Now the parable is this: the seed is the Word of God. Luke 8:11
The first mention in the Bible of anyone sowing seed occurs when Isaac was living in Gerar during a time of great famine. God had told Isaac not to go into Egypt, but if he would stay in the promised land, God would bless him. So we read in Genesis 26:12 that Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him. Until this time, we read of Isaac following his father Abraham’s occupation of having herds and flocks, nothing of farming in terms of growing crops. Rich in cattle and sheep, Isaac turns to tilling the ground, and receives – despite the famine – a bountiful harvest. Poor conditions and lack of experience meant nothing when God blessed his efforts. It is a good lesson for us when we seek to plant the precious seed.
The one constant in the parable of the sower was the seed that was broadcast. Whether the ground was trodden, rocky, thorny, or good, it all received the same opportunity. Farmers know that good seed is critical to receiving good crops. When the seed is the Word of God, any lack of production cannot be the fault of the seed. The seed cannot be blamed if it falls on unresponsive, uninterested, or uncommitted hearts. A willing heart that receives the seed, watered with the prayers of the Lord’s people, will produce the fruit of salvation, and in the life of a believer, will produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22,23).
Preachers and missionaries carry the seed of the Word of God to the lost as they spread the Gospel. So does everyone who witnesses for our Lord to the unsaved around us. The lack of a rich harvest is not because of any lack of power in the Word. Sometimes the blame can be on the lack of effort and prayer on our part. Sometimes the blame can be on the indifference and antagonistic attitude of the people we seek to reach. Where the Word is gladly received, the Gospel flourishes and sinners are saved.
A little Assembly in a town not far away once functioned according to the Word of God, and was a blessing in the community where it was. But some folks came along with other ideas. They brought in teaching and practices that are not found in the Word of God. Today what used to be an Assembly is a weak and ineffective group that has no credibility in the town or among other Christians. We need to make sure that no teachings of men are ever allowed to replace the Word of God when it comes to our worship and our service for our Lord.
Whether we sow it or receive it, only the Word of God will produce fruit for God. – Jim MacIntosh