Solomon and the Lilies of the Field

The very first reference in the Bible to lilies is in the temple that Solomon built for God. Lilies and pomegranates were at the top of the two pillars set up in the entranceway into the Temple of God. I Kings 7:19,22. In addition lilies were part of the ornamentation for the "sea" – the huge laver placed on the back of 12 brass oxen for the washing of the priests. II Chronicles 4:5-6
A question that comes up is why did God inspire David to use lilies in the symbolism of the temple design? What were some of the things that God wanted us to "see" when we came into the Temple of God and saw all of the different sights and symbols used to communicate His messages. To get answers to these questions we will have to explore the Bible and see how God uses the picture of lilies.

Solomon himself gives us a few clues in the Song of Solomon 2:1-2. The Shulamite, Song of Solomon 7:13, is Solomon’s wife and is fair and beautiful. As in all of Scripture we have the plain and obvious meaning of the interactions and loves of Solomon and his wife. We also know that Scripture is written with the meaning of Jesus and His wife the church. The symbolism of this book moves back and forth readily between the literal story line and the symbolic story line.
In Song of Solomon 2:1-2 the Shulamite states that she is the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. Here she is comparing her beauty to the beautiful flowers and is also claiming to be covered in the righteousness of Jesus. See Ezekiel 16:13-14. She then claims that her love is like a beautiful flower surrounded by thorns – the rebellious peoples/churches/nations. Psalms 118:10-12; Ezekiel 2:1-6.

Song of Solomon also claims that Solomon, the king of Israel, and the symbol of Christ, spoke with lips like lilies carrying the sweet gospel smell of sanctuary anointing oil, and allow the Holy Spirit to communicate His will and His truth to all around. Song of Solomon 5:13; Exodus 30:23-25; Psalms 45:6-8; Ezekiel 16:9

In Hosea 14:4-7 we get another clue about the role of lilies in the Temple service. "I (God) will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon." In this text God states that He will be as the dew to cause Israel to grow and spread out its roots like a lily. Lily’s need water to grow and with the presence of lilies is a statement that the Holy Spirit is blessing the countryside with rains, the former and the latter. The absence of lilies would indicate not Holy Spirit and no blessed refreshing rains or dews. In spiritual terms the dew is the truths of God being shared with people. Deuteronomy 32:1-2; Job 29:22-23

So the lilies of the temple indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit in blessings. His presence lends hope to the spreading of the gospel throughout the world and will bring with it all of the promises of the Holy Spirit for blessing and growth.

One final text to share about lilies and their connection to the Temple of God. In Matthew 6:24-34 Jesus tells the story of how His Father in heaven cares for all of the natural life and since man is more precious in His sight than all of nature that God would supply all of their needs as well. In the middle of this story Jesus connects two thoughts that is of the glory of the lilies clothed by God and how that Solomon, the builder of God’s temple was not as glorious as the things of God. Matthew 6:28-29

A spiritual lesson from this story of Solomon and the lilies of the field is that as long as Solomon stayed submissive unto God he was blessed with spiritual beauty above all of the kings of the world, for he was clothed in the "…comeliness which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel 16:14 But when Solomon abandoned God and set about to accomplish his own righteousness apart from God he was an abysmal failure and "was not arrayed like one of these." Matthew 6:29

God uses the simple things that He has created to communicate wonderful things for us to ponder and meditate upon. Thus when we go into the Temple of God let us think about the things that God has placed there to teach up about His plans and His teachings. There is nothing in the Temple of God that was placed there by accident and all things that God has made are to reveal His glory. May we study and grow in grace and truth.