Jesus was in love with the lily among thorns

JESUS WAS IN LOVE WITH THE LILY AMONG THORNS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Song of Solomon2:2 2Like a lily among thorns is my
darling among the young women.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Lineage Of David
Ruth 4:18-22
J.R. Thomson
This book closes witha genealogy. Readers ofthe Scriptures may sometimes
have felt perplexed at the frequency with which genealogicaltables occurboth
in the Old Testamentand in the New. There is a sufficient reasonfor this.
I. SCRIPTURE SANCTIONSTHE INTERESTHUMAN NATURE FEELS
IN GENEALOGY. No one is insensible to his own ancestry, especiallyif
among his progenitors have bee: men of eminence. Interest in ancestrymay be
carried too far, and may spring from, and minister to, a foolish vanity, but in
itself it is good. It is a witness to the dignity of human nature; it may be an
inspiration to worthy deeds;it may be a incentive to transmit influences of
characterand culture to posterity.
II. SCRIPTURE ATTACHES SPECIALIMPORTANCETO THE
GENEALOGYOF THE DEECENDANTSOF ABRAHAM. Israelwas the
chosenpeople, and the lineage of the tribes of Israel, and especiallyof Judah,
was a matter of national and local, but also of world wide, importance.

III. SCRIPTURE CAREFULLY RECORDSTHE GENEALOGYOF
CHRIST JESUS. He was the Son of man, the Sonof David, as well as the Son
of God. By evincing this, provision was made for commending Jesus to the
reverence of the Hebrew people; for making manifest the fulfillment of
prophecy, which was thus authenticated; for presenting the Saviorin all the
powerof his true humanity before the human race, as the objectof faith,
attachment, and devotion. Lessons:-
1. The obligations under which we individually may be laid by a pious
ancestry.
2. Our debt to posterity.
3. The claims of the Son of man upon our hearts. - T.
Biblical Illustrator
I have bought all that was Elimelech's.
Ruth 4:9

Redemption accomplished
S. H. Tyng, D. D.
This passagebrings to our view the greatsubject of the gospelrevelation —
redemption accomplishedin the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ in human flesh for guilty man. Boaztook his kinsman's shoes as a
simple but solemn tokenof the agreementwhich he had now assumed. He
calledall the inhabitants and elders of his city to witness that he
acknowledgedallthis responsibility, and was pledged to accomplishthe
redemption which was thus described and undertaken. The actual
accomplishmentof the work now depended upon the ability and the
faithfulness of Boaz. Everything now restedupon his powerand his truth.
Was it not just so with the hope of man from the day of his fail to the day of
the Saviour's manifestation and victory? He had undertaken to be man's
Redeemer. Could He, and would He fulfil the wonderful promises which He
had given, and upon which He had causedHis people to place their trust? The
history of the New Testamentanswers this all-important question. These
sacredScriptures reveal the facts of redemption accomplished;the work
undertaken completely finished; the fidelity of the Kinsman Redeemer
gloriously established;and His almighty power triumphantly made known.
This is now the greatmessageofthe gospelto guilty man. It proclaims this
accomplishedwork, and it begs man to acceptand enjoy the blessings which
are offeredin it freely and without price. Like Boaz, Jesus bought back the
whole inheritance for man. All that was lostin the first Adam is restoredby
the second. The RedeemerHimself now owns the inheritance which He has
purchased. That which was Elimelech's is now the property of Boaz. That
which was man's, and to be in the reward of man's obedience, is now Christ's,
and only to be had in the freeness and fulness of His gift. It is His own
inheritance, and He bestows it upon His people according to His will;
according to the measure of the gift of Christ. We have everything in Him.
Without Him we have nothing. He has bought back man also for Himself. His
chosenflock are His purchased possession, and are to be to the praise of His
glory for ever. But the people of Bethlehem were not merely the witnesses of
this covenantof Boaz; they were partakers of his joy. They united in their
supplications for abundant blessings upon the noble and exaltedplan which

Boazhad proclaimed. So angels, the witnessesofthe covenantof our
Redeemer, were more than silent witnessesalso. Whenthe foundation of this
wonderful work was laid in the Divine covenantthese morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shoutedfor joy. When the Saviour appeared
as babe in Bethlehemthey filled the heavens with their songs ofpraise and
prayer: "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill to men." When
He was travelling in the greatness ofHis strength, beneath His load of sorrow
on the earth, they ministered unto Him and strengthened Him for His work.
(S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
Christ and the Believer
R. M. M'Cheyne.
Songs 2:2
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
I. INQUIRE WHAT CHRIST THINKS OF THE BELIEVER. — "As the lily
among the thorns, so is My love among the daughters."
1. See whatChrist thinks of the unconverted world. It is like a field full of
briars and thorns in His eyes.
(1) Because fruitless.
(2) Because,whenthe Word is preached among them, it is like sowing among
thorns.

(3) Because theirend will be like that of thorns — they are dry and fit only for
the burning.
2. See whatChrist thinks of the believer. "As the lily among thorns, so is My
love among the daughters." The believer is like a lovely flowerin the eyes of
Christ.
(1) Because justifiedin the eyes of Christ; washedin His blood, he is pure and
white as a lily.
(2) A believer's nature is changed. Once he was like the barren, prickly thorn,
fit only for burning — now Christ has put a new spirit in him — the dew has
been given to him, and he grows up like the lily.
(3) Because so lonelyin the world. Observe, there is but one lily, but many
thorns. There is a greatwilderness all full of thorns, and only one lonely
flower. So there is a world lying in wickedness,and a little flock that believe in
Jesus.
II. INQUIRE WHAT THE BELIEVER THINKS OF CHRIST — "As the
apple tree among the trees of the wood."
1. Christ is more precious than all other saviours in the eye of the believer. As
a traveller prefers an apple tree to every other tree of the wood, because lie
finds both shelter and nourishing food under it, so the believer prefers Christ
to all other saviours. Oh! there is no rest for the soul exceptunder that branch

which God has made strong. My heart's desire and prayer for you is, that you
may all find rest there.
2. Why has the believer so high an esteemofChrist?
(1) Becausehe has made trial of Christ.
(2) Becausehe sat down with greatdelight.
(R. M. M'Cheyne.)
Eminent Piety Seenin Contrast
J.D. Davies
Songs 2:2
Some similarities must exist, or the contrastcould not be seen. The godly and
the ungodly are both men, or we could not put their characters in contrast.
Thorns are rooted in the same soilas the lily. They are nourished by the same
sun, wateredby the same rain, enjoy the same course of the seasons. Butthe
inner life of the lily deals differently with the natural elements than does the
inner life of thorns. So the ungodly live in the same land as the godly; they
have the same accessto God's truth; they dwell amid the same forth-puttings

of the Spirit's power;yet, for want of self-appropriation, they are barren of
goodresults. They are as noxious thorns comparedwith the lily. This eminent
goodness ofthe lily implies -
I. LOWLINESS. In the previous verse, the king's bride had designatedherself
as a mere "lily of the valley." And now the king responds and says, "It is so;
but others are as thorns comparedwith thee." Humility is the distinctive
mark of all the godly. Native pride is crucified on the cross. The Christian
longs to have a just estimate of himself. He will not "think of himself more
highly than he ought to think." If he discovers any goodness in himself, he
attributes it to the active grace ofhis Benefactor. He is contentto take the
lowestplace in the kingdom. If only he may belong to the chosenrace, he is
ready to be a "hewerof woodand a drawer of water." Hence he sings -
"The more thy glories strike my eyes
The humbler I shall lie."
II. PURENESS. The white colorof the lily is a pure white. It has approved
itself universally as the best emblem of innocence. All over the world it is a
silent messengerfrom God. As every plant reaches out towardperfection, so
the noblestyearning of the human soul is for purity. I may be learned and
rich and renowned, but if I am lacking in purity, I despise myself; my heart
refuses joy. I have fallen from my high estate. Othervirtues in me are only
leaves and blossoms;purity is the proper ripe fruit, which the ownerlongs to
see. Yet, so full of grace is our Immanuel, that he sees, notonly what is now
actually in us, but what is coming - the perfect holiness which is slowly
developing. As the whiteness of the lily is produced by its reflecting back again
all the rays of light that fall upon it, and is whitest under the full blaze of the
summer sun, so the Christian gains his purity by reflecting all the love and
grace from the Sun of Righteousness.

III. FRAGRANCE. The lily of the valley is noted for its delicious odour. The
subtle essenceofthe flowerflows out in a perpetual stream of blessing. Its
very life is expended in doing good. It cannot do much; it cannot bear clusters
of juicy fruit; but what is possible for it to do, that it freely does. Is not this a
portrait of a genuine disciple? Does he not count it his meat and his drink to
spread blessing on every side? And can he prevent the sweetsavourof his
Master's grace flowing out day and night? Howeverobscure and insignificant
he may be, his piety will diffuse a heavenly fragrance, and men will feet his
influence.
"As some rare essencein a vase of clay
Pervades it with a sweetnessnotits own;
So when thou dwellestin the human soul,
All heaven's own fragrance seems aroundit thrown."
IV. BEAUTY. The lily charms the eye no less than it pleases the nostril. The
eye has a native instinct for beauty, and through the eye the soul is enchanted.
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." And nothing in human characteris half
so beautiful as genuine piety. Heroism is beautiful, philanthropy is beautiful,
parental love is beautiful; but the quality of godly love transcends them all. It
has a sublimity which cannot be described. It has a potent influence which
ennobles the whole man. It is immortal in its duration, and has a splendid
sphere for growth. Well may we think of it as the amaranthine flowerthat
blossoms in the Paradise ofGod. "Blessedare the pure in heart."
V. THIS EMINENCE IS REACHED THROUGH DIFFICULTY. This lily has
grown up "among the thorns." They robbed it of the nutriment that dwelt in
the soil. They hindered the free circulationof the balmy air. They shut out

