October 20, 2025 - Song of Solomon 2:1 - "Jesus, The Rose of Sharon"

Song of Solomon 2:1

"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."

In these tender words, the voice of the Beloved, the LORD Jesus Christ, reveals Himself in the beauty and fragrance of His saving, redeeming grace. The Song of Solomon, though clothed in the language of love between bride and bridegroom, is the Spirit’s inspired picture of the union between Christ and His church. Every line breathes of Him Who loved His people and gave Himself for them.

When Christ calls Himself “the rose of Sharon,” He speaks of His surpassing excellence, the fullness of His grace, and the sweetness of His presence to those whom the Father has chosen and redeemed. He is not one among many, but the One altogether lovely, set forth by God's sovereign election and mercy as the only Savior of sinners (Isaiah 42:1). To the believing heart, He is both the glory and the delight of the soul—the Rose that never fades, the Lily that grows only in the valleys of humility and grace. Here then, we behold Christ in His lowliness and glory, tracing how the beauty of His person and the excellency of His salvation spring forth from the eternal purpose of God, ordained before the foundation of the world.

Here, the Bridegroom speaks—Christ Himself, revealing His own beauty, His humility, and His nearness to His redeemed bride. These are not the words of the bride but the voice of our LORD Jesus Christ, Who says, “I AM.” The same “I AM” Who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush (Exodus 3:14) now declares Himself to be the Rose of Sharon.

This is a love song of Christ for His people, the Song of songs. Beneath the surface of Solomon’s poetry lies the Spirit’s revelation of Christ’s love for His church. It is not an oriental love poem, nor a treatise on marriage. It is the testimony of the heavenly Bridegroom declaring His affection for His redeemed bride. “So is my love among the daughters,” He says. This is Christ’s own description of Himself, the expression of His beauty and grace to those who are His.

The rose speaks of beauty, fragrance, and value. The Rose of Sharon—Christ—is all this and infinitely more. Many pass Him by and see no beauty in Him. Isaiah said, “There is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Yet to those who are the LORD’s, He is altogether lovely. To the elect, He is the fairest among ten thousand. When God's Spirit of Grace opens the eyes, the soul sees in Christ what others cannot: beauty hidden from the world but revealed to His people (Matthew 11:25).

The “rose” here may not be the modern rose we imagine. The Hebrew term could mean any flowering plant of pleasing fragrance—perhaps the hibiscus or crocus. But the point is not the botany; it is the beauty. The Rose of Sharon grew in the fertile plain of Sharon, near the Mediterranean coast—a common, accessible place, not a royal garden. It grew where ordinary people lived. So Christ came, not in royal splendor, but in lowliness. “He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2). Not planted by man, but by God.

The Rose of Sharon, then, is a picture of Christ’s Divine beauty and His condescending humility. He is the flower of heaven, blooming in the barren plain of this fallen world. He came to the low place, to be near to sinners whom He came to save. “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6–7). There was nothing artificial about this Rose. He was not grown in a greenhouse of worldly honor. He appeared among the thorns. Yet His fragrance filled the air. The Rose of Sharon is beautiful not because He is exalted by men, but because He is appointed and anointed by God. He is the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified (Isaiah 61:3).

But that Rose had to be crushed to release its fragrance. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). The word “bruised” means “crushed.” The fragrance of His saving work arose only through His suffering. At Calvary, the Rose was crushed that its perfume might fill heaven itself. “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor” (Ephesians 5:2). This is the fragrance of redemption—the aroma of righteousness. Men may boast in their own righteousness, but before God, it is a stench. Only the Righteousness of God earned, established, and imputed to the elect in Christ, the crucified and risen Savior, is a sweet-smelling savor unto God. His death was not a martyrdom but a substitution. He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Christ is the sovereign Gift of God to His bride. “I am the rose of Sharon,” He says—not a rose among many, but THE Rose—unique, particular, and precious. He is God’s chosen delight, the Beloved given for His people. “Unto you therefore who believe He is precious.” Precious, because priceless. Precious, because appointed for us.

This Rose of Sharon still blooms for all who have eyes to see and hearts to love Him. But only the Spirit can make us see His beauty and smell His fragrance. Some have no sense of smell—they cannot perceive His loveliness. But to those whom the Spirit quickens, He is irresistible. They come near, drawn by His sweetness, and say, “This is my beloved, and this is my friend” (Song of Solomon 5:16).

Oh, that we might pause to “smell the rose”—to behold the glory of Christ in His humility, His nearness, and His redeeming love! He is fairer than the children of men, grace is poured into His lips, and God hath blessed Him forever (Psalm 45:2). Stop and behold the Rose of Sharon. See His beauty, feel His nearness, breathe in the fragrance of His redeeming grace. This is the glory of the Gospel—the beauty of Christ crucified, risen, reigning, and altogether lovely.