.png){kind=logo}
I have friends who love to take beautiful pictures of birds and flowers. It is a good hobby. Besides admiring the beauty of God’s creation, do you know that we can also learn spiritual lessons just by observing and studying them? For little flowers that most people tend to overlook or consider as weeds, Jesus said in Matthew 6:28-29, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these that not even Solomon in all his splendid royal robes was not dressed as lovely as the wild flowers.”
The flower “lily” is mentioned 15 times in 15 different verses in the Bible. The most memorable verse is taken from the Song of Solomon 2:1 “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.” (cf. Hosea 14:5)
Benjamin Keach, a Reformed Pastor, in his book on types, gives five comparisons between the lily of the valley and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are his points highlighted by David Reagan:
1. A lily is a sweet and a fragrant flower with a strong scent. Our Lord Jesus has a sweetness in His ministry especially when He gave “himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (cf. Eph 5:2)
2. A lily is white and very beautiful. White is a symbol of purity (Rev 3:4). What better representation of the purity of Jesus Christ, the one “who knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), who “did no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), who was tempted “yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). and who “in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5), than a beautiful white lily?
3. A lily is very fruitful. One root may put forth fifty bulbs. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He brings forth much fruit (John 12:24).
4. A lily, according to the ancient writer Pliny, is the tallest of flowers and yet hangs its head down. This a beautiful picture of the greatness of the Son of God matched only by the greatness of His humility (cf. Phil 2:6-8).
5. The lily has many medicinal qualities. According to ancient teaching, it could be used to restore a lost voice, help faintness, was good for the liver, and helped to reduce fluid retention. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great physician and is fully capable of curing all diseases and maladies of the soul.
Certainly, the Lily of the valley is a beautiful picture and type of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have found a perfect Friend in Jesus. He’s everything to me. Thank You, Lord.