some of the quickening sunshine. Yet, in spite of hindrances, the lily grew and
flourished. So it happens with the pious love of the Christian. It has to contend
with hostile influences. Formidable oppositionbars its growth. We have to
resistthe chilling influence of an ungodly world. Yet these very difficulties
have their uses. Difficulties rouse our latent energy;difficulties put us on our
mettle; difficulties give scope to heroic effort. No one of us is seenat our best
until we are coping with gigantic opposition. As storms root the oak more
firmly, so the opposition of the world blows up the fires of our piety into a
white heat of sacredfervor. Thank God for the oppositionof the world. Out of
antagonismsprings the noblest life. - D.
The Lily Among Thorns
Biblical Illustrator
Songs 2:2
I. First, I think my text very beautifully sets forth THE RELATION OF THE
CHURCH AND OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL TO CHRIST. He styles her, "My
love." An exquisitely sweetname; as if His love had all gone forth of Him, and
had become embodied in her.
1. The first point, then, of her relation to Christ is that she has His love. Think
of it, and let the blessedtruth dwell long and sweetlyin your meditations.
Eachone of us may rejoice in the title under which our Lord addresses us —
"My love." This love is distinguishing love, for in its light one specialobject
shines as a lily, and the rest, "the daughters" are as thorns. Observe that this
is a love which He openly avows. The Bridegroomspeaks and says before all

men, "As a lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters." He puts it
upon record in that Book whichis more widely scatteredthan any other, for
He is not ashamedto have it published on the housetops. He declares it that
His adversaries may know it, that He hat h a people in whom HIS heart
delights, and these He will have and hold as His own when heavenand earth
shall pass away. This love, wherever it has been revealedto its object, is
reciprocated;, If the Lord has really spokenhome to your soul and said, "I
have loved thee, your soul has gladly answered, "This is my Beloved, and this
is my Friend; yea, He is altogetherlovely."
2. Next, she bears His likeness. Noticethe first verse of the chapter, wherein
the Bridegroomspeaks — "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the
valleys." He is the lily, but His beloved is like Him; for He applies His own
chosenemblem to her — "As the lily among thorns, so is My love among the
daughters." Notice that He is the lily, she is as the lily, that is to say, He has
the beauty and she reflects it; she is comely in His comeliness, whichHe puts
upon her. Note, too, that He who gave the beauty is the first to see it. While
they are unknown to the world Jesus knows His own. Love's eyes are quick,
and her ears are open. Love covers a multitude of faults, but it discovers a
multitude of beauties. Let His condescending discernment have all honour for
this generous appreciationof us. Let us bless and love Him because He deigns
to think so highly of us who owe everything to Him. "Thou art," saith He,
"My love, as the lily." It is evident that the Lord Jesus takesdelight in this
beauty, which tie has put upon His people. He values it at so greata rate that
He counts all rival beauties to be but as thorns.
3. Bringing out still further the relationship betweenChrist and His Church, I
want you to notice that her position has drawn out His love. "As the lily,"
saith He, "among thorns, so is My love." He spied her out among the thorns.
She was at the first no better than a thorn herself; His grace alone made her
to differ from the briars about her; but as soonas ever lie had put His life and
His grace into her, though she dwelt among the ungodly, she became as a lily,

and He spied her out. The thorn-brake could not hide His beloved. "As the lily
among thorns" wears also anothermeaning. Dr. Thompsonwrites of a certain
lily, "It grows among thorns, and I have sadly laceratedmy hand in
extricating it from them. Nothing canbe in higher contrastthan the luxuriant,
velvety softness ofthis lily and the withered, tangled hedge of thorns about it.
Ah, beloved, you know who it was that in gathering your soul and mine,
laceratednot His hand only, but His feet, and His head, and His side, and His
heart, yea, and His inmost soul."
4. Yet once more, I think many a child Of God may regard himself as still
being a lily among thorns, because ofhis afflictions. Certainly the Church is
so, and she is thereby kept for Christ's own, If thorns made it hard for Him to
reachus for our salvation, there is another kind of thorn which makes it hard
for any enemy to come at us for our hurt. Our trials and tribulations, which
we would fain escape from, often act as a spiritual protection: they hedge us
about and ward off many a devouring foe. Sharp as they are, they serve as a
fence and a defence.
II. Our text is full of instruction as to THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE
CHURCH AND EACH INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER TO THE WORLD —
"The lily among thorns."
1. First, then, she has incomparable beauty. As comparedand contrastedwith
all else she is as the lily to the thorn-brake. The thorns are worthless, they
flourish, and spread, and cumber the ground, but they yield no fruit, and only
grow to be cut down for the oven. Alas, such is man by nature, at his best. As
for the lily, it is a thing of beauty and a joy for ever; it lives shedding sweet
perfume, and when it is gatheredits loveliness adorns the chamber to which it
is taken. So does the saint bless his generationwhile here, and when he is
takenawayhe is regardedwith pleasure even in heaven above as one of the
flowers of God. He will ere long be transplanted from among the thorns to the

garden enclosedbeyond the river, where the King delights to dwell, for such a
floweris far too fair to be left for ever amid tangled briars.
2. In the comparisonof the saint to the lily we remark that he has, like the lily,
a surpassing excellence.The thorn is a fruit of the curse:it springs up because
of sin. Not so the lily: it is a fair type of the blessing which maketh rich
without the sorrow of carking care. The thorn is the mark of wrath and the
lily is the symbol of Divine Providence. A true believer is a blessing, a tree
whose leaves healand whose fruit feeds. A genuine Christian is a living gospel,
and embodiment of goodwilltowards men.
3. The last point with regard to our relationship to the world is that the
Church and many individual Christians are calledto endure singular trials,
which make them feel"as the lily among thorns." That lovely flowerseems
out of place in such company, does it not? Christ said, "Behold, I send you
forth as sheep among sheep"— no, no, that is my mistake, "as sheepamong
wolves." It is a very blessedthing to be as sheepamong sheep:to lie down
with them under the shadow of the greatrock, and feed with them in green
pastures under the Shepherd's eye. This is our privilege, and we ought to
value it greatly, and unite with the Church and frequent its ordinances;but
even then we shall, some of us, have to go home to an ungodly family, or to go
out into the world to win our bread, and then we shall be as sheepamong
wolves. Grace struggling in loneliness is very choice in God's esteem. If man
sees thee not, O lonely believer, thou mayest nevertheless sing. "ThouGod
seestme." The flower which blooms for Godalone has a specialhonour put
upon it, and so hath the saint whose quiet life is all for Jesus. If you are
unappreciated by those around you, do not therefore be distressed, for you
are honourable in the sight of God. But why doth the Lord put his lilies
among thorns? It is because He works transformations, singular
transformations, by their means. He can make a lily grow among thorns till
the thorns grow into lilies. He can seta Christian in a godless family till first
one and then another shall feel the Divine power, and shall say, "We will go

with you, for we perceive that God is with you." Be lilies, preach by your
actions, preachby your kindness, and by your love; and I feel quite sure that
your influence will be a power for good. If the Holy Spirit helps all of you to
stand among your associates as lilies among the thorns, the day will come
when thorns will die out, and lilies will spring up on every side: sin will be
banished and grace will abound.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Lord's Response to the Lily
S. Conway
Songs 2:2
As the lily among thorns.
I. HE DOES SET HIS LILIES AMID SUCH SURROUNDINGS, Bythe
thorns we may understand:
1. The world of the ungodly. "Among them that are seton fire, eve, the sons of
men, whose teethare spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword"
(Psalm 57:4). "The saint must expectto find himself, while in this world,
among uncongenialand hostile spirits."

2. Trials and temptations. (Cf. Paul's "thorn in the flesh.")
3. Hindrances to our growthand peril to our life. "The thorns sprang up and
chokedthem" (Matthew 13.). 'Tis a wonder, when we think of it, how any of
these lilies live at all
4. All others them they who are the Lord's. The speakerin text compares all
other daughters with her, and classes themall with the thorns as compared
with her. If whatsoeverbe not of faith be sin, then, whatsoeverit be, it comes
under this ill-sounding name of "thorns." Such are the surroundings of the
saintly soul.
II. NEVERTHELESS, THEYGROW THERE. As a fact, they do and
increase. And the reasonis that given to Paul when he "besoughtthe Lord
thrice" concerning his thorn: "My grace is sufficient for thee:... my strength is
made perfect in weakness."There is no other accountto be given of the
matter. It is all a marvel but for that.
III. AND IT IS IN HIS GRACE AND WISDOM THAT THEY ARE WHERE
THEY ARE. How many wise and holy ends are securedby it!
1. God's grace is magnified in and by them. It is easyto grow amid favourable
surroundings, where much helps and but little hinders. Growth there is not
remarkable. To be Christ's servants where such service is general, and even
popular, is no hardship. But if amid thorns, amid all that hinders, all that
makes it difficult to serve Christ, if there we serve him, then is his grace
magnified.

