Soils “ain’t” soils!
In Matthews Gospel chapter 13, Jesus gives us the parable of the sower and the seed, and the four types of soils. Many know the story and Jesus explains its meaning at the end of the same chapter. The sower is the one giving or teaching the word of God; the seed is the word of God and the soils are the conditions of the hearts of the hearers.
The four types of soils are listed as the soil found at the edge of the field, another soil type is stony, another soil is that where thorns are growing and the last is the good ploughed rich soil. Every time you or I sit under God’s word, whether reading it or being taught in bible study or church, we are one of these types of soils. Now the point of the matter is which one are we? The type of soil you are is your choice, not how you were born, or educated or as the result of somebody else’s actions or deeds. No, we choose on how we hear God’s precious word.
The first soil is someone who hears but really is not interested in the things of God and their life is distant from God. So the enemy (the birds) just snatch away the seed because its just left untouched, unused. The second type of soil is the stony ground. This soil is the hearer who deliberately just won’t allow God to speak to them on things they know are needing God’s touch. The third type of soil is that of the one in amongst the thorns. This is the hearer who takes in the word but allows the things/the cares of the world, the business and pull of the world to choke the seed from growing and being free to mature. The final soil is that of the hearer who hears the word of God and it goes deep within their heart and takes deep root within their lives – it remains and grows and their life is seen bearing the godly fruit of God’s precious word. The question is which soil are you? It’s your choice!