Matthew 3:11b-12 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Do you truly know what this really means? -Threshing floor definition A hard, level surface which grain is threshed and sorted The threshing floor was an essential part of agriculture in the ancient Near East. Typically round, with a diameter of 25-40feet (7.6-12.2m), it was usually located near a village in an area exposed to wind. Once the farmer selected the location, he cleared the ground of stones and compressed the soil until a firm surface resulted. When the “floor” was ready, he laid recently harvested sheaves of grain in it for threshing. The farmer then used large animals, such as oxen or donkeys, to pull heavy threshing sleds over the grain, separating the kernels form the stalks and husks. When the threshing was complete a winnowing fork was used to toss the grain into the air. The wind blew away the lighter stalks and husks (chaff), as the heavier kernels fell back to the floor. The farmer sifted the kernels through trays to remove any dirt gathered in the process then temporarily stored the grain in heaps on the floor or sealed it in jars for later use. While the primary focus of the threshing floor was agricultural, the separation of the wheat and chaff became a natural and fitting symbol of judgment in mainly the Old Testament. -Chaff definition The refuse of winnowed corn. It was usually burned ( Exodus 15:7 ; Isaiah 5:24 ; Matthew 3:12 ). This word sometimes, however, means dried grass or hay ( Isaiah 5:24 ; 33:11 ). Chaff is used as a figure of abortive wickedness ( Psalms 1:4 ; Matthew 3:12 ). False doctrines are also called chaff ( Jeremiah 23:28 ), or more correctly rendered "chopped straw." The destruction of the wicked, and their powerlessness, are likened to the carrying away of chaff by the wind ( Isaiah 17:13 ; Hosea 13:3 ; Zephaniah 2:2 ). Matthew 3:12 talks about Jesus separating us from the chaff (dirt, wicked, unbeliever’s) He will gather His wheat (believer’s) into the barn (heaven) and burn up the chaff with the unquenchable fire (hell). The question I leave with you today is, are you sharing the Good News with those around you? Or will they be the chaff in the end times? Matthew 28:18-20Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 04:29:45 +0000
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