Seed.

• 2 min. read • grade level: 10

Every herb, tree and grass yields its own. Gen. 1:11, 12, 29¹¹And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ¹²And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11‑12)
²⁹And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. (Genesis 1:29).

Each kind of, has its own body. 1 Cor. 15:38³⁸But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. (1 Corinthians 15:38).

SOWING OF,

Time for, called seed-time. Gen, 8:22.

Necessary to Its productiveness. John 12:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24). 1 Cor. 15:36³⁶Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: (1 Corinthians 15:36).

Required constant diligence. Ecc. 11:4, 6.

Often attended with great waste. Matt. 13:4, 5, 7⁴And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: ⁵Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: (Matthew 13:4‑5)
⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: (Matthew 13:7).

Often attended with danger. Psa. 126:5, 6⁵They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. ⁶He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5‑6).

Yearly return of time of sowing, secured by covenant. Gen. 8:21, 22²¹And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. ²²While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:21‑22).

The ground carefully plowed, and prepared for. Isa. 28:24, 25²⁴Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? ²⁵When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? (Isaiah 28:24‑25).

Often sown beside rivers. Ecc. 11:1. Isa. 32:20²⁰Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. (Isaiah 32:20).

Often trodden into the ground, by the feet of oxen, &c. Isa. 32:20²⁰Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. (Isaiah 32:20).

Required to be watered by the rain. Isa. 55:10¹⁰For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: (Isaiah 55:10).

In Egypt required to be artificially watered. Deut. 11:10¹⁰For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: (Deuteronomy 11:10).

yielded an abundant increase in Canaan. Gen. 26:12¹²Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. (Genesis 26:12). See Matt. 13:23²³But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23).

MOSAIC LAWS RESPECTING;

Different kinds of, not to be sown in the same field. Lev. 19:19¹⁹Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. (Leviticus 19:19). Deut. 22:9⁹Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. (Deuteronomy 22:9).

If dry, exempted from uncleanness though touched by an unclean thing. Lev. 11:37³⁷And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. (Leviticus 11:37).

If wet, rendered unclean by contact with an unclean thing. Lev. 11:38³⁸But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. (Leviticus 11:38).

The tithe of, to be given to God. Lev. 27:30³⁰And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30).

Not to be sown during the sabbatical year. Lev. 25:4, 20⁴But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (Leviticus 25:4)
²⁰And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: (Leviticus 25:20).

Not to be sown in year of jubilee. Lev. 25:11¹¹A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. (Leviticus 25:11).

Difference between, and the plant which grows from it, noticed. 1 Cor. 15:37, 38³⁷And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: ³⁸But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. (1 Corinthians 15:37‑38).

THE JEWS PUNISHED BY

Its rotting in the ground. Joel 1:17¹⁷The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. (Joel 1:17). Mal. 2:3³Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. (Malachi 2:3).

Its yielding but little increase. Isa. 5:10¹⁰Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. (Isaiah 5:10). Hag. 1:6⁶Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. (Haggai 1:6).

Its increase being consumed by locusts, &c. Deut. 28:38³⁸Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. (Deuteronomy 28:38). Joel 1:4⁴That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. (Joel 1:4).

Its increase being consumed by enemies. Lev. 26:16¹⁶I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. (Leviticus 26:16). Deut. 28:33,51³³The fruit of thy land, and all thy labors, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: (Deuteronomy 28:33)
⁵¹And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. (Deuteronomy 28:51).

Its being choked by thorns. Jer. 12:13¹³They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord. (Jeremiah 12:13), with Matt. 13:7⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: (Matthew 13:7).

ILLUSTRATIVE OF

The word of God. Luke 8:11¹¹Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11). 1 Peter 1:23²³Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23).

Spiritual life. 1 John. 3:9.

SOWING, ILLUSTRATIVE OF

Preaching the gospel. Matt. 13:3, 32³And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; (Matthew 13:3)
³²Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. (Matthew 13:32). 1 Cor. 9:11¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? (1 Corinthians 9:11).

Scattering or dispersing a people. Zech. 10:9⁹And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. (Zechariah 10:9).

Christian liberality. Ecc. 11:6. 2 Cor. 9:6⁶But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Men's works producing a corresponding recompense. Job 4:8⁸Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. (Job 4:8). Hos. 10:12¹²Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12). Gal. 6:7, 8⁷Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. ⁸For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7‑8).

The death of Christ and its effects. John 12:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24).

The burial of the body. 1 Cor. 15:36-38³⁶Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: ³⁷And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: ³⁸But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. (1 Corinthians 15:36‑38).

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