THE LILY AMONG THORNS – Charles Spurgeon
THE LILY AMONG THORNS
Introduction
“As the lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters.” Song of Solomon 2:2.
We shall not enter into any profitless discussion this morning. We take it for granted that the Song of Solomon is a sacred marriage song between Christ 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 love among the daughters.” I will not even enter into any study as to what particular flower is here intended by the word translated, “lily,” for it would be very difficult to select a 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 gathered from books on 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. Several other fair and beautiful forms, according to the fancies of various travelers, have been preferred to occupy the place of the plant intended by the original Hebrew, but none of them quite come up to the ideal suggested to an English reader by our translation. I will for once take the liberty to clothe the Scripture in a Western dress, if necessary, 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 stately beauties, matchless for whiteness—which so gloriously adorn our gardens. Either will do and serve our purpose this morning. “As the lily among the thorns, so is My love 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 practical usefulness and personal consolation and proceed at once in the pursuit, in the hope that many are taking root among us, now, newly transplanted from the world. It is well that they should be rooted in a knowledge of their calling by Grace and what it includes. They ought to know, at the commencement, what a Christian is when he is truly a Christian; what he is expected to be; what the Lord means him to be and what the Lord Jesus regards him as really being! In that way 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, to better set forth the position, condition and character of a genuine Christian. Jesus Himself knows best what His own bride 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 content to take the words out of His own mouth when, in sweetest poetry, He tells us, “As the lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters.” Join me then, my Brothers and Sisters, at this time, in considering how our Lord’s lilies grow!
I. The Relation of the Church to Christ
Concerning the Church of God, there are two points upon which I will enlarge. First, her relation to her Lord and secondly, her relation to the world.
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 sweet name, as if His love had all gone forth of Him and had become embodied in her. The first point, then, of her relation to Christ is that she has His love. Think of it and let the blessed Truth of God dwell long and sweetly in 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 object upon which to spend His affections—and His people, chosen from 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 looked on His people and He exclaimed, “As the Father has loved Me, even so have I loved you.” Every Believer, separated from mankind and called into the fellowship of Christ, is also the peculiar object of His love. Not in name only, but in deed and in truth does Jesus love each one of us who have believed on Him. You may, each one 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 washed us from our sins in His own blood, to Him be glory.” Let your hearts saturate themselves with this honeyed thought! Heaven lies hidden within it! It is the quintessence of bliss—Jesus loves me! It is not in the power of words to set forth 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. That such a poor, insignificant, unworthy being as I am should be the object of the eternal affection of the Son of God is an amazing wonder! Yet, wonderful as it is, it is a fact! To each one of His people, He says, this morning, by the Holy Spirit, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn you.” Each one 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 special object shines as a lily and the rest, “the daughters,” are as thorns. Love has fixed on its chosen object and, compared with the favored one, all others are as nothing. There is a love of Jesus which goes forth to all mankind, for “the Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all His works,” but there is a special and peculiar love which He bears to His own. As a man loves his neighbors but still has a special affection for his wife, so is the Church Christ’s bride beloved above all the rest of mankind and every individual Believer 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 espoused to Him. He said once, “I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which You have given Me.” Thus He indicates that there is a specialty about His intercession. We rejoice in the largeness and the width of Jesus’ love, but we do not, therefore, doubt its specialty. The sun shines on all things, but when it is focused upon one point, ah, then there is a heat about it of which you little dreamed! The love of Jesus is focused on those 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 of you 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 openly avows.
The Bridegroom speaks 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 which is more widely scattered than any other, for He is not ashamed to have it published on the housetops! The love of Christ was, at first, hidden in His heart, but it soon revealed itself, for even of old His delights were with the sons of men and He bent His steps downward to this world in many forms before 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 astonished Heaven and earth thereby! On Calvary He set up an open proclamation, written in His own heart’s blood, that He loved His own 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.”
II. The Relation of the Church and the Believer to the World
Next, 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 compared and contrasted with all else, she is as the lily to the thorn thicket. Did not our Lord say of the natural lilies— “Solomon in 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, “Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these!” In Christ’s esteem, His 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 contrast with His Church. Though the Church may seem to be little and poor and despised, yet she is 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 forever. It lives shedding sweet perfume and when it is gathered, its loveliness adorns the chamber to which it is taken. So does the saint bless his generation while here and when he is taken away he is regarded with pleasure even in Heaven above as one of the flowers of God! He will, before long, be transplanted from among the thorns to the garden enclosed beyond the river, where the King delights to dwell, for such a flower is 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 disregard of his Maker and disbelief in his Savior? He is an avowed rebel and yet would be commended by the Lord whom he rejects? How can it be?
III. Conclusion
The last point with regard to our relationship to the world is that the Church and many individual Christians are called to endure singular trials which make them feel, “as the lily among thorns.” That lovely flower seems 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 sheep among wolves.” It is a very blessed thing to be as sheep among sheep—to lie down with them under the shadow of the great rock and feed with them in green pastures under the Shepherd’s eyes. 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 sheep among wolves. Grow in the Church and you will be lilies in the garden, but you cannot always live in the Tabernacle and so you will have to go back to the ungodly world and there you will be lilies among thorns. The lily startles you if you find it in such a position. Often you come upon one of God’s elect ones in a most unexpected manner and are as much amazed as if an angel crossed your path! This is the wonder of the lily among thorns.
The Lord has a people where you look not for them. Think not that all His lilies are in His garden! There are lilies among thorns and He knows their whereabouts. Many saints reside in families where they will never be appreciated any more than the lily is appreciated by the thorns. This is painful, for the sympathy of our fellows is a great comfort. Lilies of the valley love to grow in clusters and saints love holy company and yet, in some cases it must not be—they must live alone. Nor need we think that this loneliness is unrelieved, for God goes out of the track of men and He visits those whom His own servants are passing by.
Final Prayer
May the Lord preserve His lilies among the thorns! May they continue to shine in this world, reflecting His beauty and bearing His fragrance for His glory. Amen.