When he has leveled its surface, Does he not sow the black cummin And scatter the cummin, Plant the wheat in rows, The barley in the appointed place, And the spelt in its place?
Isaiah 28:25
We know that a farmer has four main seasons with respect to farming…plowing, sowing, watering and harvesting. They are all inter-related, as one cannot be done without performing the other.
That is exactly what Isaiah is mentioning in that chapter. Now that the plowing season is over and the land is ready according to the farmer, it is the season for sowing. He has different plants in his hand and they are to be planted differently. A good farmer knows that there are respective places for each one of them. Let us look at that verse to see what it means…
When he has leveled its surface,
Does he not sow the black cummin
And scatter the cummin,
Plant the wheat in rows,
The barley in the appointed place,
And the spelt in its place?
From the above verse, we see that they are planted in the same prepared land , but in different places…and the method of sowing is different…Some are scattered, while some others are planted individually in rows. Why do they have special places in the prepared land? Why not all together? A good farmer knows His plants really well….He knows which one is delicate and small…which one needs special care. The level of watering they need might be different too. So considering all this in mind, He plants them accordingly. I love the next verse which says…
For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin;
But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick,
And the cummin with a rod.
You know what, a farmer when planting, also takes into consideration the harvesting procedures for each plants..Wheat and Barley needs to be threshed with a sledge, whereas black cummin which is light and airy can be just beaten by a stick and cummin with a rod..They are so light and tender that they cannot be threshed by a sledge as they will be destroyed completely. And this is yet another reason for planting them in their own respective places so that at harvest, they can be harvested by the procedures with which they can be sustained and not destroyed.
What does all this mean to us in our spiritual life? In God’s perfectly plowed land, we are placed at different areas…Some of us are placed on the edges, some of us occupy the exact center of the land…some are planted in rows, some of us are under the net..some of us planted where the sunlight is really bright..No matter how and where we are placed, we all share the same land…the kingdom of God. Me, being a cummin cannot say that I want to be placed where wheat is…I cannot exchange my place with barley because I cannot adapt to the conditions that is suitable for barley..I cannot say that I do not want to be under that net…We are all placed in perfect circumstances of life, in perfect families and in perfect surroundings..Because, our farmer knows that there alone can we grow and produce the harvest He expects. You cannot be in someone else’s life situations and produce the harvest that you expect. And our loving farmer knows that if you are weak and tender like a cummin, you cannot handle the harvesting equipment like a sledge and if you are tough and hard like wheat or barley, a harvesting equipment like stick or rod will not be productive in threshing your cob…So let me tell you…You are planted in the right place..in the right family, in the right ministry. That place alone will help you grow in Him and lead you to a hundredfold harvest.
God Bless,
Rani John
Redeemed Ministry
Six Measures Of Barley 