October 7th, 2013
Matthew 6:28-29 — … Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
I am a romantic. And today, it seems to me that God is too. I’m going to try to make my case, because it seems to me that sometimes Christian teachers are so concerned to have us understand sacrificial love — that love called “agape” — that they can be a little dismissive of romantic love which the online “Free Dictionary” beautifully describes as “A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.” This love is beautifully expressed between husband and wife, and most beautifully between God and Israel.
Have you ever wondered what flowers Jesus meant when He spoke of the lilies of the field? You’re not the first. I was reminded today that a lot of people think it was the anemone, which has many varieties, and especially the The Anemone coronaria that can be lilac, white, and red, but is most often a brilliant scarlet color. Others think it might have been one or other variety of lily, as well as species of iris, gladiolus, narcissus, asphodelus, squills, and fritillaria. The anemone is called “kalanit — little bride” in modern Hebrew, but it seems it flowers at the wrong time. It doesn’t really matter whether Jesus meant one flower in particular, or flowers in general, there is such a profusion of riches to choose from.
Israel is a country bedecked like a bride. The Lord has dressed it in beautiful flowers.
Israel is the Father’s bride — see what Isaiah writes (and there are many other passages):
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Oh yes, the Father is a romantic … He has dressed his bride beautifully, and He surely inspired Solomon to write of his beloved, “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” There are those lilies again!
Romance is a wonderful, beautiful, tender, joyous, sweet emotion. If, like me, you are a romantic revel in it. Enjoy it. Thank God for it. It’s His idea!