The Rose of Sharon

"I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley" (Song of Solomon 2:1).  

Rose of Sharon is a common name to several flowers with onion like flower bulbs.  The phrase applies to several different species of flowering plants but each species is highly valued throughout the world.  "Recently, some scholars insist on translating (the hebrew phrase "rose of Sharon") as "a budding bulb" (1) instead of the rose of Sharon because no one can agree on the exact species of flower the author of Song of Solomon is referring to.  The meaning is clear, Solomon's bride felt as beautiful as a rose, she was starting to bud and blossom as a young lady.


French Novelist Marcel Proust said we should, "Be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  I believe Solomon's bride is starting to feel like a budding rose because of the love he showed her in Chapter 1:7-13 like we talked about in the previous two blogs.    

Solomon's bride feels as beautiful as a rose.  I would think Solomon would be thrilled, the rose is usually thought of as the most beautiful flower so he must have been doing something right to make her feel like a rose but Solomon is actually more concerned about her being a "lily" not a "rose."  He says in Song of Solomon 2:2, "Compared to other women, my beloved is like a lily among thorns."

Solomon is painting a word picture of the Jordan valley during the first century.  The majority of this area was made up of fields filled with thorny desert shrubs but above these shrubs popped up "lilies of the field" spreading out their healthy green leafs as a drastic contrast to the dry prickly desert shrubs.

This seems like a lot of botanical talk and to be honest with you, I could care less about plants, gardening, or yard work!  My amazing wife is the one who handles all those things in our household but there is practical relationship advice from all this "plant talk."  

IF or when you are choosing a mate, make sure he/she stands out from the thorns.   Not physically like a rose, because everyone, like every flower, will eventually wilt physically.  Make sure he/she is growing emotionally and spiritually--inner growth. 

"The lilies of the field grow, they neither toil nor spin."(2)  The lily will stand out in contrast to the stagnate men and women surrounding them.  They will be growing and maturing.  They will be continuing to stretch themselves to be better at whatever it is they are doing.  They will not toil.  They don't get weary in doing the right thing.  They do not spin.  Their beliefs and convictions are not new to them.  They do not stand for every fad and then spin or flip to something new.

Falling in love with a rose is ok, everyone needs to be physically attracted to their mate. It is more important, however, for our life-long mate to have the lasting attributes of a lily than the fading beauty of a rose.

Questions for those who are single:
When you are choosing someone to date and possibly eventually be your spouse do you look for a rose or a lily?  Why?
Will you commit to yourself not to take someone as your husband or wife if they are not demonstrating the attributes of a lily  (growth, non-toiling, or non-spinning)?
Am I a lily of the field?
If not, what attribute(s) am I missing? (growth, non-toiling, or non-spinning)
How can I start to develop these missing attributes in myself today? 

Questions for those who are married:
Is my spouse a lily of the field? 
If not what attribute(s) are they missing (growth, non-toiling, or non-spinning)?
Am I a lily of the field?
If not, what attribute(s) am I missing? (growth, non-toiling, or non-spinning)
How can I start to develop these missing attributes in myself today?  (Note:  Even if your spouse is missing attributes of a lily you can NOT develop the attributes for them--focus on yourself)

 Satoshi Mizota. Origin of 'Rose of Sharon' : An Analysis of Various Translations Having a Bearing on The Authorized Version Text. Dissertation for MA: Aich University, 2008 [1]
Matthew 6:28 New King James Version Bible (2)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Date Nights Decrease the Chance of Divorce--True or False?

Image
One piece of advice almost every married couple has heard at one point in their marriage is that they should go on a "date night" on a regular basis.    But, do couples who schedule “date nights” into their busy lives really decrease the chances of divorce and increase happiness in their marriage?  According to a report released by the   National Marriage Project   at the University of Virginia they do! The study shows that husbands and wives who engaged in couple time or date night with their mates at least once a week were approximately 3.5 times more likely to report being “very happy” in their marriages, compared to those who enjoyed less quality time with their spouse.  So, if date night has been proven to increase our marital happiness why don't we do it more often? More than 30% of single women told Glamour magazine they haven’t been on a “real” date in more than a year, and 88% of women in relationships don’t have regular date...
Read more

Dream Wedding Part 1: "Mr. Dreamy"

Image
Most little girls dream of their wedding day from a young age.   They begin to think about and plan that special day.   They think about marrying their Prince Charming in an elegant wedding venue full of guests in a beautiful white gown, walking on rose petals down the aisle to bliss way before they find the "man of their dreams." According to researchers the average age a girl starts planning and dreaming of their wedding is 13 but some start as early as age 6.   And, 6 out of 10 single women have already planned their entire wedding day. (1) In Chapter 3 of Song of Solomon, Solomon's bride to be is laying in her bed dreaming of her wedding day and night.   ("One night as I lay in bed, I yearned deeply for my lover." Song of Solomon 3:1 NLT) She roamed "the city searching for (her dream man) in all the streets and squares." (Song of Solomon 3:2 NLT)   Does this remind you of the modern dating scene?   Women, and men are spending eve...
Read more

Blessings In The Battle-Moreh Valley

Image
I love to read a good book. I can really get wrapped up in a well written fictional crime story but I've never been one of those people who reads the last page first because they want to know how the story ends.  When it comes to life on the other hand, I am so thankful to know that God has already foretold the ending.  I am okay with this spoiler alert : He's never lost a battle and He never will. Today’s battle is recorded in Judges Chapter 7-Chapter 8:8 where the Israelites were promised victory when they attempted to defeat the Midianites in the Moreh Valley.  In these 2 chapters God didn’t just promise them the blessing of a victory once or twice.  He promised it 7 times in these 2 chapters (7:7,9,14,15; 8:3,7,8). This promise of victory from God doesn’t mean that the Israelites, or we, will win every competition or be successful at every turn. Sometimes to our flesh that becomes frustrating. We don’t understand if we’re promised victory, why haven’...
Read more