Today in the Word Devotional

If you’re anything like me, you’ve resonated with the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof. In this musical, the father Tevye dreams of being wealthy. Not only would his family be comfortable, he’d have more time to study in the synagogue. He asks God, “Would it spoil some vast eternal plan? If I were a wealthy man?”

God did not grant Tevye’s wish (or mine) to be wealthy, and in light of today’s parable that’s a blessing. Riches can be a formidable temptation (1 Tim. 6:10). In Luke 12, a man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him (vv. 13–15). He was likely a younger brother, and his older brother would receive double. Jesus refused, then warned His audience against greed (covetousness) and materialism. The principle is simple: Life is not merely about possessions.

To illustrate further, Jesus told a story about a farmer who reaped a huge harvest, so big that he didn’t have enough space to store it all. His solution was to build larger barns (vv. 16–19). The man was selfish. He didn’t even consider giving some of it away. He put his trust in his wealth and pridefully found his security there. As a result of this harvest, he congratulated himself and decided he could “take life easy” from now on.

God evaluated this attitude as damned (literally) foolishness (vv. 20–21). That very night the farmer would die. He’d provided for his grain but not for his soul! Death reveals the quality of that in which we’ve put our faith. The barns were full, but the man couldn’t take any of it with him. As Ecclesiastes says, all such things are meaningless. This is how it will be for everyone who “stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

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If you visit Moody Bible Institute’s Chicago campus, be sure to check out the entrance lobby in Crowell Hall. There you will find a beautiful stained-glass window called “The Sower.” It pictures the farmer in Matthew 13. With a bag slung over his shoulder, the sower strides through a field, one hand scattering seeds.

We read this parable in two parts. First, the story itself (vv. 1–9). The scattered seeds come to four ends: (1) The birds eat the seeds that fell on the hard surface of the path. (2) Seeds that landed in rocky places sprang up quickly but then withered because they had no root. (3) Seeds that landed among thorns were choked. (4) Finally, seeds that landed in good soil yielded an incredibly fruitful crop.

The second part is Jesus’ explanation, requested by His disciples (vv. 18–23). The seeds represent the message of the kingdom, that is, the gospel. In the reception of this message, there are four results seen in the story: (1) Some people don’t understand, and Satan snatches it away. (2) Some receive it with joy, but they fall away when trouble or persecution comes. (3) Some hear it, but “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness [or ‘seductiveness’] of wealth” choke or suffocate the response. Luke’s version adds “pleasures.” (4) Others hear, understand, and respond in faith and obedience, as seen in their fruitfulness. Only this fourth type is truly saved.

The sower or farmer is not directly identified but is ultimately God, because the gospel of redemption is His plan. He uses angels and human beings in that plan, so it’s not inaccurate to picture pastors, missionaries, and indeed all followers of Christ as scattering the seeds. We’re responsible to sow but reaping or outcomes are up to the Lord.

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“I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree,” wrote poet Joyce Kilmer in “Trees.” Indeed, everything made by our Creator God is a work of art. His description continues: “A tree that looks at God all day, / And lifts her leafy arms to pray... Poems are made by fools like me, / But only God can make a tree.”

In Ezekiel 17, God plants a cedar tree as an image of His faithfulness. So far this month we’ve seen farming imagery and language used about both people (for example, reaping what we sow) and God (for example, sending fruitful harvests). Here, the Lord announces He will plant a cedar shoot (young tree) on the top of a high mountain (v. 22). It looks small to begin with, but it has the potential to become a towering tree. The “high and lofty mountain” likely symbolizes Jerusalem. Sure enough, the cedar twig will become a “splendid cedar” (v. 23). This won’t happen overnight. The growth of a tree is slow but steady, that is to say, God’s plans take time to unfold. In time, the birds will nest and find shelter in the mature tree. This picture usually indicates safety or security.

God can do this because He is sovereign over all nations (“the trees of the forest”). He can bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall,” or “dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish” (v. 24; cf. Ps. 75:6–7; Luke 1:51–53). What He has said He will do is as good as done (see Heb. 11:1). In context, Ezekiel’s images are messianic. Just as Isaiah had spoken of a Branch from the “stump of Jesse” (Isa. 11:1–5), so Ezekiel wrote here of a flourishing cedar tree.

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The Farmers’ Almanac has been published annually since 1818. Many have put their confidence in its long-range weather forecasts. It has also been a trusted source for home remedies, advice on gardening and cooking, and lists such as the “5 Worst Weather Cities.”

