Thought for the Month - September 2020
"Wake up and smell the roses" by Barry Adair
(A rose amongst the thorns)
With more than 45,000 roses in bloom between July and September, Belfast's "Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon" Park can be a sight to behold and a smell to be remembered. I must confess that I'm not much of a 'roses man', if I can put it like that. I think I have bought my wife roses twice in my life. Once for our very first Valentine's Day and a couple of years ago when there was a special deal on Valentine's Day roses! But I have been to Lady Dixon Park when the roses were in full bloom and it is well worth a visit.
So why roses then? I think it was just that the phrase "wake up and smell the roses" was in my head this month. Of course, where the expression "wake up and smell the roses" means that someone needs to get realistic about something. I think in America they use "wake up and smell the coffee". But as I thought about roses and the phrase I was prompted to reach for my Bible and write down a few quick thoughts. So if you don't mind, I will share these here as our 'Thought for the Month'.
Did you know that the Bible (King James Version) mentions 'rose' only twice in the whole Bible. The first instance is in Song of Solomon chapter 2 verse 1…
I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys. (Song of Solomon 2:1)
I should mention that many Bible scholars now believe that the translators were incorrect in their use of the word 'rose' and that 'crocus' may have been the correct translation. However, I think 'rose' would have been better understood than 'crocus' back in the days of King James. Even today, Jesus is often referred to as the "Rose of Sharon", and this is the verse where that expression comes from.
The other instance of 'rose is found in Isaiah chapter 35 verse 1…
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. (Isaiah 35:1)
The Hebrew word translated as 'rose' is the same one used in both the above verses. Rather than being hung up on whether the flower was a rose or a crocus, I wanted to think a little more about what is behind these verses.
I had the privilege to visit Israel about 20 years ago. One of the things that struck me was that, for such a hot and arid country, the vegetation in the large farms and kibbutzim was a sight to behold. There were crops and fruit and flowers everywhere. Just to make the point, Wikipedia tells us that Israel is a major exporter of fresh produce and is a world-leader in agricultural technologies, despite the fact that the geography of the country is not naturally conducive to agriculture. More than half of the land area is desert, and the climate and lack of water resources do not favour farming. Only 20% of the land area is naturally arable.
What the country will look like when even the driest desert starts to "blossom as the rose" will surely be a sight to behold!
And talking of roses, today in Israel more than 200 million rose blooms are exported annually in the winter months to European markets! In fact, since 1964, it has been estimated that more than 1 billion rose flowers have been exported from Israel. I am also told that the rose is a symbol of perfection, beauty and peace. And that reminds me of only one other thing, actually of only one other Person, the Lord Jesus Christ…
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, NASB)
"For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26, NASB)
If anyone is the "rose of Sharon" or the "lily of the valleys", then that person is Jesus. Jesus is the only perfect human-being ever to have walked this earth. He was perfect while on this earth because He is perfect. He was always perfect. He is the perfect Son of God. He 'took on flesh' in order to live amongst us. He came due to our imperfection. He came due to our sin.
There had to be a Rose to live and die among the thorns.
Jesus gave up His life because He loved me. Jesus gave up His life because He loves you!
And if you can't see this truth about the Lord Jesus, or simply refuse to believe in Him, then please - wake up and smell the roses!
One day among the world of thorns a Rose began to grow
It was the greatest gift of God this world will ever know
It was the will of God to show that since the world was formed
There had to be a Rose to live
And die among the thorns
"…yea, He is altogether lovely." (Song of Solomon 5:16)
There had to be a Rose to live
And die among the thorns
Until next month (DV)…
(All Bible quotations are from the KJV, unless stated)
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