2. The world is kept from being hell. From being all thorns, dry, barren,
hurtful, fit only for the fire. What would this world be if God's saints were
takenout of it? Life would, indeed, then be not worth living. It would be
better had men never been born.
3. The thorns may be led to become lilies. Of course, this is impossible in the
natural world, but, thank God, not in the spiritual. And such transformation
often occurs, and that it may, Godplaces his lilies where they are. "As the
Father hath sentme, so send I you," he said to his disciples. But the Father
sent the Son to save the world. This, therefore, in their measure is the mission
of his people, and hence they must be where they are.
IV. BUT IT WILL NOT BE SO ALWAYS. The lilies shall be transplanted
that they may bloom forever in the Paradise ofGod. And the thorns! - what is
fit for such will be done. Therefore if we be of the blessednumber whom the
lilies of the valleys represent, let us not murmur, but remember what our
mission is, and seek to fulfil it. And let eachone of us ask - Which am I, lily or
thorn? - S.C.
Wildflower Beauty
J.R. Thomson
Songs 2:1, 2
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

The scene whichsuggests this imagery is one abounding in rural delights. In a
remote country retreat, the lovers are seatedon a couch of verdant turf,
deckedwith lovely flowers. It seems as though nature has prepared for them a
pleasanthouse whose rafters and galleries are formed by the lofty cedars and
firs above them. The dialogue is colouredby the suggestionsofthe rustic spot.
To the praises of the lover the bride responds with simplicity and humility: "I
am as the wild flower of the vale" - the crocus or the rose. He accepts the
comparison. "Yes;as a lily among thorns, so is my love among the
daughters." Thus love glorifies and hallows the place of meeting, and
transforms it into all that is beautiful. If this world is to the poet a gift of the
Eternal Father, a revelation of his character, a means and aid to piety - yea,
an earnestof heaven itself - then we may well see in the rose of Sharon, in the
lily of the valley, an emblem of true virtue and excellence,especiallyas
apparent in the Church, which is the gardenof God's delight. Such spiritual
excellence is characterizedby -
I. BEAUTY. The mind is fashionedso that it must recognize and admire that
which is beautiful, both in the natural and in the spiritual realm. There is a
beauty, a charm in goodness more to be admired than the crimson petals of
the rose or the lily's snow-white chalice. It is given to the spiritual to
apprehend the ideal loveliness of virtue and Christian purity. As the flowers of
the field and of the foresttell of the Creator's delight in shapeliestforms and
fairesthues, so the graces thatadorn the Christian characterare witnessesto
that Spirit, whose workmanshipand designand whose vital creationthey
surely are.
"Thus beauty here is like to that above,
And loveliness leads up to perfect love."
II. PURITY. The wild flowers speak to the poet's mind of stainless goodness;
the lily is especiallythe emblem of maiden pureness. Well may such blossoms,

blooming far from the city's defilements, serve to symbolize that moral
excellence whichis uncontaminated by sin and by a sinful world. Where the
holy Christ is himself spiritually present, his presence createsa purity akin to,
because derived from, his own.
III. FRAGRANCE. The Song of Songs contains many references to the
delicate and delightful odours which abound in the plains and gardens of the
East. To the sense ofsmell there is an etherealside, an aspectofsentiment;
and to this the royal poet delights to appeal. The exquisite aroma which
breathes from the scentedblossoms tells of their nearness and suggeststheir
beauty. There is a perfume in the pure and unselfish characterwhich diffuses
itself near and far, witnessing to the Divine grace and powerthat ever live and
work in the spiritual garden of the Lord. This fragrance betrayeth itself, and
cannot be hid.
IV. PRE-EMINECE HEIGHTENEDBY CONTRAST. The lily is pictured as
"among the thorns," by whose neighbourhoodits fairness and sweetnessare
enhanced. The thorns are a foil to the flower. The plants which our heavenly
Father hath planted in this world are hard by the useless and noxious growths
of sin. Who has not seena pure and gentle member of a coarse, worldly, and
selfishcircle - a family or a community - showing, all unconsciously, as a lily
among thorns, more beautiful and charming for the uncongenial
surroundings?
V. ATTRACTIVENESS. The rose and the lily draw to them the innocent
child, the maiden gathering flowers with which to decorate the lowly home,
the poetwhose heart is open to the sacredsweetnessofnature's symbols.
Where there are spirits susceptible to beauty, the flowers will not be unheeded
or unsought. A like attractiveness is exercisedby the pure, the devout, the
benevolent, and sympathizing. No wonder that Christ himself has been named
the Rose ofSharon. Those who share his spirit and witness to his love are the

ornaments of his garden, joining to render it the congenialresort, the chosen
home, of all who are sensitive to the appealof Divine love, and responsive to
the summons of Divine holiness and authority. - T.
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(2) Among the daughters—i.e., among othermaidens.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:1-7 Believers are beautiful, as clothed in the righteousness ofChrist; and
fragrant, as adorned with the gracesofhis Spirit; and they thrive under the
refreshing beams of the Sun of righteousness. The lily is a very noble plant in
the East;it grows to a considerable height, but has a weak stem. The church is
weak in herself, yet is strong in Him that supports her. The wicked, the
daughters of this world, who have no love to Christ, are as thorns, worthless
and useless,noxious and hurtful. Corruptions are thorns in the flesh; but the
lily now among thorns, shall be transplanted into that paradise where there is
no brier or thorn. The world is a barren tree to the soul; but Christ is a
fruitful one. And when poor souls are parched with convictions of sin, with the
terrors of the law, or the troubles of this world, wearyand heavy laden, they
may find rest in Christ. It is not enough to pass by this shadow, but we must
sit down under it. Believers have tastedthat the Lord Jesus is gracious;his
fruits are all the precious privileges of the new covenant, purchased by his
blood, and communicated by his Spirit; promises are sweetto a believer, and
precepts also. Pardons are sweet, and peace ofconsciencesweet. If our mouths
are out of taste for the pleasures ofsin, Divine consolationswill be sweetto us.
Christ brings the soulto seek andto find comforts through his ordinances,
which are as a banqueting-house where his saints feastwith him. The love of

Christ, manifested by his death, and by his word, is the banner he displays,
and believers resortto it. How much better is it with the soul when sick from
love to Christ, than when surfeited with the love of this world! And though
Christ seemedto have withdrawn, yet he was even then a very present help.
All his saints are in his hand, which tenderly holds their aching heads. Finding
Christ thus nigh to her, the soul is in greatcare that her communion with him
is not interrupted. We easilygrieve the Spirit by wrong tempers. Let those
who have comfort, fear sinning it away.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The king resumes, taking up the bride's comparison:"As the lily excels in
beauty the thorny shrubs among which it grows, so my friend excels her
companions."
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
2. Jesus Christto the Bride (Mt 10:16; Joh15:19; 1Jo 5:19). Thorns,
equivalent to the wicked(2Sa 23:6; Ps 57:4).
daughters—ofmen, not of God; not "the virgins." "If thou art the lily of Jesus
Christ, take heed lest by impatience, rash judgments, and pride, thou thyself
become a thorn" [Luther].
Matthew Poole's Commentary
As the lily among thorns; compared with thorns, which it unspeakably
exceeds in glory and beauty;
so is my love among the daughters; so far, and much more, doth my church or
people excelall other assemblies orpeople. The title of daughter is oft given to
whole nations; whence we read of the daughter of Babylon, and of Egypt, and
of Edom, &c., Isaiah 47:1 Jeremiah46:11 Lamentations 4:21. These are
Christ’s words, to which the spouse makes the following reply. And it is
observable here, that as Christ is here representedas a shepherd, and the
spouse as a country virgin, so the similitudes here used are agreeable to that
estate.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. These are
manifestly the words of Christ concerning his church, whom he calls "my
love";see Gill on Sol 1:9; and was his love still, though in such company, and
in such an uncomfortable condition. In what sense she is comparable to a lily
has been shownin Sol 2:1; but here she is compared to one among "thorns":
by which may be meant wickedmen, comparable to thorns for their
unfruitfulness and unprofitableness;for their being hurtful and pernicious to
goodmen; and for their end, which is to be burned; especiallypersecutors of
religion, who are very distressing to the saints who dwell among them; see 2
Samuel 23:6; and her being among such serves for a foil, to setoff her
excellencythe more: and the simile is designed, not so much to observe that
Christ's lily grows among thorns, as to show that the church is as preferable
to such persons as a lily is to thorns; which is justly remarkedby Carolus
Maria de Veil; and which sense the comparisonrequires, as appears by the
reddition, so is "my love among the daughters": the nations and men of the
world, and even carnalprofessors, members of the visible church, whom she
as much exceeds in beauty, grace, and fruitfulness, as the lily exceeds thorns.
Ainsworth thinks the "woodbind" or "honeysuckle" is meant, which grows in
thorn hedges, and is sometimes called"lilium inter spinas", as Mercer
observes;this is indeed of a sweetsmell, yet very weak, andcannot support
itself; and therefore twists and wraps itself about other trees, their twigs and
branches, "convolvens se adminiculis quibuscunque", as Pliny (h) says;hence
we call it "woodbind", and for the same reasonits name in Greek is
"periclymenon"; so saints are of a sweetfragrance to Christ, and, weak in
themselves, cannotsupport themselves;yet they twine about Christ, lean on
him, and are upheld by him, and depend on him for all goodthings. But it is
the same word as in Sol 2:1, and may be rendered "lily" here as there; and
not a "rose",as it is in the Targum, from which it is there distinguished. The
lily is often mentioned in this love song; it is said to be the delight of Verus (i).
Some call it "ambrosia".
(h) Nat. Hist. l. 27. c. 12. (i) Nicanderapud Athenaeum, l. 15. c. 8. p. 683.
Geneva Study Bible

As the lily among thorns, so is my {a} love among the daughters.
(a) Thus Christ prefers his Church above all other things.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
2. Solomonreplies, turning her modestcomparisoninto an exaltationof her
above the ladies of the palace by saying, “My friend is indeed a lily and she is
out of place, but only because the palace ladies are as thistles in comparison.”
Chôachis perhaps a thistle here. Tristram, Fauna and Flora of Palestine, p.
336, says it is Notobasis Syriaca, a peculiarly strong and noxious thistle. But
probably chôachmeant many plants, and that the word does not always mean
a thistle is shewnby its use in Proverbs 26:9, “as a chôachthat goethup into
the hand of a drunkard,” where something of the nature of a brier must be
intended. Cp. also the parable of Jehoashin 2 Kings 14:9.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 2. - As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. The king
responds, taking up the lovely simile and giving it a very apt and charming
turn, "My love is beyond comparisonthe chief and all around her are not
worthy of notice beside her." The meaning is not thorns on the tree itself. The
word would be different in that case. Ratherit is thorn plants or bushes
(choach);see 2 Kings 14:9. The daughters;i.e. the young damsels. The word
"son" or "daughter" was commonly so used in Hebrew, the idea being that of
simplicity, innocence, and gentleness.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,
Which lieth betweenby breasts.
14 A bunch of cypress-flowers is my beloved to me,
From the vine-gardens of Engedi.

