Jesus, the Narcissus of Sharon
1I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. 2As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love. 5Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love. 6His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me. 7I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.
You must have stopped at some point, while hiking or out for a walk, to look at flowers growing nameless by the path. Looking at a flower that is not showy but quietly lovely, a closed heart may open and a smile may spread across a gloomy face. The more rugged the mountains, the more brightly the wild flowers shine where they grow. Flowers on a mountaintop or a cliff seem more precious and mysterious than the flowers that cover the fields. A lily that has opened in barren ground, where it seems nothing could ever flower, will warm the hearts of all who see it.
Those who love God are those nameless wild flowers, for they do not exist to win the world’s approval. Whether the place God has given them is a mountaintop, a valley, or a cliff, they are flowers of faith that give off the fragrance of Christ with all their strength. With no one watching and no one praising them, they quietly hold their place and faithfully do the work God has given them; such people are wild flowers that shine just as they are.
The narcissus of Sharon and the lily of the valleys come from the same word in the original. As we sing in the hymn “Jesus, Flower of Sharon,” the flower of Sharon is the narcissus. The narcissus blooms beautifully in the autumn fields even when there is no one to see it. The one who lowered himself and blossomed humbly on this earth like a narcissus is Jesus, and the lily that hides in the low valley and breathes out the fragrance of Christ is the believer. Jesus and his own are not flowers that dress up showily for others to admire. We have neither a rose’s brilliant color nor a pretty shape. Yet in God’s sight we are, just as we are, a flower as treasured as a lily blooming among thorns.
Let us think about this for a moment.
If a single lily were blooming alone in the middle of a dense, thorny wood, people would not see the thorns; they would see only the lily. God too sees only those who, like lilies, hold up small lamps in this dark world, a world like a thicket of thorns. However brightly the world turns on its dazzling lights, and however many people laugh beneath them, in God’s eyes the world is nothing but darkness. As a flower is all the more beautiful because it blooms among thorns, a small lamp shines all the more brightly because the world is shrouded in pitch-black darkness. Though the world is covered with thorns, the fragrance of Jesus Christ that we carry will spread far and wide and reveal the glory of God.
Song of Solomon 2:2
2As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
Because of what Solomon said to her, the Shulammite became the object of many women’s jealousy. But, sure of Solomon’s love, she was not afraid of them, and she bore herself with composure for the sake of the one she loved. Being loved by a king brings its own dangers, for a woman loved by the king of a nation, and by Solomon, so rich and so wise, would be assured of the comfortable life everyone in the world wants. That is why not only the Shulammite but many other women wanted the attention of Solomon, who lacked nothing. She must therefore be grateful for Solomon’s love and carry herself with even greater humility.
Ezekiel 2:6
6You, son of man, don’t be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you do dwell among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
We who are loved by God may suffer in a world as painful as briers and thorns, and be persecuted, as if by scorpions, by those who do not know God, yet we need not be afraid of them or dismayed, for Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us, is with us. The Shulammite could be courageous when she trusted Solomon’s love; so too, when we trust God’s deep and true love, we can live courageously without losing our way in a world like fog. How far do you trust God’s love? Even if the world brings you hardship, are you truly free from fear and dread?
With Solomon the king who ruled Israel, the Shulammite would not have feared anyone’s threats or jealousy. And since it is God who rules this world, you too never need to be afraid, however Satan may threaten you, because the Father who protects us is the King of kings.
When God gives the command, all things in this world will tremble with fear, and the forces of Satan too will bow before the Father. And when the Father gives the order, the hosts of heaven’s angels will at once set to work to protect you. The problems we meet in the world are all as hard to bear as briers and thorns, but if you commit them to God, the angels will take them on for you, so I hope you will not be afraid but will pray.
Song of Solomon 2:3
3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste.
Knowing how dear Solomon was, like an apple tree standing tall among the trees of the wood, the Shulammite treasured him, and simply being with him made her happy. Suppose you were walking along, expecting nothing, and saw an apple tree heavy with fruit in the middle of a dense wood. How glad you would be! In so thick a wood, where you expected nothing, the sight would be all the more welcome.
To the Shulammite, Solomon was a man of worth, like an apple tree bearing fruit among the many men who were like the trees of the wood. There were many men in the world, but just being with Solomon gave her joy, and every word they exchanged was sweet fruit to her taste. For all of you who are in love, the one you love will be just this dear to you. I hope you will treasure that first love, as the Shulammite did when she found the apple tree that was Solomon.
Living a hard life in a world like a thick wood, seeing a forest that went on and on without end, you must have lost heart, thinking there was no hope, and despaired, wondering, “Will this wood ever end?” And then, standing in the midst of the world’s wood like an apple tree, you met Jesus Christ, bearing the fruit of life and grace. Christ became a shadow that shielded you from the world’s scorching sun, and he blessed you, weary and worn, with the sweet grace of heaven, its gifts, and eternal life.
