by Judi McLaren
Solomon's Song as an Anthem
There is a region in Palestine where the fertile valley plains sustain and propagate a sea of wildflowers, heirloom grafted and naturally sustaining flora, fauna, and cultivated plant life. As wondrous a sight as that may be, considering the terrain in which these flowers have thrived has provided the soils with incredible fortitude for thousands of years. So much so that its existence is documented in the inscriptions of Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III, who reigned from 1505-1450 BC., is miraculous in itself. The red sandy soils have since been settled circa 1930 into a densely populated region of Palestine, and it is here that we begin our journey back to sing the song of Solomon.
A Rose, By Any Other Name…
The Hebrew bible is the acronym Tanakh or Tanach, which culminates into three distinct sections; the Torah, which upholds and speaks of the law and instructions, and the Nevi'im, which provides the teachings and insights of the Prophets. And finally, the Ketuvim, which is the writing of the scribes. When applying a biblical view, it is plausible to therefore see a distinct resemblance from the Tanach as the being representative symbols of the God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Ghost or spirit, in this case, the gift of everlasting life as given by the Rose of Sharon.
The Tanach is also referred to as the Rose of Sharon alongside Jesus as the church's figurehead. Within the teachings of the New Testament, the son of God is understood by many to be the analogy symbol of a Bridegroom while the church is the bride. The followers of His flock, the believers, and the congregations in the church are then the flowers in the fields of Sharon, where the true beauty of the rose stands out as the chosen bloom.
While not the traditional rose we know now, the rose spoken of is actually more akin to hibiscus and held the highest beauty status among all the other garden species. In the Song of Solomon, "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." [1], is spoken by a Shulamite woman who was purported to be either a bride of or a lover to King Solomon to what follows is a direct plea to be selected as the chosen one "As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters." [2] It is also accepted by many and believed that King Solomon is a direct comparison to Jesus.
The Color of God's Love.
Roses as the symbol of perfection and love and are traditionally gifted from one significant other to another as a sign of love and devotion. Jesus as the Rose then gives himself to us to signify his claiming our status as his "brides." Three common colors are chosen as these gifts, and while modern times would have us choose as to the meaning attached to the color, deeper spiritual similarities are also noted.
The Rose of Sharon, as bred to be a hibiscus as noted above, blooms in three colors; white, red, and pink. Therefore, it is notable that we choose the same three colors of roses to give throughout a loving relationship, thorns included.
The white rose signifies peace, purity, and innocence. Pink reflects the demure elegance and intelligence of our chosen relationship. The stunning and most appealing red rose lends its hue to be full of desire and true love but also goes deeper when considered to signify Christ's shedding of blood and crucifixion. The price paid for love everlasting inflicted by not only a crown of thorns but a sign of bloodshed to wash our sins.
Within another symbol, the red rose could then, therefore, be representative of the bloodshed after the wedding night. This is a remarkable amount of symbolism found in a rose and how it stands to reason that one single stem is the epiphany of two hearts joined as one.
True Love for the Saving of Our Souls
From the scribes of the lands of ancient Egypt, as grown for centuries in the valley district plains of Palestine and symbolized in modern literature as spoken by Victor Hugo when he mused that "to love another person is to see the face of God." [3] , the Rose of Sharon could be the most significant gift when deferring complete love and devotion to your faith. To the followers of biblical imagery, there is none more commanding and divine as the meaning of a single rose.
[1] Solomon 2:1
[2] ibid
[3] Les Miserables, circa 1862