Mostinterpreters, ignoring the lessons ofbotany, explain Sol1:13 of a little
bunch of myrrh; but whence could Shulamith obtain this? Myrrh, ‫רמ‬ (‫,ררמ‬ to
move oneselfin a horizontal direction hither and thither, or gradually to
advance;of a fluid, to flow over the plain),
(Note:Vid., Schlotmann in the Stud. u. Krit. (1867), p. 217.)
belongs, like the frankincense, to the amyrids, which are also exotics
(Note:They came from Arabia and India; the better Arabian was adulterated
with Indian myrrh.)
in Palestine;and that which is aromatic in the Balsamodendronmyrrha are
the leaves and flowers, but the resin (Gummi myrrhae, or merely myrrha)
cannot be tied in a bunch. Thus the myrrh here can be understood in no other
way than as at Sol 5:5; in general‫,רורצ‬ according to Hitzig's correctremark,
properly denotes not what one binds up together, but what one ties up - thus
sacculus, a little bag. It is not supposedthat she carried such a little bag with
her (cf. Isaiah3:20), or a box of frankincense (Luth. musk-apple); but she
compares her beloved to a myrrh-repository, which day and night departs not
from her bosom, and penetrates her inwardly with its heart-strengthening
aroma. So constantlydoes she think of him, and so delightful is it for her to
dare to think of him as her beloved.
The 14th verse presents the same thought. ‫רפר‬ is the cypress-clusterorthe
cypress-flowers, κύπρος (according to Frst, from ‫רפכ‬ equals ‫,רפע‬ to be whitish,
from the colourof the yellow-white flowers), which botanists callLawsonia,
and in the EastAlḥennā; its leaves yield the orange colourwith which the
Moslemwomen stain
(Note:Vid., the literature of this subject in Defrmery's notice of Dozy-
Engelmann's work in the Revue Critique, III 2 (1868), p. 408.)
their hands and feet. ‫לּכרא‬ (from ‫,ּככא‬ to interweave)denotes that which is
woven, tresses, ora clusteror garland of their flowers. Here also we have not
to suppose that Shulamith carrieda bunch of flowers;in her imagination she
places herselfin the vine-gardens which Solomonhad planted on the hill-
terraces ofEngedi lying on the westof the DeadSea (Ecclesiastes2:4), and

choosesa clusterof flowers of the cypress growing in that tropical climate,
and says that her beloved is to her internally what such a clusterof cypress-
flowers would be to her externally. To be able to callhim her beloved is her
ornament; and to think of him refreshes her like the most fragrant flowers.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
The king resumes, taking up the bride‘s comparison:“As the lily excels in
beauty the thorny shrubs among which it grows, so my friend excels her
companions.”
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Song of Solomon2:2". "Barnes'Notes on
the Whole Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/song-
of-solomon-2.html. 1870.
return to 'Jump List'
The Biblical Illustrator
Song of Solomon 2:2
As the lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters.

The lily among thorns
I. First, I think my text very beautifully sets forth the relation of the Church
and of every individual to Christ. He styles her, “My love.” An exquisitely
sweetname; as if His love had all gone forth of Him, and had become
embodied in her.
1. The first point, then, of her relation to Christ is that she has His love. Think
of it, and let the blessedtruth dwell long and sweetlyin your meditations.
Eachone of us may rejoice in the title under which our Lord addresses us--
“My love.” This love is distinguishing love, for in its light one specialobject
shines as a lily, and the rest, “the daughters” are as thorns. Observe that this
is a love which He openly avows. The Bridegroomspeaks and says before all
men, “As a lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters.” He puts it
upon record in that Book whichis more widely scatteredthan any other, for
He is not ashamedto have it published on the housetops. He declares it that
His adversaries may know it, that He hat h a people in whom HIS heart
delights, and these He will have and hold as His own when heavenand earth
shall pass away. This love, wherever it has been revealedto its object, is
reciprocated;, If the Lord has really spokenhome to your soul and said, “I
have loved thee, your soul has gladly answered, “This is my Beloved, and this
is my Friend; yea, He is altogetherlovely.”
2. Next, she bears His likeness. Noticethe first verse of the chapter, wherein
the Bridegroomspeaks--“Iam the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”
He is the lily, but His beloved is like Him; for He applies His own chosen
emblem to her--“As the lily among thorns, so is My love among the
daughters.” Notice that He is the lily, she is as the lily, that is to say, He has
the beauty and she reflects it; she is comely in His comeliness, whichHe puts
upon her. Note, too, that He who gave the beauty is the first to see it. While
they are unknown to the world Jesus knows His own. Love’s eyes are quick,
and her ears are open. Love covers a multitude of faults, but it discovers a
multitude of beauties. Let His condescending discernment have all honour for
this generous appreciationof us. Let us bless and love Him because He deigns

to think so highly of us who owe everything to Him. “Thou art,” saith He,
“My love, as the lily.” It is evident that the Lord Jesus takes delight in this
beauty, which tie has put upon His people. He values it at so greata rate that
He counts all rival beauties to be but as thorns.
3. Bringing out still further the relationship betweenChrist and His Church, I
want you to notice that her position has drawn out His love. “As the lily,”
saith He, “among thorns, so is My love.” He spied her out among the thorns.
She was at the first no better than a thorn herself; His grace alone made her
to differ from the briars about her; but as soonas ever lie had put His life and
His grace into her, though she dwelt among the ungodly, she became as a lily,
and He spied her out. The thorn-brake could not hide His beloved. “As the lily
among thorns” wears also anothermeaning. Dr. Thompsonwrites of a certain
lily, “It grows among thorns, and I have sadly laceratedmy hand in
extricating it from them. Nothing canbe in higher contrastthan the luxuriant,
velvety softness ofthis lily and the withered, tangled hedge of thorns about it.
Ah, beloved, you know who it was that in gathering your soul and mine,
laceratednot His hand only, but His feet, and His head, and His side, and His
heart, yea, and His inmost soul.”
4. Yet once more, I think many a child Of God may regard himself as still
being a lily among thorns, because ofhis afflictions. Certainly the Church is
so, and she is thereby kept for Christ’s own, If thorns made it hard for Him to
fence and a defence.
II. Our text is full of instruction as to the relationship of the Church and each
individual believer to the world--“The lily among thorns.”
1. First, then, she has incomparable beauty. As comparedand contrastedwith
all else she is as the lily to the thorn-brake. The thorns are worthless, they
flourish, and spread, and cumber the ground, but they yield no fruit, and only

grow to be cut down for the oven. Alas, such is man by nature, at his best. As
for the lily, it is a thing of beauty and a joy for ever; it lives shedding sweet
perfume, and when it is gatheredits loveliness adorns the chamber to which it
is taken. So does the saint bless his generationwhile here, and when he is
takenawayhe is regardedwith pleasure even in heaven above as one of the
flowers of God. He will ere long be transplanted from among the thorns to the
garden enclosedbeyond the river, where the King delights to dwell, for such a
floweris far too fair to be left for ever amid tangled briars.
2. In the comparisonof the saint to the lily we remark that he has, like the lily,
a surpassing excellence.The thorn is a fruit of the curse:it springs up because
of sin. Not so the lily: it is a fair type of the blessing which maketh rich
without the sorrow of carking care. The thorn is the mark of wrath and the
lily is the symbol of Divine Providence. A true believer is a blessing, a tree
whose leaves healand whose fruit feeds. A genuine Christian is a living gospel,
and embodiment of goodwilltowards men.
3. The last point with regard to our relationship to the world is that the
Church and many individual Christians are calledto endure singular trials,
which make them feel“as the lily among thorns.” That lovely flowerseems
out of place in such company, does it not? Christ said, “Behold, I send you
forth as sheep among sheep”--no, no, that is my mistake, “as sheepamong
wolves.” It is a very blessedthing to be as sheepamong sheep: to lie down with
them under the shadow of the greatrock, and feed with them in green
pastures under the Shepherd’s eye. This is our privilege, and we ought to
value it greatly, and unite with the Church and frequent its ordinances;but
even then we shall, some of us, have to go home to an ungodly family, or to go
out into the world to win our bread, and then we shall be as sheepamong
wolves. Grace struggling in loneliness is very choice in God’s esteem. If man
sees thee not, O lonely believer, thou mayest nevertheless sing. “ThouGod
seestme.” The flower which blooms for God alone has a specialhonour put
upon it, and so hath the saint whose quiet life is all for Jesus. If you are
unappreciated by those around you, do not therefore be distressed, for you
are honourable in the sight of God. But why doth the Lord put his lilies
among thorns? It is because He works transformations, singular
transformations, by their means. He can make a lily grow among thorns till

the thorns grow into lilies. He can seta Christian in a godless family till first
one and then another shall feel the Divine power, and shall say, “We will go
with you, for we perceive that God is with you.” Be lilies, preach by your
actions, preachby your kindness, and by your love; and I feel quite sure that
your influence will be a power for good. If the Holy Spirit helps all of you to
stand among your associates as lilies among the thorns, the day will come
when thorns will die out, and lilies will spring up on every side: sin will be
banished and grace will abound. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christ and the believer
I. Inquire what Christ thinks of the believer.
“As the lily among the thorns, so is My love among the daughters.”
1. See whatChrist thinks of the unconverted world. It is like a field full of
briars and thorns in His eyes.
2. See whatChrist thinks of the believer. “As the lily among thorns, so is My
love among the daughters.” The believer is like a lovely flowerin the eyes of
Christ.
II. Inquire what the believer thinks of Christ--“As the apple tree among the
trees of the wood.”
1. Christ is more precious than all other saviours in the eye of the believer. As
a traveller prefers an apple tree to every other tree of the wood, because lie
finds both shelter and nourishing food under it, so the believer prefers Christ
to all other saviours. Oh! there is no rest for the soul exceptunder that branch
which God has made strong. My heart’s desire and prayer for you is, that you
may all find rest there.
2. Why has the believer so high an esteemofChrist?

Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Exell, JosephS. "Commentary on "Song of Solomon2:2". The Biblical
Illustrator. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/song-of-
solomon-2.html. 1905-1909. New York.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. These are
manifestly the words of Christ concerning his church, whom he calls "my
love";see Gill on Song of Solomon 1:9; and was his love still, though in such
company, and in such an uncomfortable condition. In what sense she is
comparable to a lily has been shownin Song of Solomon2:1; but here she is
compared to one among "thorns": by which may be meant wickedmen,
comparable to thorns for their unfruitfulness and unprofitableness; for their
being hurtful and pernicious to goodmen; and for their end, which is to be
burned; especiallypersecutors ofreligion, who are very distressing to the
saints who dwell among them; see 2 Samuel 23:6; and her being among such
serves for a foil, to set off her excellencythe more: and the simile is designed,
not so much to observe that Christ's lily grows among thorns, as to show that
the church is as preferable to such persons as a lily is to thorns; which is justly
remarkedby Carolus Maria de Veil; and which sense the comparison
requires, as appears by the reddition, so is "my love among the daughters":
the nations and men of the world, and even carnalprofessors, members of the
visible church, whom she as much exceeds in beauty, grace, and fruitfulness,

as the lily exceeds thorns. Ainsworth thinks the "woodbind" or "honeysuckle"
is meant, which grows in thorn hedges, and is sometimes called"lilium inter
spinas", as Mercerobserves;this is indeed of a sweetsmell, yet very weak,
and cannotsupport itself; and therefore twists and wraps itself about other
trees, their twigs and branches, "convolvens se adminiculis quibuscunque", as
PlinyF8 says;hence we callit "woodbind", and for the same reasonits name
in Greek is "periclymenon";so saints are of a sweetfragrance to Christ, and,
weak in themselves, cannotsupport themselves;yet they twine about Christ,
lean on him, and are upheld by him, and depend on him for all goodthings.
But it is the same word as in Song of Solomon2:1, and may be rendered "lily"
here as there; and not a "rose", as it is in the Targum, from which it is there
distinguished. The lily is often mentioned in this love song; it is said to be the
delight of VerusF9. Some call it "ambrosia".
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "The New John Gill
Exposition of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1999.
Geneva Study Bible
As the lily among thorns, so [is] my a love among the daughters.

(a) Thus Christ prefers his Church above all other things.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Song of Solomon 2:2". "The 1599 Geneva
Study Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/song-of-
solomon-2.html. 1599-1645.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Jesus Christ to the Bride (Matthew 10:16; John 15:19;1 John 5:19). Thorns,
equivalent to the wicked(2 Samuel 23:6; Psalm 57:4).
daughters — of men, not of God; not “the virgins.” “If thou art the lily of
Jesus Christ, take heed lest by impatience, rash judgments, and pride, thou
thyself become a thorn” [Luther].
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text
scannedby Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-BrownCommentary is in the
public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography

Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on Song
of Solomon2:2". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/song-of-solomon-
2.html. 1871-8.
Keil & DelitzschCommentary on the Old Testament
2 As a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.
By ‫םיחוחה‬ are not meant the thorns of the plant itself, for the lily has no
thorns, and the thorns of the rose are, moreover, calledkotsim , and not
hhohhim ;
(Note:An Aramaic proverb: “from thorns sprouts the rose” ( i.e. , bad fathers
have often pious children), in Heb. is ‫ּכוּכק‬ ‫מוציל‬ ‫ןוו‬ ; vid ., Jalkut Samuel,
§134.)
besides, ben (among) contradicts that idea, since the thorns are on the plant
itself, and it is not among them - thus the hhohhim are not the thorns of the
flower-stem, but the thorn-plants that are around. ‫חוח‬ designates the thorn-
bush, e.g. , in the allegoricalanswerofKing Josiahto Amaziah, 2 Kings 14:9.
Simplicity, innocence, gentleness, are the characteristicsin which Shulamith
surpasses all ‫תווּב‬ , i.e. , all women( vid ., Song of Solomon6:9), as the lily of
the valley surpasses the thorn-bushes around it. “Although thorns surround
her, yet can he see her; he sees herquiet life, he finds her beautiful.” But
continuing this reciprocalrivalry in the praise of mutual love, she says:
Copyright Statement
The Keil & DelitzschCommentary on the Old Testamentis a derivative of a
public domain electronic edition.
Bibliography

Keil, Carl Friedrich & Delitzsch, Franz. "Commentary on Song of Solomon
2:2". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/song-of-solomon-
2.html. 1854-1889.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
Among - Comparedwith thorns, which it unspeakablyexceeds in glory and
beauty. So - So far, doth my church or people, excelall other assemblies.The
title of daughter, is often given to whole nations. These are Christ's words, to
which the spouse makes the following reply.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "JohnWesley's
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1765.
Scofield's ReferenceNotes
so is
How poor are the similes of the bride as compared with those of the
Bridegroom. To Him she is a "lily among thorns; she can only saythat He is
"as the apple tree among the trees of the wood."

Copyright Statement
These files are consideredpublic domain and are a derivative of an electronic
edition that is available in the Online Bible Software Library.
Bibliography
Scofield, C. I. "ScofieldReferenceNoteson Song of Solomon2:2". "Scofield
Reference Notes(1917Edition)".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/srn/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1917.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Song of Solomon 2:2 As the lily among thorns, so [is] my love among the
daughters.
Ver. 2. As the lily among the thorns.] The lily is white, pure, and pleasant,
having six leaves (and thence its name (a) in Hebrew), and sevengolden-
colouredgrains within it. The 45th Psalm(of like argument with this song) is
dedicatedto him that excellethupon Shoshannim, or upon this six-leaved
flower, the lily. Moreover, the chief city of Persia was calledShushan, from
the multitude of lilies growing there. (b) Here Alexander found fifty thousand
talents of gold; the very stones of it are said to have been joined togetherwith
gold. (c) 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 scratchedand drew blood to purpose.
Wickedmen are called briers, [Micah7:4] thorns twisted and folded, [Nahum
1:10] that hurt the earth and those that handle them. Indeed, they cannot "be
takenwith 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 setthe briers and thorns againstme 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 againstthem, I
would burn them together." [Isaiah27:4] 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; (d) these are calledthorns for the malignity
of their manners, and daughters for their professionand outward privileges.
These prick, sting, and nettle the Church; they cannotbut do their nature, till
God take an order with them, till he "bind them in bundles, and castthem
into the furnace." [Matthew 13:40]But as the lily is fresh and beautiful, and
looks pleasantly(even that wild lily that we callwoodbine) though among
thorns; so should we amidst trouble. God hedgeth us about with these briers,
that he may keepus within compass;he pricks us with these thorns, that he
may let out our ill humours. O felices tribulos tribulationum! (e) O happy
thorns of tribulation, that open a vein for sin to gush out at! "Be not weary,
my son, of God’s correction,"saithSolomon. [Proverbs 3:11] Ne eius
castigationes ut spinas quasdam existimes tibi molestas, so Kabvenakirenders
and expounds that text. Feelnot God’s corrections troublesome to thee, as
thorns in thine eyes, or prickles in thy sides. Especiallysince, as Gideon, by
thrashing those churls of Succothwith thorns and briers of the wilderness,
"taught" them better behaviour; [ 8:16] so God deals by his people. His house
of correctionis his schoolof instruction. [Psalms 94:12]See my Love Tokens,
p. 144, 145, &c. Godsets these thorns, as he did those four horns [Zechariah
1:18-21]to afflict his people which way soeverthey fled. Howbeit, when they
had pushed them to the Lord, there were four carpenters seta-work to cut
them short enough for everdoing any further hurt. [Zechariah 1:19-21]
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Trapp, John. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/song-of-
Hawker's PoorMan's Commentary
But whateverobscurity is found in the former verse to whom the words
belong, there can be none here. Evidently Jesus is here speaking ofhis church,
and by a comparisonwith all others to point out her superiority; and in his
grace, and love, he hath done it in a most gracious and blessedmanner. And
observe how the Lord expressethhimself: He callethhis church what he
calleth himself, a lily: as if to express the oneness betweenthem: and not only
the oneness andunion, but interest; for it is this which gives all the beauty and
loveliness to the church, her conformity and likeness to Jesus:and by this she
is distinguished among all others;for as the loveliness ofthe lily is made to
appear more striking, when beheld in the midst of thorns; so the church of
Christ and every individual believer, is found most gracefulin the midst of a
crookedand perverse generation, among whom they shine as lights in the
world. Pause, Reader, before this verse be dismissed, and remark with me, the
love and tenderness of Jesus forhis church. Though she dwelleth among
briars and thorns, yet is she in his eye the lily still. She hears his name - she is
owned as his love, and Jesus regards herwith an eye of delight, and will never
leave her, until he comes to remove her from the thorns and briars of this
world's wilderness to the garner of his paradise which is above.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Hawker, Robert, D.D. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "Hawker's
PoorMan's Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pmc/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1828.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
As the lily among thorns; compared with thorns, which it unspeakably
exceeds in glory and beauty;
so is my love among the daughters; so far, and much more, doth my church or
people excelall other assemblies orpeople. The title of daughter is oft given to
whole nations; whence we read of the daughter of Babylon, and of Egypt, and
of Edom, &c., Isaiah 47:1 Jeremiah46:11 Lamentations 4:21. These are
Christ’s words, to which the spouse makes the following reply. And it is
observable here, that as Christ is here representedas a shepherd, and the
spouse as a country virgin, so the similitudes here used are agreeable to that
estate.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Song of Solomon 2:2". Matthew Poole's
English Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1685.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
“As a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.”

