants of the lily family grown from a bulb and having typically trumpet-shaped flowers, some white and some coloured. Several plants that are similar to the true lily are also called lilies. In like manner, the biblical lily would refer to a large range of flowering plants that normally grew in the wild fields and covered the valleys at certain times of the year.
Most Bible students agree that the “lily of the valleys” in (Song of Solomon 2:1) is a type of Jesus Christ. Benjamin Keach, in his books on types, gives five comparisons between the lily of the valley and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are his points summarized:
- A lily is a sweet and a flagrant flower with a strong scent. Jesus has a sweetness in His ministry especially when He gave “himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2).
- A lily is white and incredibly beautiful, exceeding all other flowers for whiteness. Within it are seven grains or seeds that are the colour of gold. White is a picture of purity (Revelation 3:4).
- The bride of the Lamb will be clothed in white (Revelation 19:8).
- What better representation of the purity of Jesus Christ, the one “who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), who “did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22), who was tempted “yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), and who “in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5), than a beautiful white lily? “For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).
- A lily is very fruitful. One root may put forth fifty bulbs. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He brings forth much fruit (John 12:24). It is by bearing much fruit that He glorified the Father (John 15:8).
The lily has many medicinal qualities. According to ancient teaching, it could be used to restore a lost voice, help faintness, was good for the liver, and helped dropsy. The Lord Jesus Christ is the great physician and is fully capable of curing all diseases and maladies of the soul.
The rose
The identification of this flower is a much-vexed question. From its derivation, it should be a bulbous plant (batsal–a bulb), and it happens that the flower which for other reasons best satisfies the requirements is of this kind, viz., the Sweet-scented Narcissus (Narcissus tazetta).
Others have suggested the crocus, of which there are many species quite common, but they are deficient in perfume, and there is no bulb more fragrant than the narcissus; it is, besides, one of which the Orientals are passionately fond. While it is in flower it is to be seen in all the bazaars, and the men as well as the women always carry two or three blossoms, at which they are continually smelling” (Tristram, Nat. Hist. of Bible, p. 477).
Of Sharon
Better, of the plain, as in the Septuagint. Here (as invariably except 1Chronicles 5:16) the Hebrew has the article before Sharon, but without definite local allusion to the district north of Philistia. The verse is by many taken as a snatch of a song into which the heroine breaks in answer to the eulogies on her beauty. It is certainly spoken with modest and lowly intention: “I am a mere flower of the plain, a lily of the valley;”
