What is the significance of the Rose of Sharon?

Question

Several times, I've heard the song He is Yahweh by Vineyard. The chorus goes as follows:

Creator God, He is Yahweh
The Great I Am, He is Yahweh
The Lord of All, He is Yahweh
Rose of Sharon, He is Yahweh
The Righteous Son, He is Yahweh
The Three-in-one, He is Yahweh

Of course, the emphasis is mine. I didn't get the reference the first several times, so I eventually remembered to go look it up. Apparently, it derives from:

Song of Songs 2:1 (NIV)
         I am a rose of Sharon,
           A lily of the valleys.

And...well, that seems to be it. Why is this so significant that it would be included in that song?

Answer 1

The traditional interpretation of the Song of Songs assigns the female speaker to be Israel and the male speaker to be Yahweh. So the author of the Vineyard song must have interpreted 2:1 to be the words of Yahweh. However, the commentators are divided over whether the man or the woman is the speaker.

My guess (and it can only be a guess) is that the combination of vivid language, the right number of syllables, and the phrase "I am" attracted the songwriter to use this phrase in relation to God. However, I would suggest that since the meaning is ambiguous, it would have been better to find another phrase.

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According to the NET Bible notes, the flower in question was probably not a rose, but some other common wildflower. It might have been an autumn crocus:

Or a daffodil:

Or a asphodel:

Wikipedia suggests the sea daffodil:

Answer 2

Song of Songs 2:1 (NIV) I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.

Bible Atlas says...

A 'rose' of Sharon then may represent that she is a flower that has bloomed in season and she knows it.

As for the song writers, it is fair to say the Lord is the Fairest of Ten Thousand. But this passage does not explicitly say that God is speaking. Although, He does elsewhere declare that there is no God like Him. However, in the tradition of Hannah who named God The Lord of Hosts (1 Samuel 1:11), I suppose it is encouraged to name Him: Rose of Sharon. Children should give their Father endearing names.