In God’s Garden 預覽

Wheat

A careful study of the meaning of words in the Bible brings our imaginations into worship of our King. Like creation itself, which proceeded from the mouth of God, the words of the Bible are precious and valuable. Meditation on them yields sweet communion with Christ, for He is the Word. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Although some words—like the plant names scattered throughout the Bible—might seem incidental and insignificant, they were nonetheless preserved in the biblical text for a reason. In some small way, they are part of the story of Christ prefigured throughout the Old Testament and incarnate in the New. This is certainly the case concerning references to “wheat” in the Scriptures.

Wheat was perhaps the most widely used grain in the ancient Near East. It was roasted, ground into flour to make bread, or fermented to make beer. The stalk was used to make bricks, baskets, and bedding. The wheat harvest marked the time of year: “And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest” (Genesis 30:14). In Deuteronomy 8:8, wheat is one of seven foods that mark the abundance of the promised land. Christ uses the familiar scene of the wheat harvest to symbolize His second coming (Matthew 13:24–30), which is as inevitable as the vital yearly rhythm of seedtime and harvest (Genesis 8:22).

We hope you’ve enjoyed In God’s Garden. Some of the plants in the Bible are remarkably similar to what we know; some are remarkably different. Some are beautiful flowers; others are prosaic food crops. Yet, as with all of God’s good creation, they call out to us to wonder (Psalm 19:1), to worship (Luke 19:40; Romans 1:20), and to wait (Romans 8:19–23). May they prompt your imagination and inform your study of the precious Word of the living God.

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