Why Is The Rose Of Sharon Important?

Before we begin, there has been a lot of discussion over the significance of the book of the Song of Solomon. Some might say that this is an exacting tale about love between a married husband and wife. While others will say that this is a moral story of God's adoration for Israel and additionally for the congregation. Here beginning in verse one, I accept that this is Jesus our Lord talking. Dr. J Vernon McGee noted in his “Thru The Bible” series, that in the early English Bibles, it is stated that the voice is of Christ, the bridegroom, as well as in old French, Italian, and Portuguese Bibles.

This is a story that tells another story.

In verse one:

The bridegroom has turned into a “Rose of Sharon” (a common flower), that is as a human, in reference to the Incarnation. The Son of God turns into a man not in elevated magnificence, as a flower on the mountain peaks, yet in lowliness and humility, a “lily of the valleys,” the lowliest of areas.

In verse two:

Christ is the “lily of the valleys,” thusly His bride is a lily as well, on the grounds that she bears the picture of His beauty and reflects it to humanity. The church is to be doing this today. We are to show to the world, which is loaded up with thistles, briars, and thorns, the magnificence of Christ. The bride, which is the Church, is a “lily among thorns,” which is an image of the difficulties of this life.

In verse three:

The bride is now talking, magnifying the bridegroom. Of the multitude of trees in the forest, the apple tree gives sustenance with sweet fruit. In Scripture, the apple is a depiction of favor (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 16:8; Zechariah 2:12). The apple alluded to here is really a citron fruit, not an apple as we know it. Citrus fruits grow in the Sharon valley, which are believed to be the best in the world.

The beloved Christ far outperforms in greatness the righteous children, for they become by grace what He is naturally. His precepts are sweet to the individuals who hunger for the living Word (Psalm 119:103).

In verse four:

The “banquet house” is the Church full of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-21). The bride wants God's adoration, to be eclipsed by the Presence of the Lord, similar to the sanctuary in the Old Testament (Exodus 40:35) and the Theotokos, the Greek title for Jesus’ mother, Mary who was the living sanctuary of the New Testament (Luke 1:35).

This could also allude to the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” as noted in Revelation 19:9. Christians will be there by the grace of God, but we can already see that Christ has brought us to salvation’s table and the fellowship table. He has prepared a table for us to partake of the “bread of life” (John 6:35) and “living water” (John 4:10).

The banner is a symbol of war, for we are at war with “principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). The banner is a symbol of protection, for Christ said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20), and that “neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28). The banner is also a symbol of enlistment, for we are told to “present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) and “as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).

In verse five:

“Flagons” (cake of raisins) were given to individuals of Israel subsequent to King David finishing the peace offerings and burnt offerings to God before the ark of the covenant (1 Chronicles 16:1-3). They, along with the apples, represent the pleasantness of the grace of God presented to all believers.

In verse six:

This is the hug of the delicate and mindful darling. “His left hand is under my head,” meaning that we are saved to the uttermost (in the farthest, greatest, or highest degree). The right hand of God is a depiction of His imperial blessing (Psalm 16:11; 17:7; Hebrews 8:1).

But now let us look back at verse one. The bridegroom (Christ) is being compared to a common flower in Israel.

But why a comparison with a common flower?

Its Location:

Along the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Gilboa mountains to the east, south of Mt. Carmel and north of Joppa, sits the Valley (Plain) of Sharon. The plain of Sharon was well known in Biblical times as a pastoral area (Isaiah 65:10), and a portion of David's livestock grazed there (1 Chronicle 27:29).

Its Excellence:

Exodus 18:11, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.”

Its Color:

It has five white petals (purity) and five red inward sections (blood). Five is the number for grace. Ten is the number for testimony.