Song 2:1-2 | KingComments | STEP | The bride says that she is “the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” ( ). The rose and the lily are small field flowers. In this way, the bride expressed her smallness, which she emphasized by saying that she is a lily “of the valleys”. The valley points to a place of humiliation. Sharon and the valley become places of safety and rest for God’s people, who come from the great tribulation: “Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, and the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My people who seek Me” ( ). In the groom reacts to what the bride says in of herself. He takes over the picture the bride uses and speaks of her as “a lily”. That’s how he sees her. And he sees her, this delicate wild flower, “among the thorns”, so that her beauty is all the more apparent. She is like a diamond lying on a black cloth, making the brilliance of the diamond shine all the stronger. Thorns, often called along with thistles, are a picture of sin ( ). It is human nature, as it was made by the fall into sin. “The maidens” can be seen here as the daughters of apostate Israel ( ; ). Thorns will no longer be there in the kingdom of peace ( ). “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up” ( ). This is thanks to the Lord Jesus, Who has born the curse of sin. The world is full of thorns and thistles and sighs under the consequences of the curse that rests on creation through sin ( ). It is very painful to dwell here. Sometimes we feel it among each other that there are thorns and thistles. We too can hurt others. Yet here we read that it is said: “As a lily among the thorns, so are you.” A lily is a flower that flowers only for a short time. The Lord Jesus says: “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is [alive] today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, [will He] not much more [clothe] you?” ( ). We see here that the Lord compares the lilies in the field to the grass because of the short-lived glory they have. The lilies shine one day and are burned the next day in the furnace. Despite its brevity, God clothed the lilies with a beauty that surpasses the glory of Solomon. The followers of the Lord Jesus receive a glory greater than that of Solomon, despite the fact that He must address them as ‘you of little faith’. The bride has the same great glory in the eyes of the groom, despite what she thinks of herself. The faithful remnant of Israel will be clothed by the Messiah with a glory coming from Himself ( ). The Lord Jesus sees His own in a world full of thorns and thistles. For Him they are like lilies. That may give us confidence in the short time we are on earth. He will give us everything we need. The care that He has for the faithful remnant in the end time, He now also has for us. We may be witnesses in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation ( ) and especially in the midst of an apostate professing Christianity.

‏ Song of Solomon 2:1-2

The Bride: a Lily

The bride says that she is “the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” (Song 2:1). The rose and the lily are small field flowers. In this way, the bride expressed her smallness, which she emphasized by saying that she is a lily “of the valleys”. The valley points to a place of humiliation. Sharon and the valley become places of safety and rest for God’s people, who come from the great tribulation: “Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, and the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My people who seek Me” (Isa 65:10).

In Song 2:2 the groom reacts to what the bride says in Song 2:1 of herself. He takes over the picture the bride uses and speaks of her as “a lily”. That’s how he sees her. And he sees her, this delicate wild flower, “among the thorns”, so that her beauty is all the more apparent. She is like a diamond lying on a black cloth, making the brilliance of the diamond shine all the stronger.

Thorns, often called along with thistles, are a picture of sin (Gen 3:18). It is human nature, as it was made by the fall into sin. “The maidens” can be seen here as the daughters of apostate Israel (Hos 4:14; Eze 2:6). Thorns will no longer be there in the kingdom of peace (Eze 28:24). “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up” (Isa 55:13). This is thanks to the Lord Jesus, Who has born the curse of sin.

The world is full of thorns and thistles and sighs under the consequences of the curse that rests on creation through sin (Rom 8:20-22). It is very painful to dwell here. Sometimes we feel it among each other that there are thorns and thistles. We too can hurt others.

Yet here we read that it is said: “As a lily among the thorns, so are you.” A lily is a flower that flowers only for a short time. The Lord Jesus says: “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is [alive] today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, [will He] not much more [clothe] you?” (Mt 6:28-30). We see here that the Lord compares the lilies in the field to the grass because of the short-lived glory they have. The lilies shine one day and are burned the next day in the furnace.

Despite its brevity, God clothed the lilies with a beauty that surpasses the glory of Solomon. The followers of the Lord Jesus receive a glory greater than that of Solomon, despite the fact that He must address them as ‘you of little faith’. The bride has the same great glory in the eyes of the groom, despite what she thinks of herself. The faithful remnant of Israel will be clothed by the Messiah with a glory coming from Himself (Eze 16:14).

The Lord Jesus sees His own in a world full of thorns and thistles. For Him they are like lilies. That may give us confidence in the short time we are on earth. He will give us everything we need. The care that He has for the faithful remnant in the end time, He now also has for us. We may be witnesses in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Phil 2:15) and especially in the midst of an apostate professing Christianity.