 By James H. Cagle |
“And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6: 28-30 KJV).
Botany is “a branch of biology dealing with plants and plant life, a science which treats of the Vegetable Kingdom.” Solomon is considered the first botanist. It is recorded (1 Kings 4: 33) that Solomon “spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall.” It was not until the 16th century that botany became a science. Dr. Turner, “the father of English botany” described 5000 plant species. Botanists have named over 300,000 species of plants in the world today.
One division of the science of botany is the flowers and lilies. The lily of the field is a wild lily that is renewed each spring from the bulb. The lily is mentioned six times in the book Song of Solomon.
Nearly all the states of the United States have a “state flower” and a “state tree.” Georgia’s state flower is the Cherokee Rose and the state tree is the Live Oak. Utah’s state flower is the Sego Lily.
The flower of the field is the clothing God puts on the otherwise common grass of the field. God gives the plain grass a beautiful dress and a sweet odor and we gather them by the arm full into our homes to enjoy. Some flowers are so small they can only be seen through a microscope.
King Solomon was the most powerful and richest king Israel had. But in his most glorious and regal robe he wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the common lily of the field.
Jesus reminds us that if God every year in spring gives the grass a new dress, that is cut down in one day and used as fuel in the bakers oven, we that have an immortal soul should have no thoughts of worry for surely He will make sure we are clothed to.
In Jesus’ day people didn’t have closets the size of small bedrooms full of clothes. They had usually only one change of clothing. So this message of God’s personal care for the lily and for them meant more to them than it does to us, but knowledge of His care for us in comparison to the lily of the field is still very important to us today. We are of more value than the lily.
