Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Why "The Rose of Sharon"

Why the Rose of Sharon?
"I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys"  Song of Solomon 2:1


King Solomon of the Bible's Old Testament was a powerful King from the House of David. He took a pagan bride, the daughter of a Pharaoh. .  He brought her to the House of David, which was upsetting for the people of Isreal. Solomon build many grand temples for his pagan bride for her pagan gods.   Later Solomon would build the grandest Temple of all time, The Temple of Israel in Jerusalem.
The Song of Solomon is a testament to his undying love not only for his pagan bride but for his God. The book is the most sultry book of the Bible filled with beautiful symbols of how lovely it felt to be with his bride. A testament to power of Love.

In addition my mother's name is Sharon, I chose the name the The Rose of Sharon not only for this King of Israel's great love for his bride and God , also for my love for my mother.
1 Kings 3:1 (King James Version) 

"1And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about."

Rose of Sharon( Cistus Ladanifer) is a common name that applies to several different species of flowering plants that are highly valued throughout the world.

Hebrew Word: Rose of Sharon
2261 tl,C,b;x] chabatstseleth {khab-ats-tseh'-leth} 
Meaning: 1) meadow-saffron, crocus, rose

The rose of Sharon is a rockrose in which a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs of the Cistus ladanifer species. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient. Labdanum is a small sticky shrub which grows  with lance shaped leaves that are white and furry on the underside, and fragrant white flowers. ​This multi-petal flower is found in the fertile plain called Sharon between Jaffa and Mount Carmel in Israel. It has a honey scent from an aromatic gum that exudes from the plant.

"In ancient times, the Cistus Ladanifer was believed to be the Rose of Sharon. As goats and sheep roamed through the brush, this flower became entangled in their coats. While caring for their sheep, the shepherds would collect it from their wool and rub the resin on their cuts and wounds to soothe them. It was also collected by the shepherds and sold to coastal traders. The false beards worn by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt were actually soaked the hair of goats soaked with labdanum. " (Rebecca Totilo)

 The rose of Sharon and lily of the valley are also a metaphor for theLove of Christ.  Like Solomon's love for his pagan bride, Christ too suffered for his teachings, Love, and compassion for ALL people.

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