Exodus 9:31-32
31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)
Today is the Feast of Shavuot. As we’ve talked about all week, Shavuot is the Wheat Harvest, unlike Passover which is the Barley Harvest. See, Jesus was here fulfilling the Barley Harvest because He was sent to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, the Barley. Barley matured faster, and therefore ripened first, though they (Barley and Wheat) were planted at the same time.
See, all the world came from one man and one woman. Adam. And Eve. We all descended from the same two ancestors. The world was planted at the creation of Adam and Eve, but only the descendants/offspring of Abraham would ripen in time for the Messiah’s coming.
God could’ve left it there. Just save the faithful of His chosen people. He would’ve honored His Word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Je didn’t. He didn’t stop there. He waited for the Wheat to mature. He waited for the Wheat to ripen and be ready for harvest.
Shavuot isn’t about harvesting physical grain, but the grain of the world. It’s about souls. The fields are white onto harvest. Finally, the rest of the world was ready. Finally, our hearts had turned from our own desires and sought something more. Finally the Holy Spirit could be poured out on ALL flesh so that the separation between peoples might no longer exist. The barrier destroyed and a harvest of anyone willing, regardless of bloodline, could be achieved.
The patience of the LORD isn’t because He forgot or just didn’t feel like it. His patience is what has given each of us the opportunity to be saved. For salvation would be impossible without Christ ascending and sending His Spirit upon us all.
This Shavuot, think about those around you that are late bloomers. They aren’t Barley, but Wheat. They take longer to mature, grow, and ripen. They’re more easily destroyed by pestilence, weather, soil, etc. They are a hard harvest to reap. The kind that you could just give up on, but if we just have the patience, the harvest is greater than we could have imagined. It just takes a little more patience. The patience of someone who loves that harvest.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Have Patience For The Harvest.