“THE THRESHING FLOOR”

“He comes with a winnowing fork in his hands and comes to his threshing floor to sift what is worthless from what is pure. And he is ready to sweep out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his granary, but the straw he will burn up with a fire that can’t be extinguished!” [Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬]

There’s one thing I could always attribute to my dad He always wanted to eat something fresh from the farm. I visited my dad’s farm and on one sunny Saturday afternoon I became acquainted the concept of the threshing floor; The threshing floor was (and still is) a common enough place. Most farms had their own threshing floors. A few smaller farms would sometimes share a threshing floor.

For most of its history, the threshing floor was an outside space. The grain was spread out over a stone or hard-packed dirt. Then an animal (an ox, donkey, or horse) would walk across the grain to break the kernels. So the outside shell of the grain would then need to be separated from the good part of the grain.

This is where the farmer would use the natural wind to help separate the grain from what was called “chaff.” The word “chaff” means “rubbish.” So this was just the other parts of the grain that wouldn’t be useful. The farmer would use what is called a “winnowing fork” to throw up the chaff and the grain that was mixed together. This was just a shovel that looked like a fork. The wind would blow away the chaff and the heavy grains would fall back onto the threshing floor. The process then was repeated until only the grain was left. I hope I’m not boring you just yet… lol

In our modern society, the simple things are often overlooked. We usually have our bread, fruits, vegetables, and other foods brought to us in big trucks or probably get them from the supermarkets and grocery stores. Rarely do we see the hard work of the farmers behind the scenes. These everyday workers are often forgotten.

The first key is desire. Entering the temple in Jerusalem was an uphill journey from any direction. When we pursue God, it is also an uphill journey. If you desire fellowship, nothing will tear you away from knowing God. However, if there is no desire, you are probably never going to know Him in a personal way.

The beauty of the Bible is that it can remind us to look beyond what is right in front of us. Recently while pondering on the right things to eat and what not to put into my system I was just in awe at how God uses the idea of the threshing floor, the chaff, and the winnowing fork to remind us of His judgment, His redemption and His presence.

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. – Matthew 3:12

1. Christ As Our Judge

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. – 2 Samuel 6:6-7

The ark of the covenant was used to represent God’s very presence. (Exodus 25:21-22) There were specific instructions on how to move the ark. (Exodus 4:1-16; Exodus 25:14-15) Unfortunately, when David goes to move the ark, he doesn’t follow these instructions. So on the threshing floor of a man named Nakon, another man, Uzzah, reaches out to keep the ox-cart from stumbling, and God strikes him dead.

It seems harsh, but if we understand that God judges sin, we will understand this.

David needed to be reminded of the severity of sinning and in 2 Samuel 7-8 we find David learns this lesson. Christ is our judge. As much as we like to sometimes forget this truth, the Bible is clear that Christ will judge our sins. The question is whether we have the righteousness to save us. (Philippians 3:9)

2. Christ as Our Redeemer

So she [Ruth] went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law [Naomi] told her to do. When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. – Ruth 3:6-7

One of the most popular threshing floor stories comes in the short four-chapter book of Ruth. I love the story of Ruth and I’m not even being bias here jinx. A Moabitess named Ruth comes back to Bethlehem from the country of Moab (which were enemies with Israel) during the times of judges. She returns with her bitter mother-in-law Naomi. They are both widows, and God uses a threshing floor to provide redemption for them.

Ruth has been working the fields of a man named Boaz. She comes home to tell her mother-in-law about this man. Suddenly. Naomi remembers an old law (Leviticus 27:9-25) in which a relative can “redeem” someone’s property after he dies. Naomi’s husband is related to Boaz and therefore Boaz can redeem the fields of Naomi’s husband—and with the fields would come Naomi and Ruth.

Ruth agrees to meet and ask Boaz on the threshing floor that night. In this brief but poignant exchange, Boaz agrees (Ruth 3:9-10) to become what is called a “Kinsman Redeemer.” It is a perfect picture of Christ and His work for us

3. Christ As Our Temple

On account of King David’s sins again God, we read in 1 Chronicle ls 21:14-15 how God punishes the people: “So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.”

Suddenly God stops. The angel of the Lord was at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and we see God step in and say “enough!” Why did God stop the judgment at the threshing floor of Ornan? We find out if we put together some pieces found in later Scripture that this is actually the place for Solomon’s temple!

Here’s what I find intriguing; something happens when the plague reaches the threshing floor of someone named Ornan. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” 1 Chronicles 21:15

“Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the place provided by David. – 2 Chronicles 3:1”

The temple was a place of worship for the people, but it was the permanent residence of God and His presence. God would meet with them there. And isn’t it wonderful to think that the sight of this most beautiful temple was built on an ordinary plot of ground called a threshing floor?

So we need this reminder from 2 Samuel 6 to stop at the ordinary places in our life, much like Uzzah stopped on the threshing floor. We need to revaluate, and see if there is sin in our lives and let God clean us up — radiating the Holiness of God

God’s goodness to redeem: We could never be good enough on our own, but God in His rich mercy loved us so much to provide a way for us to be saved. He is our Redeemer. Ruth met her redeemer, Boaz, on the threshing floor. In the middle of a mess and debris, we can meet our Redeemer.

God doesn’t need us to clean up our lives for Him. He will pick us off of the floor if He has to, brush us off, and lead us out of the pit into a new life with Him!

God’s presence in our everyday moments: Often we think of God’s presence as something magical or majestic. Although He is Almighty and King of Heaven, we forget He is found in the small moments, too that washroom break, that lunchtime. So, maybe the threshing floor reminds us most of all that God loves us, redeems us, and longs to be with us in or ordinary moments.

God doesn’t always reveal His ways to us, but in the idea of the threshing floor, we can be reminded that God rescues, redeems, and restores us on a daily basis. We might not always see His hand, but we can trust His heart and know He is working!

Love and Light

Ruth 🤍