Seeds For Thinking

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

* Good and Faithful Servants
* Scripture: "Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters." Proverbs 25:13, NKJV

Farming is an occupation that is critically dependent upon the weather for successful planting, growing and harvest of crops. A few days delay of planting or harvest can make a big difference in yield, or even cause a total loss or failure of the crop.
Field crops, such as grain, need rain after the planting is finished, during the growing season, but wet fields delay planting.
Too much rain during the growing season is bad, and hail, wind, or even drought can destroy the crop at any stage of growth. Timely, moderate rain is essential, and totally beyond control of the farmer.
Probably no stage of growth of any crop - field, orchard, or vineyard - is more critical than at harvest time. The ripe grain can be flattened by wind or hail. Untimely rain, or, heaven forbid! A snow storm at harvest time is a grower's nightmare.
The little verse from Proverbs 25:13 puzzled me for two reasons. First, I can't imagine any farmer happy about snow on a ripe crop, especially standing grain in the field.
Second, the verse is about harvest time in Israel. I know that they do have snow, but I doubted that it happened often in summer, during the harvest season. I had to check this one out.
And I am glad that I did! It opened up a new insight on living in God's kingdom.
I found that it does indeed snow in Israel, usually only in the depths of winter, and even then the snow quickly melts. Harvest time is usually hot, and intensive manual labor in the fields is hard on the workers. Oh! For a cold drink to slake the thirst of one and all. Enter Mount Hermon, which usually has snow even in the summer time. Snow! The ideal cooler for drinks in a hot, arid climate. No ice houses, no refrigeration equipment. Snow from the mountain in the time of harvest to refresh the soul.
Now notice the rest of that verse. It is not about farming or the harvest at all. It is about messengers, good and faithful servants! (See Matthew 25:21.) About faithful friends, leaders, wives and husbands. Pastors and laity. About you and me, servants one and all.
What an insight we gain when we learn the real purpose of that one little verse. God made all things for good, at the right time, in the right place, in the season of need.
Pray that we all come to embody the qualities of that "good and faithful servant" who refreshes the soul of his masters like a drink cooled by snow in the heat of the summer.
July 23, 2006

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