While even trusted almanacs may fail, God’s Word never fails. As surely as the cycle of the seasons, God’s plans, commands, and promises will be accomplished and fulfilled (v. 11). We can and should trust in that, especially given how often our human plans are foolish or fail. In addition, God’s ways are qualitatively higher than ours (vv. 8–9). They’re beyond our understanding.

God’s ways are like the water cycle (v. 10). Water evaporates, then returns to the earth as snow and rain. This waters the earth, “making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” When nature works as God designed, the result is a fruitful harvest and plentiful food. As David wrote: “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it” (Ps. 65:9).

Furthermore, God’s ways are good (vv. 12–13). “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” Nature itself will rejoice with you! The bad and the ugly (thornbush, briers) will be replaced by the good and the beautiful (juniper, myrtle). The result? God’s “renown” or glory. The accomplishment of His redemptive plans (see Isa. 55:1–3) will be “an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.” Though God’s ways are incalculably higher, He has given us a picture we can understand, rooted in the world He created!

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My wife and I have been blessed with five children. Five times, I watched her endure excruciating labor pains. Why? For the joy of new life. Admiring her strength and hearing our babies’ first cries are five of the most remarkable miracles I have ever witnessed. Those moments reminded me of Psalm 126:5: “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”

Psalm 126 is written in what might feel like reverse order. First, the psalmist rejoices at the harvest or reward. The exiles in Babylon praise God as if their anticipated return to the promised land has already been accomplished (vv. 1–3). Taken away in captivity, they’d returned home. Once sick, they’d regained health. The tears that watered the ground had reaped joy. These are powerful and surprising images. No one expects streams in the desert, but that’s what they were given. It felt like a dream! “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (v. 3).

In the second half of the psalm, we return to the “sowing.” The people pray for God to “restore our fortunes” and bring them back to the promised land (vv. 4–6). They understand that this hope is not achievable in their own strength. “Those who go out weeping” do not typically “return with songs of joy.” Only God can make that happen. Their faith is strong—they’re not hedging their bets. They’d praised Him in advance for answering their prayer! We too can harvest joy from sorrow (see John 16:12–22). How? Because God. There is nothing we can do to make it happen. But in God’s grace and mercy, He can turn things around.

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In the Bible, God sometimes sent droughts to get Israel’s attention. In one prophecy of Jeremiah, for example, the ground is cracked and dry. There is no rain. Farmers despair. Even rich people can’t get water because the wells have run dry. Wild animals were suffering too. What’s the message? God was using drought to call His people to repent of their sins (Jer. 14, especially vv. 1–10). If they chose to repent, God would bless them.

Yesterday, we considered ruined fields in Joel 1, and today we turn our focus to restoration. The ruined fields were both literal and figurative; they represented hunger, hardship, and judgment. Similarly, the restored fields stand for abundance, blessing, and God’s favor. When the rain arrived it would cause seeds to grow and lead to a rich harvest (v. 23). The cattle would graze freely in broad, green pastures, and other farm animals would also eat well (v. 24). There would be plenty of water (v. 25; cf. Jer. 17:8). “The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days” (v. 26). Light here symbolizes God’s blessing.

All of this is a picture of what will happen “when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted” (v. 26). He inflicted them as a judgment on their sin. In other words, they’d deserved it. But also: He’d been in control the entire time, which was a comforting truth. He wasn’t throwing lightning bolts from on high. His judgment was mercifully intended to summon them back to Himself. The Great Physician hadn’t given up on His people (see Exod. 15:26; Mark 2:17)! This image of God as a doctor or healer has clear messianic implications (Isa. 61:1–3; Luke 4:16–21).

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The notorious desert locust lives in about 30 countries, but migration and wind help it travel much farther. One-tenth of the world’s population is at risk of locust plagues. In Africa today, a swarm can pack 40–80 million desert locusts into less than half a square mile. Each one is able to eat its weight in plants each day!

The prophet Joel drew a horrifying picture of what such devastation looks like. Today’s passage opens by calling the nation to mourning (v. 8). How severe is the grief? The “virgin in sackcloth” image means it’s like an engagement that didn’t lead to marriage. What’s the reason for such sorrow? The prophet gives two pictures. The first is of the dead spiritual life of Israel (v. 9). No offerings were being made at the temple. There was no work for the priests, who were lamenting (and hungry). The second picture is of the dead physical life of Israel (v. 10). The fields were ruined, the harvests destroyed. Even the ground was in mourning. There was no new wine or olive oil. The locusts—pictured as a “mighty army”—followed by drought, had left nothing (see vv. 4–7).

“Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers” continued Joel (v. 11). The desolation was complete. Grape vines, fig trees, pomegranate trees, palm trees, apple trees—nothing remained. The people’s joy had “withered away” as well (v. 12). None of this was an accident. What had happened was a judgment from the Lord. The prophet’s descriptions were intended to call the people to repentance (see Joel 1:14 and 2:12–17). If they would turn from their sin, He would bless them again with grain, new wine, and olive oil (Joel 2:19). What a sobering reminder of our own need for confession and repentance before God.

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In ancient Israel, God ordained gleaning so that poor people would have a way to obtain food (Lev. 23:22). In our society, we provide for the poor through community food pantries or government food programs. A “Caring Committee” at my church gives out staple items and grocery gift cards to those in need.

Naomi and Ruth were on the receiving side of such charity. Naomi was an older widow without income. Her daughter-in-law Ruth, also widowed, went to nearby fields to glean grain for herself and her mother-in-law (vv. 2, 6–7). Whatever she brought back they could grind into flour and make bread to stay alive. It seems that gleaning was somewhat risky at that time. Boaz’s instructions for her safety imply that otherwise Ruth might have been vulnerable to sexual violence (v. 9).

Boaz owned the field where she was gleaning. His greeting to the harvesters showed that he was a godly man (v. 4). Attentively, he noticed Ruth, asked about her, and invited her to stay and get rest and water with his workers (vv. 5, 8–9). He’d heard about her choosing the Lord (Ruth 1:16–17) and coming from Moab with her widowed mother-in-law (v. 11). His response: “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (v. 12).

Ruth turned out to be hard-working and humble (vv. 7, 10). Boaz was generous, even telling his laborers to leave extra grain for her to glean, as opposed to our American values of maximizing efficiency and productivity. And we know that the biblical love story of Ruth and Boaz would one day reappear in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:5)!

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Revelation 5 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It consists mainly of waves of praise directed at “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (v. 6)—in other words, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The four living creatures and 24 elders begin. They are joined by hosts of angels and finally by “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” (Rev. 5:13).

Revelation 5 answers the prayer of Psalm 67: “May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you” (vv. 3, 5). In this psalm, “harvest” is a picture of the Lord’s blessings. The parallelism in verse 6 treats the two as equivalent. This is often true in the psalms, for example: “The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest” (Ps. 85:12). “Harvest” is a powerful image of abundance in an agricultural society.

This entire psalm is structured like a sandwich: Prayers for God to bless (vv. 1–2 and 6–7) are placed on either side of a call for the people to praise Him (vv. 3–5). Verse 1 echoes the Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:24–26), with the petition for God’s face to “shine on us” indicating a prayer for His favor and a close relationship. The purpose is not simply blessings for them, but more importantly, “so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” It’s all about His glory!

The middle section (vv. 3–5) calls for the nations, not only Israel, to praise the Lord for His justice and wise sovereignty. Then the psalm returns to its original theme, combining gratitude for present blessing with a prayer for future blessing and God’s glory. The “fear” in verse 7 is not human fear but the “fear of the Lord,” or worship.

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A popular health website recommends eight “miracle foods”: avocados, blueberries, green tea, kale, lentils, quinoa, walnuts, and red wine. Blueberries, for example, are full of antioxidants and can help prevent cataracts, varicose veins, heart disease, and cancer. Walnuts improve cognitive (brain) function and memory, aid in gut health, and support heart health by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure.

We could also say that worship through giving is good for our spiritual health. Yesterday we read about the principle of “firstfruits,” that is, offering the first or best of what we have to the Lord. In Deuteronomy 26 we see that same principle put into practice during Israel’s entry into the promised land (vv. 1–4). The presentation of the firstfruits was accompanied by an affirmation of God’s faithful promise-keeping. It also admitted the people’s hopelessness without that. This was done through a vivid testimony about their liberation from Egypt (vv. 5–10).

This national origin story is rather unusual: Their forefather Jacob went to Egypt to survive. His descendants became enslaved. But the Lord heard their cries for help and freed them “with a mighty hand.” Then He brought them to a “land flowing with milk and honey,” a metaphorical picture of abundance. All the glory is given to God, not human heroes, for this amazing history.

The basket of firstfruits would then lead to rejoicing and gratitude for all of God’s various blessings (v. 11). It’s important to note that “foreigners” (or sojourners) are included. This means that the Exodus and God’s awesome “signs and wonders” had inspired faith even in some non-Israelites (for example, Rahab and her family). This testimony became a kind of recitation of God’s covenant faithfulness.

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