He now tells her lovingly, that compared with all other women he has known,
she is like a lily among thorns, a flowering beauty among the briars. That is
how he sees her. She is ‘his pure, true love’, in contrastwith them.
And in such terms God often pleadedwith His people Israel(see Exodus 19:5-
6). He wanted them to know the love that He had for them. ‘I have loved you
with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3), which He connectedwith ‘the virgin
Israel’ (Jeremiah31:4). Indeed He would cry, ‘How can I give you up, Oh
Ephraim? How shall I hand you over, Oh Israel’(Hosea 11:8). And it is as a
similar kind of admirer that our Lord, Jesus Christ comes to us, as He gently
whispers, ‘you are an electrace, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
God’s own possession, thatyou may show forth the excellenciesofHim Who
has calledyou out of darkness into His most glorious light’ (1 Peter2:9). That
is why we are to be as lights in the world, and like a city which cannotbe
hidden (Matthew 5:14-16), revealing our spiritual beauty to the world
We have in this reference to her as a lily an indication of the significance of
the continual mention of ‘feeding among the lilies’ found later (Song of
Solomon2:16; Song of Solomon4:5; Song of Solomon6:3). It signifies being in
her environment and among her kind of people, that is, among the people of
the land, the country folk, and the humble and poor.
The YOUNG MAIDEN replies to his compliment,
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "PeterPett's
Commentary on the Bible ".

https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/song-of-solomon-2.html.
2013.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Thorns. The bridegroom enhances the praise of his spouse. The Church,
surrounded by infidels and persecutors, maintains her beauty and station.
Heretics, &c., are no better than thorns. (Origen) (Calmet) --- The Church
excels all other societies. In her communion the innocent are preferred before
sinners, and among the former, the blessedVirgin [Mary] surpasses all.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Haydock, George Leo. "Commentaryon Song of Solomon2:2". "George
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1859.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
As the lily = As a lily: the shepherd, taking up her word in his reply.
thorns. See note on 2 Kings 14:9.
my love = my friend. Hebrew. ra"yah. See note on Song of Solomon1:9.
Feminine again, showing that it is the shepherd who is speaking.
daughters = damsels. Hebrew. banoth, feminine plural of beyn, a son.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1909-1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
As the lily among thorns, so (is) my love - Jesus Christto the Bride (Matthew
10:16). "Thorns," i:e., the wicked(Psalms 57:4).
Daughters - of men, not of God; not "the virgins," answering in parallelism to
"thorns." 'If thou art the lily of Jesus Christ, take heed lestby impatience,
rash judgments, and pride, thou thyself become a thorn' (Luther).
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on Song
of Solomon2:2". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
- Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/song-of-

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(2) Among the daughters—i.e., among othermaidens.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "Ellicott's
Commentary for English Readers".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/song-of-solomon-2.html.
1905.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
Isaiah55:13; Matthew 6:28,29;10:16;Philippians 2:15,16;1 Peter2:12
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on Song of Solomon2:2". "The Treasuryof
Scripture Knowledge".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/song-of-solomon-2.html.
Gary H. Everett's Study Notes onthe Holy Scriptures
The King's Love for His Beloved-Literal Interpretation- The king responds to
the Shulamite's description of herselfin Song of Solomon2:1 as a common
flowerby saying that she was the most beautiful flower of them all. The lily, as
do all beautiful flowers, brings greatdelight to those who admire it. However,
the curse that God placedupon the earth bred thorns ( Genesis 3; Genesis 17-
19). Thus, Westwoodsuggeststhe lily among thorns could represent the
righteous in the midst of a corrupt and evil world. 114]In contrastto the
delight brought by the beautiful lilies, the nature of the thorn is to bring pain
and discomfort to those who handle it. Zckler notes how the same parallelism
in Song of Solomon2:2 of the beautiful of the lily among thorns is used by the
beloved in the next verse by comparing him to an apple tree among the trees
of the wood( Song of Solomon2:3). 115]
114]John Westwood, A Short Paraphrase ofthe Song of Solomon(London:
Simpkin, Marshalland Co, 1848), 9.
115]Otto Zckler, The Song of Solomon, trans. by W. Henry Green, in
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, ed. Philip Schaff (New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1872), 61.
Figurative Interpretation - The Lord acknowledgesHis love for the believer in
his/her resurrectedposition in Christ.
Song of Solomon 2:2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the
daughters.
Song of Solomon 2:2 — Word Study on "lily" - Strong says the Hebrew word
"lily" "shuwshan" ( ‫ק‬ ‫ּו‬‫)ּכַּׁכ‬ (H 7799)means, "a lily (from its whiteness), as a
floweror [archaic]an ornament." The EnhancedStrong says this word is
used 15 times in the Old Testament, being translatedin the KJV as "lily 13,

Shoshannim 2." However, its compound uses in Psalm 60 (Shushan-eduth)
and Psalm80 (Shoshannim-Eduth) can be included. It is found 8 times in
Songs ( Song of Solomon2:1-2; Song of Solomon2:16; Song of Solomon4:5;
Song of Solomon 5:13; Song of Solomon6:2-3; Song of Solomon7:2). Lilies
were used to adorn Solomon's Temple ( 1 Kings 7:19; 1 Kings 7:22; 1 Kings
7:26, 2 Chronicles 4:5). This word or its derivatives are used in the title of four
psalms as "Shoshannim" ( Psalm45, 60, 69, 80). Psalm45 is a song of love,
where a wedding processionalis described. In Songs the Belovedis describes
as "a lily of the valley," and "a lily among thorns" ( Song of Solomon2:1-2).
The Lover feeds among the lilies in the garden ( Song of Solomon2:16; Song
of Solomon4:5; Song of Solomon6:3), and gathers lilies ( Song of Solomon
5:13). Hosea describes the children of Israel as a lily, saying, "I will be as the
dew unto Israel:he shall grow as the lily, and castforth his roots as
Lebanon." ( Hosea 14:5) Watchman Nee suggests thatthe lilies mentioned in
Songs is symbolic of those who are upright before God. 116]
116]Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (FortWashington, Pennsylvania: CLC
Publications, c 1965, 2001), 53.
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
The Lily among Thorns
No. 1525. Deliveredon February 29th, 1880, by C. H. Spurgeon. At the
MetropolitanTabernacle, Newington.
"As the lily among thorns, so is my darling among the daughters."
-Song of Solomon2:2.

WE shall not enter into any profitless discussionthis morning. We take it for
granted that the Song of Solomonis a sacredmarriage song betweenChrist
and his church, and that it is the Lord Jesus who is here speaking of his
church, and indeed of each individual member, saying, "As the lily among
thorns, so is my darling among the daughters." I will not even enter into any
disquisition as to what particular flower is here intended by the word
translated "lily," for it would be very difficult to selecta plant from the Holy
Land about which travelers and botanists would agree.
The lily, which we should most naturally fix upon, is, as I have gatheredfrom
books of travel, not at present found in that country, though we may not
therefore be sure that it was never there, or may not yet be discovered.
Severalother fair and beautiful forms, according to the fancies of various
travelers, have been preferred to occupythe place of the plant intended by the
original Hebrew, but none of them quite come up to the ideal suggestedto an
English readerby our translation. I will for once take the liberty to clothe the
Scripture in a westerndress, if need be, and venture to do what Solomon
would surely have done if his Song of songs had been written in England. I
shall assume that he means one of our own lilies: either the lily of the valley,
or one of those more statelybeauties, matchless for whiteness, whichso
gloriously adorn our gardens. Either will do, and serve our turn this morning.
"As the lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the daughters." It is of
small moment to be precise in botany so long as we get the spirit of the text.
We seek practicalusefulness andpersonalconsolation, and proceedat once in
the pursuit, in the hope that it may be with us as with the greatBridegroom
himself, of whom the goldencanticle says, "He feeds among the lilies."
Many are taking root among us now, newly transplanted from the world,
and it is well that they should be rootedin a knowledge oftheir calling by
grace, and what it includes. They ought to know at the very commencement
what a Christian is when he is truly a Christian, what he is expectedto be,
what the Lord means him to be, and what the Lord Jesus regards him as
really being; so that they may make no mistakes, but may count the cost, and
know what it is that they have ventured upon.

Thinking over this subject carefully, and anxiously desiring to warn our new
converts without alarming them, I could not think of any text from which I
should be able, in the exposition of it, better to set forth the 'position,
condition, and characterofa genuine Christian'. Jesus himself knows best
what his ownbride is like, let us hear him as he speaks in this matchless song.
He knows best what his followers should be, and well may we be contentto
take the words out of his own mouth when in sweetestpoetry he tells us, "As
the lily among thorns, so is my darling among the daughters." Joinme then,
my brethren, at this time in considering our Lord's lilies, how they grow.
Concerning the church of God, there are two points upon which I will
enlarge:first, her relation to her Lord; and secondly, her relationto the
world.
I. First, I think my text very beautifully sets forth THE RELATION OF THE
CHURCH, AND OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL TO CHRIST. He styles her, "my
darling." An exquisitely sweetname; as if his love had all gone forth from
him, and had become embodied in her. The first point then of her relationto
Christ is that she has his DARLING. Think of it, and let the blessedtruth
dwell long and sweetlyin your meditations. The Lord of life and glory, the
Prince of the kings of the earth, has such a loving heart that he must have an
objectupon which to spend his affection;and his people, chosenfrom among
men, whom he calls his church, these are they who are his "love," the object
of his supreme delight. "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it."
He lookedon his people and he exclaimed, "as the Father has loved me even
so have I loved you." Every believer, separatedfrom mankind, and called
unto the fellowshipof Christ, is also the peculiar object of his love. Notin
name only, but in deed and in truth, does Jesus love eachone of us who have
believed on him. You may eachone of you say with the apostle, "He loved
me"; you may read it in any tense you please-He loved me; he loves me; he
will love me, for he gave himself for me. This shall be your song in heaven,
"Unto him that loved us, and washedus from our sins in his ownblood, to
him be glory."
Let your hearts saturate themselves with this honied thought; heavenlies hid
within it, it is the quintessence of bliss- Jesus loves me. It is not in the powerof

