Singing is a great way to make the day brighter and the
burden lighter. Matthias Claudius heard
just such singing as the farmers gathered their crops in 18th
century Germany. He composed a poem from
their harvest song which has since been made into the beautiful hymn “We Plow
the Fields”. All ancient cultures had a
god who controlled the affairs of agriculture.
The one true God of heaven often revealed Himself as being God of gods
by proving that He alone was the God of seedtime and harvest, of rain and sun
and of all the blessings of fruitful labor.
In Genesis 41 God demonstrated to Pharaoh that He was in charge of the
affairs of Egypt by sending both harvest and drought.
Multiple proofs of God’s abundant grace came from the harvest
of plenty and then the great drought in Egypt.
First, God released Joseph from bondage by giving him the ability to
tell Pharaoh what his dream meant.
Second, God was able to raise up a man over Egypt with the wisdom to help
the nation survive the seven bad years.
Third, God was able to save His chosen people, the descendants of Jacob,
through Joseph’s ascension to power in Egypt.
Fourth, God was able to reveal His glory and salvation to all nations
that went to Egypt to find food during the famine. Fifth, God didn’t just judge false gods, but
provided salvation for all who would come to Joseph for their bread of life.
The false Egyptian gods of agriculture could do none of
those things. The Egyptian wise
men/priests could not tell Pharaoh his dream.
The Egyptian wise men/priests had to agree with Pharaoh that there were
none among them as wise and discerning as Joseph. The gods of Egypt could not overrule the
edict of God that there would be a drought.
Joseph was able to proclaim that God alone was God of the whole earth as
people came to Him to buy bread. God’s
people were brought to Egypt just as God had told Abraham and would stay there
until God once again demonstrated His power against all false gods and brought
them back to the Promised Land.
The
first stanza and chorus of Claudius’s hymn praise God for these gifts and
proofs of His grace. “We plow the
fields, and scatter the good seed on the land, but it is fed and watered by
God’s almighty hand. He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the
grain, the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain. Refrain: All
good gifts around us are sent from heaven above, then thank the Lord, O thank
the Lord For all His love.”
The Friday Benediction
Until Monday, my friends, may the
good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of
faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the
saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that
confession this weekend. Amen
You
may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly, available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU
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