Thorns: In The Old Testament Part 3
Lily Among Thorns - Gail Vass
Lily And The Thorns
In the Song of Solomon, the woman tells her lover that she is a lily of the valley. The man then responds with:
Song of Solomon 2 v 2
Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.
The early Church viewed the Song of Solomon as a representation of the relationship between Jesus and the Church.
So the Lily (The Church) sees her lover (Jesus) as the fruit tree among the trees of the forest.
The fruit tree, which is normally translated as an apple tree, has a similar root to the word used for ‘breathe’ in Genesis 2 v 7, where God breathes into Adam. This connection means this tree’s fruit gives the breath of God, life itself.
The Lily goes on to say that the Lover brings her to the ‘wine house’ and His banner over her is love.
The thorns, the other women, are of no interest to the Lover (Jesus). His focus is only on the Lily, His Church.
The other women are not taken to the banqueting feast. They are left outside the house. They are rejected.
[On a side note, it is asked in Luke 12 v 27, to consider the lilies. I wonder if Jesus was referencing this part of the Song of Solomon in Luke. Just a thought.]
Thorn Hedges
In Hosea, we see God allow the thorn bushes to hedge in the wayward Israel.
Hosea 2 v 6
Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
Israel is desperate to run from God and to seek other lovers. So God allows the thorn bushes to stop her finding them, causing her to return to Him.
The word for thorn bush here is more commonly translated as a ‘boiling pot’. This gives the impression these thorns are like bubbling water, they spring up quickly. So as Israel runs from God, it’s almost like the thorn bushes rise up, stopping her in her tracks.
From this we see God can allow the thorns of our sins to help us understand our need to repent. The consequences of our rebellious nature and the pain of the wrong decision we make, can actually cause us to come back to Him, like the prodigal son.
Thorns in the Old Testament
There are other references to thorns in the Old Testament, which we haven’t explored. If I did, it would make the series too long.
But from what I’ve looked at, we can see thorns are associated with:
The Curse
Ensnaring and entangling
Evil
Worthless
Fruitless
Rejected
Removed by fire
Handled with iron and shafts of wood
Allowed by God to facilitate repentance
The next part of this series will look at the appearance of thorns in the New Testament.