words to setforth the charming nature of this fact; it is a very simple
proposition, but the heights and depths, the lengths and breadths of it surpass
our knowledge.Thatsuch a poor, insignificant, unworthy being as I am
should be the objectof the eternalaffection of the Son of God is an amazing
wonder; yet wonderful as it is, it is a fact! To eachone of his people he says
this morning by the Holy Spirit, "I have loved you with an everlasting love,
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you." Eachone of us may rejoice
in the title under which our Lord addresses us-"my darling."
This love is DISTINGUISHING love, for in its light one specialobjectshines
as a lily, and the rest, "the daughters," are as thorns. Love has fixed on its
chosenobject, and compared with the favoredone all others are as nothing.
There is a love of Jesus whichgoes forth to all mankind, for "the Lord is good
to all, and his tender mercies are overall his works";but there is a specialand
peculiar love which he bears to his own.
As a man loves his neighbors but still he has a specialaffectionfor his own
wife, so is the church Christ's bride, beloved above all the rest of mankind,
and every individual believer is the favored one of heaven. The saint is united
to Christ by a mystical union, a spiritual marriage bond, and above all others,
Christ loves the souls espousedto him. He said once, "I pray for them. I pray
not for the world, but for them which you have given me;" thus indicating
that there is a specialtyabout his intercession.
We rejoice in the largeness andthe width of Jesus'love, but we do not
therefore doubt its specialty. The sun shines on all things, but when it is
focussedupon one point, ah, then there is a heat about it of which you little
dreamed! The love of Jesus is focussedonthose whom the Father has given
him. Upon you, my brother or sister, if indeed you are a believer in Jesus
Christ, the Lord's heart is set, and he speaks ofyou in the words of the text as
"my love," loved above all the daughters, precious in his sight and honorable,
so that he will give men for you and people for your life.
Observe that this is a love which he OPENLYAVOWS. The bridegroom
speaks andsays before all men, "As a lily among thorns, so is my darling
among the daughters." He puts it upon record in that book which is more

widely scatteredthan any other, for he is not ashamedto have it published on
the housetops. The love of Christ was at first hidden in his heart, but it soon
revealeditself, for even of old his delights were with the sons of men, and he
bent his steps downwardto this world in divers forms before ever Bethlehem's
song was sung. And now, since the incarnate God has loved, and lived, and
died, he has unveiled his love in the most open form, and astonishedheaven
and earth thereby.
On Calvary he set up an open proclamation, written in his own heart's blood,
that he loved his own people even unto the end. He bids his ministers proclaim
it to the world's end, that many waters could not quench his love, neither
could the floods drown it; and that neither life, nor death, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He
would have it known, for he is not ashamed to call his people "the bride, the
Lamb's wife." He declares it that his adversaries may know it, that he has a
people in whom his heart delights, and these he will have and hold as his own,
when heaven and earth shall pass away.
This love, whereverit has been revealedto its object, is RECIPROCATED.
If the Lord has really spokenhome to your soul and said, "I have loved you,"
your soul has gladly answered, "This is my Belovedand this is my Friend; yes,
he is altogetherlovely." For what says the spouse in anotherplace? "My
Belovedis mine and I am his." I am his beloved, but he is my beloved too. By
this, dear hearer, shall you know whether this text belongs to you or not.
What do you say when Jesus asks ofyou, "Do you love you me?" Is your heart
warmed at the very mention of his name? If you can truly saywith Peter,
"Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you," then rest assuredyou
love him, because he first loved you.
Do not doubt the fact, but be well assuredof it, that love in your heart
towards Jesus is the certain and infallible pledge of his infinite, eternal, and
immutable love to you. If his name is on your heart, then be sure of this, that
your name is on his breast. and written on the palms of his hands. You are
espousedunto him, and the bands of the mystical wedlock shall never be

snapped. This is the first point of the relation of the church to her Lord: she is
the objectof his love.
Next, SHE BEARS HIS LIKENESS. Notice the first verse of the chapter,
wherein the bridegroom speaks-"Iam the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the
valleys." He is THE lily, but his beloved is like him; for he applies his own
chosenemblem to her- "As the lily among thorns, so is my darling among the
daughters." Notice that he is the lily, she is as the lily, that is to say, he has the
beauty and she reflects it; she is lovely in his loveliness which he puts upon
her. If any soul has any such beauty as is described here, Christ has dowered
that beloved soul with all its wealth of charms, for in ourselves we are
deformed and defiled. What is the confessionofthis very spouse in the
previous chapter? She says "I am black," -that is the opposite of a lily; if she
adds, "but lovely," it is because her Lord has made her lovely. There is no
grace but what grace has given, and if we are gracefulit is because Christhas
made us full of grace. There is no beauty in any one of us but what our Lord
has wrought in us.
Note, too, that he who gave the beauty is the first to see it. While they are
unknown to the world Jesus knows his own. Long before anybody else sees
any virtue or any praise in us, Jesus observesit, and is pleasedtherewith. He
is quick to say, "Behold, he prays," or "Behold, he repents." He is the first to
say, "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself."
Love's eyes are quick, and her ears are open. Love covers a multitude of
faults, but it discovers a multitude of beauties. Canit be so, O my soul, can it
be so that Christ has made you lovely in his loveliness? Has he shed a beauty
upon you, and does he himself look complacently upon it? He whose taste is
exquisite, and whose voice is the truth, who never calls that beautiful which is
not beautiful, canhe see a beauty in your sighs and tears, in your desires after
holiness, in your poor attempts to aid his cause, in your prayers and in your
songs, and in your heart's love towards him.
Can he see a beauty in these? Yes, assuredlyhe can, or he would not speak as
he does in this text. Let his condescending discernment have all honor for this
generous appreciationof us. Let us bless and love him because he deigns to

think so highly of us who owe every thing to him. "You are," says he, "my
darling, as the lily."
It is evident that the Lord Jesus takes delightin this beauty which he has put
upon his people. He values it at so great a rate that he counts all rival beauties
to be but as thorns. He looks upon the court of an earthly monarch, and sees
my lords and ladies, but makes small accountof them compared with his poor
saints. If in that court he spies out one that loves him, one who wears a
coronetand prays, he marks that one, and counts him or her" as the lily
among thorns." There is a wealthy household, honored and famous among the
old county families, but in it there is no lover of the Savior exceptone, and she
perhaps is a little maid whose service is among the pots, yet shall she be as the
wings of a dove coveredwith silver- "As the lily among thorns" shall she be.
All the kingdoms of the earth are but thorn bushes to the Lord Jesus
compared with his church. Be they Roman, German, French, or English, all
empires, with all their splendors, are mere gorse and furze upon the common,
bramble-bushes and thorn coverts, the haunts of wild and noxious creatures -
in the view of the King of kings;but his church, and those that make up the
body of the faithful, are as lilies in his discerning eyes. He delights in them, he
finds a sweetcontentment in gazing on them. So you see the Lord has given to
his people his likeness, andthat likeness he looks upon and loves.
Bringing out still further the relationship betweenChrist and his church, I
want you to notice that HER POSITION has drawn out his love. "As the lily,"
says he, "AMONG THE THORNS, so is my darling." He spied her out among
the thorns. She was at the first no better than a thorn herself; his grace alone
made her to differ from the briars about her; but as soonas ever he had put
his life and his grace into her, though she dwelt among the ungodly, she
became as the lily, and he spied her out.
The thorn bush could not hide his beloved. Christ's eye towards his people is
so quick because it is clearedby love. There may at this time be in a Popish
convent one truly seeking Jesus in spirit and in truth. He spies out the believer
among the 'trusters in themselves', and calls her his love among thorns. There
may be at this moment in the most godless haunt in London a poor, trembling

heart that loves Jesus in secret:the Lord knows that heart, and it is to him as
a lily among thorns. You, perhaps, are the only godly working man in the
shop in which you earn your daily bread, and the whole band hold you in
derision. You may hardly know yourself whether you are really a Christian,
for you are sometimes staggeredaboutyour own condition; and yet the
enemies of Christ have made up their minds as to whose you are, and treat
you as one of the disciples of the Nazarene. Be of goodcourage, your Lord
discerns you and knows you better than you know yourself. Such is the
quickness of his eye that your difficult and perilous position only quickens his
discernment, and he regards you with the more attention. The thorns cannot
hide you, thickly as they cluster around you: in your loneliness you are not
alone, for the Crucified is with you.
"As the lily among thorns" wears also anothermeaning. Dr. Thompson
writes of a certainlily, "It grows among thorns, and I have sadly laceratedmy
hands in extricating it from them. Nothing can be in higher contrastthan the
luxuriant, velvety softness ofthis lily, and the withered, tangled hedge of
thorns about it." Ah, beloved, you know who it was that in gathering your
soul and mine, laceratednot his hand only, but his feet, and his head, and his
side, and his heart, yes, and his inmost soul. He spied us out, and said,
"Yonder lily is mine, and I will have it"; but the thorns were a terrible
barrier; our sins had gatheredround about us, and the wrath of God most
sharply stopped the way. Jesus pressedthrough all, that we might be his; and
now when he takes us to himself he does not forgetthe thorns which girded his
brow, and tore his flesh, for our sakes.
This then is a part of our relationship to Christ, that we costhim very dear.
He saw us where we were, and he came to our deliverance;and now, even as
Pharaoh's daughter called the young child's name "Moses,""because," said
she, "I drew him out of the water," so does Jesus callhis chosen"the lily
among thorns," because suchshe was when he came to her rescue. Neverwill
he forget Calvary and its thorns, nor should his saints allow the memory
thereof to fade.
Yet once more I think many a child of God may regardhimself as still being
a lily among thorns, because of his AFFLICTIONS. Certainlythe church is so,

and she is thereby kept for Christ's own. If thorns made it hard for him to
fence and a defense.
Many a time, dear child of God, you would have been an 'exposed'lily, to be
plucked by any ruthless hand, if it had not been that God had placed you in
such circumstances that you were shut up unto himself. Sick saints and poor
saints and persecutedsaints are fair lilies enclosedby their pains, and needs
and bonds, that they may be for Christ alone. I look on John Bunyan in prison
writing his "Pilgrim's Progress" andI cannot help feeling that it was a great
blessing for us all that such a lily was shut up among the thorns that it might
shed its fragrance in that famous book, and thereby perfume the church for
ages.
You that are kept from roaming by sicknessorby family trials need not
regretthese things, for perhaps they are the means of making you more
completely your Lord's. How charmingly Madame Guyon wrote when she
was immured in a dungeon. Her wing was closelybound, but her song was full
of liberty, for she felt that the bolts and bars only shut her in with her
Beloved, and what is that but liberty? She sang,
"A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
And in my cage I sit and sing
To him who placed me there;
Well pleaseda prisoner to be,
Because, my God, it pleases thee.
"Nothing have I else to do,
I sing the whole day long;

