January 29, 2001
"Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?
When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?
His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick.
Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever.
Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horses do not grind it.
All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. "
Isaiah 28:23-29
In the same way that a farmer knows how to cultivate and harvest his land... so God knows how to cultivate and harvest the hearts of his people. The above verses were written to Israel as part of the prophecy regarding her destruction; in the following verse the weight of the message is made clear..
"the understanding of this message will bring sheer terror" --vs. 20
For God's chosen people to hear of their own destruction in the same manner that God had crushed and devastated many of their enemies before their own eyes would certainly have filled them with terror. It is even referred to in vs 21 as an alien or strange task on God's part . It was commonplace for God to destroy their enemies but not them! What we see one more time in verses 23-29 is God's assurances that it will be okay. Ultimately he is in control and just as a farmer knows how to work his land; so God knows exactly what his people need. He knows exactly what discipline is required and in what measure; when harvesting hearts he knows at what moment to pull back his hand. He knows the right tools for the job and the right pressure to apply in every situation with his people. As hard or challenging as times may be we can take great confidence the fact that..
"All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent is wisdom." --vs. 29
Life has it's challenges and I find that I can handle them with greater faith, more peace in my heart and greater determination the more I understand the heart and character of my God - who is wonderful is his counsel and magnificent in his wisdom!