(Audio)
Why does the soil matter? Because the seed is at risk. The world above ground is not friendly toward the seed, nor even neutral, but hostile.
the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
We have only just escaped Egypt and slavery to idols, and Pharoah is not content to let us leave. If we want to escape successfully to the promised land we must be willing to listen to the guidance of God. Otherwise, when we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place we will have nowhere to turn. The Evil One will pursue the seed that is only superficial and it will have no means of escape. To avoid this we need to receive the word with understanding. It is not enough to be exposed to the word. We need to know it and make it our own. Then and only then will it give us guidance to keep us safe from the Enemy.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
Especially if our lives haven't been pristine before receiving the word, if perhaps we were given over to idols in Egypt, we are the rocky ground that can make it difficult for the seed to mature. We should try be especially conscience of our need for roots that go deeper than our rocky past. These roots ought to reach down to our identity in God as sons and daughters. They grow deeper by the acquisition of virtue that happens when we are faithful to the commandments. As we keep the commandments by God's grace we push these roots deeper into the soil, making it less and less likely that some passing tribulation will uproot us.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
If we are planted among the thorns, we need to grow in directions that allow us to breathe. Worldly riches make promises but weighs heavy upon us, making it difficult to breathe easily. Ideally, we'll just branch out in directions without thorns, but if the thorns are pressing in too hard, we need to press back to establish boundaries and find freedom. What sorts of things are stealing our peace from us? How can we move away from those things or to push them back if necessary?
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
The deeper we get in this soil the safer we are, the more likely it is that we will bear good fruit. We can't be content to be shallow or confined and attempt to grow. If that happens, we may stay alive, but without the fruit that God desires from us. Yet if we allow God to have his way, he himself will provide the means and the grace to use the means to surround ourselves with soil full of nutrients, to push forth leaves and branches toward the sun, and to bear much fruit.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,
inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness
on the children of those who hate me,
down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.
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