What’s in a Flower (Song 2:1-2)

We may be surprised to discover that the best-known verse (2:1) in the Song of Solomon is also the most disputed as to who says it in the Song. One reason for our surprise is that often we get our theology from hymns and there are many hymns that describe Jesus as the Rose of Sharon.

Moreover, we know that devout preachers such as Samuel Rutherford, Murray McCheyne and C. H. Spurgeon loved to preach about Jesus as the Rose and the Lily. McCheyne wrote about Jesus to a friend and said in the letter: ‘He is the Rose of Sharon, lovely to look upon, having all divine and human excellencies meeting in himself; and yet he is the Lily of the Valleys – meek and lowly in heart, willing to save the vilest.’

Connected to those reasons would be the tendency to think of flowers that we are familiar with and therefore we may not realise the kind of flowers that Solomon is using. Automatically we assume that Solomon is referring to beautiful flowers when he writes here.

Why is there disagreement about who is depicted by the flowers? Unlike other verses in the Song, the grammar of the verse does not indicate whether the speaker is male or female. Therefore, the only way to discover the speaker is from the context. Yet even the context does not help because it is possible to use the context to argue that it is the king who is speaking or that it is the woman who is speaking.

Literally, the word translated Sharon means ‘the plain’, and some suggest it is not a reference to the geographical area called Sharon, but instead is only a reference to an area of ground. In the Greek Old Testament rendering of this verse the flower is called ‘a flower of the plain’, which points to ordinariness. That rendering suggests it may not be the king that is speaking about himself because it is ordinary.

Those who regard the speaker as the woman point to verse 2 and say that it is the king’s reply to what the woman has said in verse 1. They would say that the woman has likened herself to a couple of weak flowers and the king replies to her comment by saying that it is better to be a flower than thorns, and that although weak she survives.

Those who say that the it is the king who is speaking suggest that it is unlikely that the woman would compare herself to the chief flower of the plain of Sharon, especially in the presence of the king. To do so would be a statement of pride rather than humility. There may be force in that argument, although she has already said that she was comely (1:5), although on that occasion she was speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem and not to the king.

Personally, I am happy to regard it as a picture of Jesus, although we should remember that the interpretation is not accepted by every author who has written on this Song. If it does refer to the king, we can see that he describes himself in verse 1 and then describes the woman in verse 2.

The king describes himself

In doing so, the king says two things regarding his identity. First, he says that he is the rose of Sharon (when we use the idea of a rose, we are not to think of the roses with which we are familiar because usually they don’t grow on the plain of Sharon). Sharon is the very fruitful plain that runs along the west side of Israel beside the Mediterranean. In modern usage, it stretches from Haifa to Tel Aviv. In 1 Chronicles 5:16, reference is made to the plain being suitable for pasturelands, and 1 Chronicles 27:19 refers to the herds that grazed there. In Isaiah 35:2, Sharon is described as a place of splendour. On average, it has an elevation of between 280 and 300 feet above sea level. The plain is famous for its beautiful flowers, and among them would be the one described as the rose of Sharon.

What place could be illustrated by an elevated plain that was marked by beauty and prosperity? Surely we can see in it a picture of heaven. And when the Bridegroom says that he is the chief flower of heaven, are we not invited by this statement to contemplate the deity of Jesus? Because after all, is that not who Jesus was and is and forever will be?

Then the king says he is also the lily of the valleys. Obviously the valleys are not elevated places. There are a variety of lilies, and usually they are white. What does this tell us about the Bridegroom? It reminds us that he not only has a heavenly existence, but he also has a human life. Jesus the Son of God became man. What was he like as a man? He was pure (white like the lily) and willing to live in a lowly place.

In heaven, there are many beautiful objects: angels and believers who have gone home. But none of them can say that they are the Best Flower. None of them are God and man in one person. And none of the redeemed humans can say that they have always been white.

Jesus here is telling his people to look at him and consider who he is. He is not suggesting that they have a brief look either. Instead he is saying to them to look closely, to look reverently and to look lovingly. Has Jesus not made it easy for us to look? In this simple illustration, he describes the great mystery of how there are two natures in his person. And is he not saying to us, that although it was the case that previously he did not have two natures, he now has them because he came to deliver them from their sins? He became the lily, we might say, in order to have a perfect life that he could offer as a sacrifice to God.

Moreover, is he not saying to us that he became the lily in order that he might be able to dwell with us and we with him in an eternal way? He will always be the Rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. In the new heavens and new earth, we will observe the lily as he leads the praise of the restored universe. And it will be a beautiful sight, and we will observe him also conscious that he is the eternal Rose of Sharon.

Where is he today? He is the slain Lamb in the centre of the divine throne in heaven. He could not be there if he was not the Rose, but there he is also the Man Christ Jesus. As Rabbi Duncan observed, ‘The dust of the earth is on the throne of God.’ Would we want him only as the Rose or only as the lily? In the imagery, we say that we love him because he is both.

The king speaks to the woman

In this description of the woman, the Bridegroom reveals that he knows who she is (a lily) and where she is (among thorns). He likens her to himself to an extent. He does not say that she is a Rose of Sharon. How could she be divine and eternal? But he does say that she is a lily, which means that he sees in her purity. He regards her as holy.

The king knows that she is not perfect, yet he still regards her as pure. Is this not how Jesus regards his people? He has made them saints and sent the Holy Spirit to live within them and make them like himself. When he likens them to a lily, he is saying that they have his likeness.

It is common in Israel to find lilies among thorns or brambles. One traveller recorded that the striking feature of such lilies was their softness in contrast to the thorns. As he tried to touch the lilies, the thorns caused his hands to bleed. Obviously there is a stark contrast between the soft lily and the hard thorns. Suppose a traveller touches us, what would he experience? Softness would be another way of expressing gentleness.

The king observes that one lily can exist among many thorns and not be overcome by them. This is a good description of Christians – they are survivors because of the grace that is given to them. As John reminded his readers, greater is the One indwelling them than the one indwelling the world.

From the way that the king speaks about the lily among thorns, we can see his sympathy for them. But his sympathy is informed. We can have sympathy for people in trouble but not know much about them or their concerns. Jesus does not have that kind of sympathy. Instead he knows the number of the thorns. The thorns will vary from believer to believer.

The description of the believer as living among thorns also points to the sadness that they experience from being among such persons. Thorns is an accurate description of worldly people and the effect they can have on Christians. Many believers are the only Christians in their families and they have to live with that sadness day after day. Many believers are the only Christians in their workplaces and undergo the sadness connected to being different from their colleagues who have no time for Jesus.

At the same time, it is possible for a lily among thorns to enjoy the sweetness of the love of Jesus. We can see this in how the king speaks about her when he is speaking to her. He expresses his love to her. His words are designed to encourage her, to remind her that she should not judge his affections by her surroundings.

We can also deduce from the description that the king is pleased with the contrast between her and the thorns, which we could say depicts the delight that Jesus has in the ongoing sanctification of his people. While a lily will not become a thorn, a thorn could make her respond in wrong ways. The believer might complain about things or her surroundings. There is comfort from knowing that we can please Jesus when we maintain our spiritual features when in hostile environments.

I am the rose of Sharon fair,

To deck the field around;

The lily of the valley, there

To grace the lowest ground.

Among the daughters in the throng

My love, whom grace adorns,

Shines as the lily does among

The rugged hurtful thorns.