Search
Search

On Seeds and Weeds

Psalm 1:1–2 (NIV)

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

CONSIDER THIS

Okay, pop quiz—get out a sheet of paper and answer the following questions.

If you sow tomatoes you will reap ___________?

Yes, tomatoes.

If you sow lettuce you will reap ___________?

Yes, lettuce.

If you sow squash you will reap ___________?

Yes, squash.

If you sow nothing you will reap ___________?

Nope. You will reap weeds! 

Growing up on the farm, no-one has to teach you how farmers evaluate one another. It’s not on yield, or the outcome of the crop—about which farmers tend to be pretty tight-lipped. They assess one another based on the cleanliness of their crops in the growing season—how bad are the weeds? 

If a flourishing garden in the midst of a vast creation is the Genesis 1 and 2 vision of original glory, a flourishing creation overtaken by weeds is the Genesis 3 reality of original sin. Unfortunately, weeds define the condition into which we are all born. Psalm 1, a summary and microcosm of the whole Psalter, opens with the vision of original glory amid the reality story of weeds.

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,

Now, no-one reading here (present company included) intends to become a wicked sinner who mocks God and other people. Sin doesn’t work like that. It is far more subtle and sophisticated. Notice first how the psalm begins with the word “Blessed,” and moves to what blessed is not before moving to what blessed does and consequently becomes. 

Notice the comprehensive scope of verse one. In our waking hours we will either be walking, standing, or sitting. There really are no other options. The wisdom of Scripture reveals that without intervention, our path and trajectory will head toward the wicked, the sinners, and the mockers. In other words, we will be overtaken by weeds. Unfortunately, left to ourselves, this is the inevitable outcome. Fortunately, we are not left to ourselves. Look at verse two.

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

The way to flourishing is not by trying to manage the weeds of sin, but rather to focus on the flourishing of the farm of the Word of God. There is only one way to avoid the pace of the wicked and the path of the sinner and the company of mockers—it is to cultivate another focus entirely—day and night delight in the Word of the Lord. 

In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. (James 1:21 The Message) 

The psalmist closes with a compelling and comprehensive vision of what happens when this happens:

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3)

We will meet at this tree of life tomorrow. 

Wake up sleeper! You are becoming like this tree. 

THE PRAYER

Farmer God, thank you for the vision of this tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither but rather prospers in every way. This is my vision for my life. It can feel far from me, and yet it is as close as your Word and Spirit. I am asking you for the orientation of simplicity, which is the miracle of the seed of your Word watered by the miracle of your Spirit. Take me from duty and discipline to sheer delight in your Word. Praying in Jesus’s name, amen.

THE QUESTION

Do you find yourself in a place of duty and discipline with respect to the Word of God and your engagement? What would it mean to enter a place of delighting in this Word? Would you ask Jesus to lead you there? 

For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

Subscribe to get this in your inbox daily

Share today's Wake-Up Call!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

6 Responses

  1. One day something happened
    Deep inside of me
    That made me see
    Everything differently.
    I didn’t understand
    What was going on
    So I picked up a Bible
    And it was like a phone.
    As I read
    The words it said
    Went beyond my head
    And spoke thrillingly
    To my heart
    Planting seeds
    Of hope
    And meeting needs
    I didn’t know I had.
    I’ve found nothing
    That compares
    To the living words
    That the Bible shares
    And plants within me.
    They empower me
    Everyday
    To taste and see
    That the Lord is good!
    If you read it daily
    With an open heart
    The Bible will plant
    Life-giving seed
    In you, too!

  2. Weeds are comparable to sin. Unless they are cultivated by the root, they grow wild. Even pulled by the root, the soil needs to be tilled.
    Lord, cultivate my soul with Your Word, Jesus, until all that remains is Your fruit.
    Learning to become like the One.

  3. Amen❣️ I was once dead soil, all kind of weeds was growing in me, but the Good Garner-God through the Holy Spirit planted a Seed-Jesus in the deep dead soil-my heart❤️. That Seed-Jesus died in me, behold, it brought life to the death soil, a new creation, the old things pasting away as the Holy Spirit cultivates me daily as I read the Word of God’ and Yielding Fruits of Spirit that the revenue the Garner-Father God received from the new soil, Glory, Praise and Honor forever & ever❣️❣️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

  4. As an avid gardener I have but two comments. If weeds symbolize sin then the best way to prevent weeds is to mulch heavily. Weeds (sin) can’t thrive unless they can receive light; sin cannot thrive if smothered out under a thick mulch of God’s Word. Secondly, the way to insure a good crop of weeds is to ignore them until they’ve gone to seed. Once the weeds (sins) have gone to seed, they’er much harder to eliminate and often choke out the crop. That’s why in the parable of the sower the weed choked out plants produced no fruit.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *