Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: ” . . . at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Collect the weeds first and bind them into bundles to be burned.’”
Matthew 13:30, NRSV

Many of the types of animals mentioned in the Biblical writings are classified as being “herbivores;” that is, they eat plants. People who keep herds of sheep, cattle and goats are on a constant search for adequate pastures for their livestock. Unfortunately, the most desirable forage grasses and legumes do not grow the entire year ‘round in many climates where livestock are raised.
The discovery that some grasses and legumes could be cut at the lush of their season, dried in the sun, and preserved for an indefinite period revolutionized the husbandry of livestock. The dried plants, or hay, could be fed when the field plants were dormant.
Unfortunately, the same field conditions that promote the growth of desirable grasses and legumes also appeal to noxious weeds, thistles and briars. They could be detected and discarded during the cutting when the harvesting was done by the centuries-old method of manual labor, using a scythe or sickle.
Machinery replaced hand labor in the 19th century in mechanized countries. Everything growing in the field is cut and harvested together, and usually compacted into bales, which are stored until needed for the livestock.
The day the bale is opened for feeding becomes judgment day. The quality of the hay is readily apparent. Further, any weeds that were swept up during the harvesting are now exposed. It is not uncommon to find trash as well - cups and soft drink containers, plastic bags, and papers that have blown into the field.
It reminds me of another judgment day, and another Judge, only this time we will be the ‘bale.’
Everything that is in the ‘field’ at the time of harvest (death) is swept up, gathered together, and brought before the Judge - everything! The good and the bad, including the noxious weeds, briars, and trash (we call them sins) - everything!
Too late now; no going back, the harvest time is over.
There is a different possible scenario, however. Remember that old-fashioned method where the workers separated the good stuff from the bad? See Matthew 13: 24-30.
We need to examine our fields (lives) and determine what is growing there. Find the bad stuff (sin,) dig it out, cut it down. Umm - more commonly known as repentance. Ask The Lord for forgiveness, and stop ‘growing’ it.
You do not know at what day or hour the Master Harvester will come.
Keep your fields clean and unspotted from the world. (James 1:27) Be vigilant. Be always ready. Remember - at the Judgment Day, all lives will be opened to the scrutiny of the Judge, and everything will be plainly shown -
Everything!
March 18, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Scapegoat
* Scripture: "He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and foresakes them will have mercy." Proverbs 28:13, NKJV

They had done nothing to deserve what happened to them. In all truth, they were innocent, chosen at random to receive the punishment for the sins of others.
The scenario probably dates back to the beginning of the history of people - somebody takes the 'rap,' becomes the "fall guy," taking the blame for the guilty who then go free.
The biblical "fall guy" wasn't even a person, but a goat, a scapegoat. Azazel, in Hebrew, one that is made to bear the blame of others.
The ceremony of the scapegoat was conducted upon the Day of Atonement. Leviticus, Chapter 16, explains the sacrifices required for the atonement for the Priest, for the Tabernacle, and for the People.
Aaron, the high priest during the Exodus, was instructed to take two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the meeting. He then would cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord (the sin offering) and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Of the two goats, the "sin offering" was sacrificed for the atonement of the 'Holy Place' and the tabernacle of meeting because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgression, for all their sins. (vs.16) Their sin contaminated even God's sanctuary!
Leviticus 16:10 relates that the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat was to be presented before the Lord; Aaron was to confess all the sins of the children of Israel, to make 'atonement' upon it, and to let it go as a scapegoat into the wilderness, removing the sins to a distant desolate place.
"The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land;" (Leviticus 16:22)
It is only through the Grace of God that the ritual of atonement is effective.
Note that in both the ritual of the scapegoat and the scriptural passage from Proverbs that confession of sin is the key to obtaining mercy. The priest (Aaron) confessed for the people, putting their sins on the head of the scapegoat.
Yes, I could quote Hebrews 9:25-26, affirming that Jesus died as a ransom, once for all. Or Isaiah 53:4, that He "took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows." Or many other passages confirming that Jesus died for our sins.
However, it is in the act of confession and forsaking of our sins that we will have mercy. (Further reading: Romans 10:9-11)
April 9, 12006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “Come, now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18, NIV

Deer are plentiful enough, and of sufficient size, that their presence is often noted in the woods and fields that surround our house. We also see marks of their hooves in the soft soil, and know that they come to drink at the pond. They also leave a compressed area in the grass in the pastures, where they bed down over night.
Those masked bandits, the raccoons, are often seen , but more frequently make their presence known by leaving footprints in the mud at the edges of ponds and streams. Rabbits and squirrels frequent the yard, often to the detriment of my attempts at growing things we both relish.
Birds of all sizes are also easily spotted, especially the numerous visitors to our bird feeders, the geese and blue heron that make the pond a port of call, and, of course, the hovering buzzards that look down from on high.
We know there must be many other birds and animals out there that we do not normally see. Some are evidenced by things the cats drag in. Others are heard, but not seen, like the call of the cock pheasant, or the howl of the coyote that puts our livestock guard dog on high alert. Sometimes the soaring notes of a hidden songster pulls at our heart strings, alluring, yet unseen.
What a different world we discover on those calm, cold wintery days when we step out into a world painted on a canvas of white! The rabbits and squirrels now mark their every step with their signature footprint. I can tell where the spooked rabbit shifts into high gear. The night-traveling dog, and even the deer, are easily noted. Birds do come to earth; we read their touch-downs and hop-abouts like a message written on a page of snow. But the little creatures, things that hide in the woodlot leaves and tufts of grass in the fields, leave tracks and trails in abundance. What we have speculated about, because the dog’s marvelous nose had indicated there must be something there, now makes evident that they do indeed exist. What has long been hidden is now plainly seen.
Sometimes I wish there were a way that I could make people’s thoughts and deeds so visible. I think of the day in the courtroom, when we, the jury, struggled to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused, knowing some who testified were not telling the truth. My, how the face of politics would be changed if motives could be seen, and discrepancies made evident for all.
Then, the sobering thought strikes deep. How would my own life change, if thoughts and deeds were put on such open display. Rare among us, I’m sure, would be the individual who would fear not for full disclosure of every moment of our lives. Something to strive for, of course, but difficult for the humanity that lies within us.
Yet, because I believe in the future judgment, and the accountability that comes with it, it behooves me to acknowledge my shortcomings, and call on the grace and mercies of God for the cleansing that will make this trammeled and much tracked earthly journey as clean as the new-fallen snow on the woodlot and field. The LORD has promised as much: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Therein lies our only hope for the mortal to become immortal, and for the perishable to become eternal.
January 18, 2004