Psalms chapter 1
- Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. {ungodly: or, wicked} 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. {wither: Heb. fade}
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.4
I don’t know about you, but I have a passion for gardening. I love putting the seed in the ground, and with great anticipation watching over the weak young seedling as it breaks through the soil and reaches for light. I love watching it grow and mature and then watching it as it produces fruit. I talk to my plants. I sing to my plants. I pray over my plants. I run my fingers through their leaves and branches. I give thanks over my plants….that’s how much I love gardening. That’s also one place I feel very close to God. However, my absolute favorite part about gardening is the harvest! Is there anything better than the sweet smell and taste of a juicy tomato still warm from the sun? I would be hard pressed to explain the reward and satisfaction of harvesting tenfold or more what you put in the ground in exchange for the labor and nurturing put into each and every plant.
Isaiah 28:24-29 asks, and I am paraphrasing here, “When a farmer desires to plant, does he plow continually? Does he continue breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow the seed? When he harvests, does he not thresh the plants? Does he not then winnow the grain to separate the good seed from the chaff? Does he then stop the threshing and grind the grain for bread? He doesn’t continue to plow, thresh and grind. This wisdom comes from God the Father.
There is a season for planting and a season for reaping as King Solomon said (Ecc 3:1-8). After the seedlings have broken ground, I don’t continue looking at the same ground waiting for more. I move to the next season. I don’t continue doing the same task; I move on to the next task. As followers of Christ, we have to make sure that we are not stuck plowing a field forever. We have to make sure we continue growing so we don’t stay as a stunted young seedling, neither dying nor growing to maturity to produce. We have to make sure we are growing so that we can one day multiple our harvest. We have to moving forward on to the next step in the process of leveling the field and preparing to plant. We have to plant the seed if we’re going to get a harvest. When we harvest, we have to ensure we don’t crush the harvest and all our labor be in vain.
Part of harvesting is gathering the seed from the harvest, drying it out, and saving it for planting next season, because a true gardener is always looking ahead to what is coming. I learned something new recently about saving the seed that I find quite intriguing, and whether you garden or not, I hope you can garner some understanding in the many references to winnowing, separating the chaff from the wheat.
Not Every Seed Germinates
When winnowing, a breeze or fan is used to blow away all the chaff while the seed falls straight down to the floor. Too strong of a wind will blow away the seeds with the chaff, but a wind that isn’t strong enough will not completely clean the seed and separate it from the all the chaff. We understand that chaff is the brittle broken bits of dried up plant, it’s straw, hay, stubble, husks that surround the seed, and other useless things. Chaff is good for nothing but to decompose and return to soil once again. One thing that many of us don’t understand or didn’t know, something which I just recently learned myself is that what is also separated with the chaff are seeds that will not germinate. These seeds are called non-viable, because they did not develop to maturity and will not grow. They are dead. They are missing the vital parts, the substance, that is needed to produce a plant. Seeds that are not viable are lighter and will blow away with the chaff. This understanding of the non-viable seed gives a deeper meaning to the following verse.
Matthew chapter 3 verses 11 and 12, John the Baptist when he was testifying of Jesus. John said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan (winnow) is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor (blow away the chaff), and gather his wheat into the garner (storehouse); but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
When we share the gospel, we plant the precious seed of God’s Word. Often the enemy will whisper thoughts and words of discouragement: What you say doesn’t matter. No one reads what you write. No one wants to hear what you have to say. Etc.
That is what the enemy does best, sewing seeds of doubt and discouragement. The enemy will do whatever he can to stop the spread of the good news of God’s Word. Don’t let him win. God is the only one who knows the soil on which His seeds land. Never let discouragement settle on you. Your labor, your work is never in vain. God will not let His Word go out and return to Him (Isa. 55:11). In other words, none of God’s word ever contains a single seed that is a dud. All of them are viable, and they will all germinate.
Isaiah 55:11 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
The Good Seed and the Chaff
Challenge:
What seeds are you planting? Are they viable or non-viable? Will Jesus gather them together into his garner or are they chaff that will blow away in the wind and eventually be burned with unquenchable fire? We are taught several times in the scripture to continually examine ourselves.
2nd Peter 1:5-11 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. {barren: Gr. idle} 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2nd Peter 3:11-14 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? {hasting…: or, hasting the coming} 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