And he whom most I love to please
Does listento my song;
He caught and bound my wandering wing,
But still he bends to hear me sing."
"As the lily among thorns," she lived in prison shut in with her Lord, and
since the world was quite shut out, she was in that respecta gainer. O to have
one's heart made as "a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed."
So let my soul be, yes, so let it be even if the enclosure canonly be
accomplishedby a dense growth of trials and griefs. May every pain that
comes and casts us on our bed, and lays us aside from public usefulness;may
every sorrow which arises out of our business, and weans us from the world;
may every adversary that assails us with bitter, taunting words only thicken
the thorn hedge which encases us from all the world, and constrains us to be
chaste lilies set apart for the Well-beloved.
Enough upon this point, I think; only do let me entreatall of you who have
lately come to know the Lord to think much of your relationship to him. It is
the wayby which you will be supported under the responsibilities of your
relationship to the world. If you know that you are his, and that he loves you,
you will be strong to bear all burdens; nothing will daunt you if you are sure
that he is for you, that his whole heart is true to you, that he loves you
specially, and has set you apart unto himself, that you may be one with him
for ever. Dwellmuch, in your meditations, upon what this text and other
Scriptures teachof the relationship of the renewedheart to Christ, and know
him of whom you are so well known. May the Holy Spirit teachus all this
lessonso that it may be learned by our hearts.
II. But now, secondly, our text is full of instruction as to THE
RELATIONSHIP OF THE CHURCH, AND EACH INDIVIDUAL
BELIEVER TO THE WORLD-"The lily AMONG THORNS."
First, then, she has INCOMPARABLE BEAUTY. As comparedand
contrastedwith all else she is as the lily to the thorn-bush. Did not our Lord
say of the natural lilies- "Solomonin all his glory was not arrayed like one of

these"? and when I think of Christ's lilies, adorned in his own righteousness,
and bearing his own image, I feel that I may repeat my Master's words and
say with emphasis, "Solomonin all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these!"
In Christ's esteemhis church bears the bell for beauty; she is the fairest
among women. She is not to be 'compared', she has to be 'contrasted' with the
rest of mankind. Our Lord means that if you take worldlings at their best and
in their bravest attire, in their pomp, and glory, and parade, they are but as
thorns in contrastwith his church. Though the church may seemto be little,
and poor, and despised, yet is she better than all the princes, and kingdoms,
and glories of the earth.
He means that true Christians are infinitely superior to ungodly men. These
ungodly men may make a fair show of virtue, and they may have much
prudence and wit, and count themselves wise and great, but Jesus calls all
unconverted ones "thorns," while his own believing ones he compares to
"lilies."
The thorns are worthless, they flourish, and spread, and cumber the ground,
but they yield no fruit, and only grow to be cut down for the oven. Alas, such
is man by nature, at his best. As for the lily, it is a thing of beauty and a joy
for ever; it lives shedding sweetperfume, and when it is gatheredits loveliness
adorns the chamber to which it is taken. So does the saint bless his generation
while here, and when he is taken awayhe is regardedwith pleasure evenin
heaven above as one of the flowers of God. He will before long be transplanted
from among the thorns to the gardenenclosedbeyond the river, where the
King delights to dwell, for such a floweris far too fair to be left forever amid
tangled briars.
There are among worldly people some who are very fair to look upon in
many respects:philanthropic, kind, and upright, they have many virtues; but
since these virtues have no bearings towards God, and no reference to Christ,
he counts the bearers of them to be but thorns.
What virtue can there be in him whose principle in life is 'disregardof his
Maker, and disbelief in his Savior'? He is an avowedrebel and yet would be

commended by the Lord whom he rejects. How can it be? Acts done from
other motives than those of obedience to God, or love to Christ, are poor
things. There may be a greatinward difference betweenactions which
outwardly are the same. The 'apple of nature' has never the flavor of the
'pomegranate of grace'. It may seemeven to excelthe fruit of grace, but it is
not so. Two babes before us may appearalike as they seem to sleepside by
side, but the child of nature, howeverfinely dressed, is not the living child,
and the Lord will not own the dead thing as belonging to his family. Ah, you
that are struggling after holiness for Christ's sake,you that are seeking after
virtue in the power of the Holy Spirit, you have the beauty of the lily, while all
else are still to Christ but as a thicketof thorns.
Ay, and let me say, what I am sorry to add- a real Christian is as superior
even to a professing Christian as a lily is to thorns. I know churches in which
there are many who make a profession, but, ah me, it is a pity that they
should, for their life does not adorn their doctrine, their temper is not
consistentwith the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They live like worldlings, to
amass money, or to carry on business, or to enjoy goodeating and drinking,
or to dress and go to parties- they are as much for this world as if they were
never renewed, and it is to be fearedthey never were.
It will often grieve those who really love the Lord to see how mere professors
pretend to do what saints labor to perform. Saints are mimicked, I had almost
said mockedand mimicked, by empty professors,and this is a standing source
of sorrow. Their cold words often vex the zealous heart and pierce it as with
thorns. When you are full of zeal, their lack of consecrationalmostkindles
indignation in the minds of those who are willing to give their last penny, ay,
and their last breath, for their Master's honor. Do not, however, be at all
astonished, for it must be so; he who is full of the grace ofGod will always be
as the lily among thorns, even in the professing church.
Do not marvel, young brother, if older professors dampen your ardor, and
count your warm love to be a mere fanaticism. May God give you grace to
keepup your first love, and even to advance upon it, though the thorny ones
wound and hinder you. May you be distinguished above your fellow-
professors, forI fear that unless it be so, your life will be a poor one.

This then is the relationship of the church to the world, and of Christians to
the world- that they are as much superior to the unregenerate in moral and
spiritual beauty as the lily is to the thorns among which it finds itself.
Secondly, in the comparisonof the saint to the lily we remark that he has, like
the lily, a SURPASSING EXCELLENCE. I point not to its beauty just now,
but to its intrinsic excellence. The thorn is a fruit of the curse: it springs up
because ofsin. "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto you." Not so
the lily: it is a fair type of the blessing which makes rich without the sorrow of
carking care.
The thorn is the mark of wrath and the lily is the symbol of divine
providence. A true believeris a blessing, a tree whose leaves healand whose
fruit feeds. A genuine Christian is a living gospel, anembodiment of goodwill
towards men. Did not the old covenantblessing run, "In you and in your seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed"? Icannot refrain from quoting a
metrical meditation of one who loved the Song of Solomon, and drank into its
spirit. He says of the church. She is
"A radiant thing, where all is gloomy else,
Florescentwhere all else is barrenness;
A blossomin the desert, that proclaims
Man is no friendless outcast, hopelesslydoomed
To traverse scenes ofwickednessand grief;
But, pilgrim as he is, has One who plans,
Not only to protect but cheerhis way.
Oh, ever testifying desert flower,
Still holding forth the story of God's love,
How amazing it is that busy throngs
Pause not to look on you! That few reflect
On the strange fact of your existence still,

A lily among thorns- a life in death,
Distinct from, yet in contactwith, the world;
Burning, yet unconsumed; though cumbered,
free with glorious liberty!"
Yes, the church is a blessing, a blessing abiding and scattering its delights in
the midst of the curse;and eachparticular believer is in his measure a
blessing too, "as the lily among thorns."
A true Christian knows not how to harm his fellow men. He is like the lily
which stings no one, and yet he lives among those who are full of sharpness.
He aims to please, and not to provoke, and yet he lives among those whose
existence is a standing menace. The thorn tears and lacerates:it is all armed
from its root to its topmost branch, defying all comers. But there stands the
lily, smiling, not defying; charming, and not harming.
Such is the real Christian, holy, harmless, full of love and gentleness and
tenderness. Thereinlies his excellence. The thorn pierces, but the lily soothes:
the very sight of it gives pleasure. Who would not stop and turn aside to see a
lily among thorns, and think he read a promise from his God to comfort him
amid distress? Suchis a true Christian: he is a consolationin his family, a
comfort in his neighborhood, an ornament to his profession, and a benediction
to his age.
He is all tenderness and gentleness,and yet it may be he lives among the
envious, the malicious, and the profane, a lily among thorns. The thorn says,
"Keep away;no one shall touch me with impunity." The lily cries, "Icome to
you, I shed my soul abroadto please you." The sweetodors ofthe lily of the
valley are well known; perhaps no plant has so strong a savorabout it of
intense and exquisite sweetnessas that lily of the valley which is found in
Palestine.
Such is the sanctified believer. There is a secretsomething about him, a
hallowedsavor which goes outfrom his life, so that his graciousness is
discovered;for grace, like its Lord; "cannotbe hid." Even if the regenerate

man be not known as a professor, yetdoes he discoverhimself by the holiness
of his life- "his speechbetrays him." When I was resting in the south I
wandered by the side of a flowing stream, gathering handfuls of maiden-hair
fern from the verdant bank- and as I walkedalong I was consciousofa most
delicious fragrance all around me. I castmy eye downward, and I saw blue
eyes looking up from among the grass at my feet. The violets had hidden
themselves from sight, but they had betrayed themselves by their delicious
scent.
So does a Christian reveal his hidden life; his tone and temper and manners
bespeak his royal lineage, if indeed the Spirit of God is in him. Such are the
people of God; they court no observation, but are like that modest flowerof
which the poet says,
"She never affects
The public walk, nor gaze of midday sun;
She to no state nor dignity aspires,
But silent and alone puts on her suit,
And sheds a lasting perfume, but for which
We had not known there was a thing so sweet
Hid in the gloomyshade."
I want you, dear Christian people, to be just like this: to have about you a
surpassing wealthof blessing, and an unrivalled sweetnessofinfluence by
which you shall be knownof all men. Is it so with you, or are you as rough,
and stern, and repellant as a thorn bush? Are you as selfish and as
quarrelsome as the unregenerate? Ordo you shed yourself awayin sweet
odors of self-denying kindness in your families, and among your neighbors? If
you do so, then does Jesus sayof you, "As the lily among thorns, so is my love
among the daughters."
The last point with regard to our relationship to the world, is that the church
and many individual Christians are calledto endure singular trials, which

Jesus was in love with the lily among thorns

Jesus was in love with the lily among thorns

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