Ver. 1. I am the rose of Sharon.] The Greek renders it, “the flower of the field,” that grows without man’s labour, having heaven for its father, earth for its mother. So had Christ, “made of a woman,” “manifested in the flesh,” without father as man, without mother as God. (Hebrews 7:3 9:11) The tabernacle of Christ’s human nature—so called because therein “the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily” (Colossians 2:9) -was “not made with hands”; that is, not by man’s help; it was “not of this building,” by the power of nature. But as matter in the beginning of time was taken from man to make a woman, so matter in the fulness of time was taken from woman to make the man Christ Jesus. And as Eve was a true woman without woman, so Christ was a true man without man. He is called filius hominis, but it is only of the feminine gender. He is the “flower of the field,” as here; the “stone cut out without hands”; (Daniel 2:45) the phoenix that hath no parents; the pearl that is not made through any earthly copulation, but is begotten of the dew of heaven. For as pearls are bred in shell fishes of a celestial humour, so was Christ, by heavenly influence, in the Virgin’s womb. But let us weigh the words as they are commonly rendered. Sharon was a most fruitful place, situated under the hill Lebanon, (1 Chronicles 27:29) coupled with Carmel for excellence, (Isaiah 35:2) not more afield than a fold for flocks. (Isaiah 65:10) To a rose, that queen of flowers, here growing doth the Lord Christ fitly compare himself. This flower delights in shadowy places—and thence borroweth its name in the original; it is orient of hue, cold of complexion, but passing redolent, and of comfortable condition. Such a flower is Jesus, saith an expositor here, most delighted in temperate places, for hue white and ruddy, the chiefest of ten thousand; a cooler to the conscience, but passing savoury, and comfortable to the distressed patient. And the lily of the valleys.] Or, “Low places,” which are most fat and fertile. Christ is both rose and lily, which two put together make a gallant show, and beautify the bosoms of those that bear them; but nothing like as Christ doth those that have him dwelling in their hearts by faith. These flowers do soon fade, and lose both beauty and sweetness; but so doth not Christ or his comforts. Tam recens mihi nunc Christus est, ac si hac hora fudisset sanguinem, saith Luther, Christ is as fresh to me now as if he had shed his blood this very hour. He purposely compareth himself to a vine, to a door, to bread, and many other excellent and necessary creatures, everywhere obvious, that therein (as in so many optic glasses) we may see him, and be transformed into him. For this it is also that he here commends himself, not out of arrogance or vain affectation of popular applause, but for our sakes doubtless, that we may take notice of his excellencies, and love him in sincerity. The spouse also praiseth herself sometimes, not out of pride of her parts, but to show her thankfulness to Christ, from whom she had them. Habaste eth. Clapham.
Ver. 2. As the lily among the thorns.] The lily is white, pure, and pleasant, having six leaves (and thence its name in Hebrew), and seven golden-coloured grains within it. The 45th Psalm (of like argument with this song) is dedicated to him that excelleth upon Shoshannim, or upon this six-leaved flower, the lily. Moreover, the chief city of Persia was called Shushan, from the multitude of lilies growing there. Here Alexander found fifty thousand talents of gold; the very stones of it are said to have been joined together with gold. The Church is far richer, and fuller of beauty and bravery, but beset with thorns, such as Abimelech was; a right bramble indeed, that grew in the base hedge row of a concubine, and scratched and drew blood to purpose. Wicked men are called briers, (Micah 7:4) thorns twisted and folded, (Nahum 1:10) that hurt the earth and those that handle them. Indeed, they cannot “be taken with hands,” but the “man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear.” But God shall “thrust them all away,” scil., into hell, and “they shall be utterly burnt with fire in the same place.” (2 Samuel 23:6,7) In the mean space, “who will set the briers and thorns against me in battle?” saith the Lord Christ, being jealous for his spouse with a great jealousy (Zechariah 1:14) -who dare do it? “I would march against them, I would burn them together.” (Isaiah 27:4) Sin or Sinai, a thorny place in the desert, where it rained down quails and manna from heaven, was a type of the Church flourishing in the midst of her enemies, “like a lily among thorns.” So is my love among the daughters,] i.e., False sisters, quae dicuntur spinae propter malignitatem morum; dicuntur filiae, propter communionem sacramentorum, saith Augustine; these are called thorns for the malignity of their manners, and daughters for their profession and outward privileges. These prick, sting, and nettle the Church; they cannot but do their nature, till God take an order with them, till he “bind them in bundles, and cast them into the furnace.” (Matthew 13:40) But as the lily is fresh and beautiful, and looks pleasantly (even that wild lily that we call woodbine) though among thorns; so should we amidst trouble. God hedgeth us about with these briers, that he may keep us within compass; he pricks us with these thorns, that he may let out our ill humours. O felices tribulos tribulationum! O happy thorns of tribulation, that open a vein for sin to gush out at! “Be not weary, my son, of God’s correction,” saith Solomon. (Proverbs 3:11) Ne eius castigationes ut spinas quasdam existimes tibi molestas, so Kabvenaki renders and expounds that text. Feel not God’s corrections troublesome to thee, as thorns in thine eyes, or prickles in thy sides. Especially since, as Gideon, by thrashing those churls of Succoth with thorns and briers of the wilderness, “taught” them better behaviour; (Judges 8:16) so God deals by his people. His house of correction is his school of instruction. (Psalms 94:12) See my Love Tokens, p. 144, 145, &c. God sets these thorns, as he did those four horns (Zechariah 1:18-21) to afflict his people which way soever they fled. Howbeit, when they had pushed them to the Lord, there were four carpenters set a-work to cut them short enough for ever doing any further hurt. (Zechariah 1:19-21) Shoshannah. Schindler. Cassidor., lib. vii. var. Ep. 15. Aug., Epist. 48. Augustine.