This blessing is heaven’s grace, which only those who have pressed hard through the world’s woods can enjoy. Those who have tasted that grace will never again go back into the world’s thicket, and to share that grace with more people they will lead them under the shadow of the apple tree, which is Christ. This is a joy only those who tell others the good news can know.
Psalms 63:4-5
4So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name. 5My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
David was a man who saw God’s grace, enjoyed it, and shared it. He knew that when God is with us there is nothing in the world to fear and no hardship we cannot overcome, and so he confessed that his soul would be satisfied as with the richest food and that his mouth would praise God with joyful lips. Those who praise God as David did are those who have eaten the fruit of the blessing God gives.
Hidden in the world’s woods are temptations that keep us from living spiritually upright lives, and many poisons that stop us from reaching the apple tree. There is the greed that makes us covet possessions, the human self-righteousness that cannot humble itself, and hidden sins of self-praise and of judging and condemning others. These obstacles hide Christ, who is the light, and make eternal life seem a trifling thing.
But you have pushed through the world’s woods, where sin lies everywhere, and met Jesus Christ, the apple tree. Now I hope you will always keep the Lord’s grace with a thankful heart. Even when it is God’s grace, people forget to give thanks once their time of peace grows long. That kind of heart comes from Satan. May you never forget, then, what a great blessing it is to live in the word of Christ.
Song of Solomon 2:4
4He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love.
Solomon brought the Shulammite into the “banquet hall.” The words mean “the house of wine.” It is the place where Solomon assures the Shulammite of his heart, full of joy, delight, and love. This love is also a banner of victory, proclaiming that she has become the woman he will love forever. We too are children of God who lift the banner of victory because of Christ.
Jesus too once took his disciples to a wedding in Cana. At the wedding he turned water into wine and made the hearts of those who had come merry and glad. But the miracle of turning water into wine was not done for the guests at the feast; it was a sign for the disciples.
The Jews washed their hands first at mealtimes or when visiting someone’s home, because they believed that doing so cleansed them according to the ordinances. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus made wine from the water in the jars set out for the guests to wash their hands. He did so to show his disciples that a person is not made clean by washing hands with water, and that only the wine, which symbolizes the blood of Jesus, makes a person clean. The wine is the precious blood of the Lord, who gave his life to save his people.
Those who meet Christ standing in the midst of the world’s woods will also go with the Lord into the “banquet hall,” the “house of wine,” and live there forever. They have now found a secure refuge in a world like a thick wood. Jealous as the women were of the Shulammite, they could not touch her, and neither will the world be able to touch those whom Jesus loves.
Song of Solomon 2:5
5Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love.
The Shulammite saw Solomon’s true love, felt it, and wanted more. Longing desperately for a deeper love, she fell sick. She asked the women to strengthen her with raisins and refresh her with apples. What she meant was that only Solomon’s love could fill her heart.
John 15:5
5I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
The Shulammite knew that only the love Solomon gave could cure her sickness. We too can be filled and lift high the banner of victory only when we receive and enjoy the Lord’s great grace in God.
How earnestly must we long for God’s love to fall sick as the Shulammite did? Have you ever fallen sick from longing for God’s grace? Just as he promised that if we seek him and keep on seeking we will find him, if you seek God first and keep on seeking, you will be able to receive all you ask.
Isaiah 40:31
31But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
Those who wait for Yahweh will surely renew their strength. That strength is heaven’s power, which the world cannot stop and Satan cannot hinder, because the grace the Lord gives is a power that neither the wicked nor evil spirits can block, however long and hard life may be. Striving for the world’s power ends in exhaustion, but God’s grace never grows weary; it remains full until we have fulfilled every task he has given us. The love that wells up in your heart: toward whom is it directed? Only if you can discern this will you keep from falling to Satan’s temptations.
Suppose there are two apple trees standing before you now.
One is the apple tree called Christ, hung thick with heaven’s gifts, grace, and new life. The other is hung thick with the world’s wealth and power and human lusts, an apple tree that looks very much like Christ. To human eyes the second tree will certainly look good for food, because it resembles human nature. It looks as if you would become wise the moment you ate, as if you would gain the world’s power, but in the end it is nothing but a tree full of poison. Even if you cannot overcome the world by your own strength, if you rely on God, who is always a fence around you, you can enjoy spiritual fullness, abundance, and rest in him. If only you take off the glasses tinted by sin toward the world, you can easily discern whether the apple tree before you is Christ or a tree imitating him. Once you cast greed out of your heart, you will quickly recognize that it is only a thicket disguised as an apple tree.
We are now the bride, brought into the banquet hall with Christ. When we love Christ alone and live for him alone, then just as Solomon’s authority, wealth, and power became the Shulammite’s, we will surely share in all the glory God enjoys. I ask you to live always lifting the banner of victory and telling the world of Christ’s love. Then Christ will be a strong fence around you and will make you a bride the world envies.
May you, like the Shulammite, be a lovely bride who receives God’s love, enjoys it, and passes it on. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ.