The Threshing Floor

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: 49, 50; Psalm 25

Genesis 50:10 (NIV)

10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father.

Psalm 25:1 (NIV)

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.

Matthew 3:11-12 (NIV)

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear the threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Good morning!

Have you ever experienced a time of brokenness, a moment when you feel you’ve been dealt a crushing blow? Maybe the pain is physical, like the suffering you encounter in a sudden accident or injury. Maybe you have endured the unbearable pain caused from a compound fracture, and the lengthy healing time needed to mend a broken bone. Maybe someone or something has inflicted an emotional hurt that leaves your faith bruised and bleeding. The scars don’t seem to heal, but when they finally do, they leave a thick and hard shell, impenetrable by others. You trusted someone who was not trustworthy. You placed your faith in someone who let you down. Maybe you’ve lost someone you love, and every day is a struggle just to get up out of bed and live another day without them.

This was the experience of Joseph, as he traveled from Egypt to Canaan to bury his father. Jacob (Israel) begged Joseph to return his body to the land of his fathers, and bury him alongside the bones of his ancestors in a cave located in the field of Machpelah in Canaan. As the funeral procession traveled across the desert, Joseph stopped at the threshing floor of Atad. He could no longer contain his overwhelming grief. Joseph stopped to mourn at the threshing floor, and he spent the next seven days pouring out his soul to God.

The threshing floor is a place where wheat is harvested from its stalk. The process of harvesting grain was two-fold. First, the stalks were placed on the threshing floor and animals were allowed to walk over the stalks to break off the grain. Once the stalks were broken, a large winnowing fork was used to toss the stalks into the air, allowing the wind to carry off the dusty chaff, and the good grain to fall back onto the ground. Winnowing is the process of separating the grain from the chaff, in preparation for the gathering.

John the Baptist used the threshing and winnowing process as a way to illustrate how God will separate believers from non-believers on the Day of Judgment. The power of the Holy Spirit will identify true believers with fire and wind. The unfaithful will blow away like chaff, into the lake of fire, where they will be consumed. And the ones who remain faithful will be gathered to the Lord for all eternity.

I find myself drawn to the threshing floor every morning when I pray. The threshing floor is a place where Christ meets me. As I lay down my life, confessing my sin and grief, He purifies my thoughts, motives and actions. Jesus separates the good from the bad, crushing the worthless from the worthwhile. It is a place to mourn the things that are lost and it is a place where the Holy Spirit’s fire cleanses my heart and frees me for faithful service. Every word, every action and every motive is carefully examined and consumed. Going to the threshing floor is a daily necessity as I seek His holiness in my life.

It is not an easy thing to honestly confess our sin and seek forgiveness. Offer your life to the Lord on the threshing floor - lay it all down at His feet. He will separate the good from the bad, freeing you from the pain of your past and giving you the faith you need to move forward. He can take your heart and purify your thoughts, words, and deeds. Are you willing to lay your life down on the threshing floor, giving Jesus full reign to break you, mold you, and shape you into a child He can use?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: courage to approach the threshing floor of Jesus Christ. When you lay yourself down at the foot of the cross, Christ will expose your flaws, and cleanse your heart through confession, forgiveness and restoration. When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed! Are you ready?

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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