People often use the word “season” to describe their lives.
I’m in a . . .
good season
hard season
painful season
I’m in a . . .
season of change
season of new growth
season of waiting
season of loss
season of blessing
season of dealing with my junk
season of healing from the past
Fill in the blank: I’m in a season of _____________________________________.
While most of us can identify descriptors of the season we’re in, the agrarian world of the Bible hints that every season is more complex than we realize. Consider the following:
This week we’re spending time with the farmer in the Scouting the Divine Online Summer Bible Study. If you want to join us, it’s not too late! Click here.
What I’ve been reflecting on this week is that in agrarian world of the Bible reminds us time and time again of our dependence on God—no matter what the season.
In my own life, I’m in a season of healing.
It’s longer. Harder. More painful. Than I ever imagined.
But it’s part of the rhythm of life, of the land, of the way God fashioned creation. Every time I grip dirt in my hands, I’m grounded in this truth.
For farmers during Biblical times, the dry conditions made farming a challenge.
Average rainfall occurred during a handful of months—October through March. In Deuteronomy 11:14, the passage refers to God giving the “early rain” (Hebrew yoreh—likely October-November) and the “latter rain” (Hebrew malqos—likely March-April). The same cycle continues today.
Whenever the rain pattern shifts, farmers are hit hard swinging from brutal dry conditions to unpredictable torrential storms that can wash away freshly planted seeds.[i]
The annual rhythms of farming followed a pattern:
-Flax harvested in March-April (Joshua 2:6)
-Barley harvested in late April-May (Ruth 1:22)
-Legumes harvested in late April-May
-Wheat is harvest May-mid-June
-Olives, figs, grapes and pomegranates harvested mid-August-October
In Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea, Samuel L. Adams notes that the variety of foods provided protection from years of low yield. Farmers faced many obstacles including…
Weeds
Famine
Drought
Pests
Birds
Animals
Political challenges
Military takeovers
The parable of the sower teaches us that even the hardest working, most diligent farmers face difficulties. They were forced to look to God for their productivity and survival.
And so are we.
The seasons we’re in—whether we’re sowing or reaping or waiting or resting or working around the clock—bring unique challenges.
Take a few moments to think more in-depth about the season you’re in.
The rainfall or lack there of
The size and quantity and variety of pests
The sunshine or clouds or wind
The sudden changes in weather
The unexpected storms on the horizon
Reflecting through this lens can help ground you and equip you to answer the question that God has long been asking since the Garden:
Where are you?
*Samuel L. Adams, Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), 83.
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