From last lesson: The early or former rain prepare the ground to receive the seed the husbandman sows.

The mid season rain grows the plant. The latter rain produces the fruit with the seed within it. The rain is the Holy Spirit.

The sower went forth to sow

Matthew 13: 1-23; Mark 4: 3-20; Luke 8: 4-15

From these accounts of the parable we see that

The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11)

The ground is the heart of man (Matthew 13:19; Luke 8:15} [Romans 2:14-15]

The sower is the husbandman of the field (Genesis 9:20)

The Father is the husbandman (John 15:1)

The Rain is the Spirit of God (Job 36:27; Isaiah 44:3)

The sun is The Son of The Godhead (Psalm 67:1; 2Corinthians 4:6)

The fruit is what the plant produces that has the seed within it

The plant is the person in whose heart the word is sowed by God

Judah His pleasant plant (Isaiah 5:7), The nation of Israel – Jeremiah 2:21)

Genesis 3:14-15

3:14 - The serpent was cursed to crawl upon his belly (On the ground)

3:18-19 – The ground was cursed and it would produce thorn and thistles 

From the parable above the ground is the heart of man – When the ground was cursed The LORD cursed the heart of man so from that point on man’s’ heart could only offer worthless praise to God because The LORD gave the heart of man to Satan to crawl upon. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” You must have a regenerated heart to be able to fellowship with Israel’s LORD.

A picture Genesis 4:1-4  -  A First fruit offering (Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 18:4; Exodus 34:19; Numbers 18:17;

Able brought a firstling of his flock  -  the first lamb born of a ewe from  (does not say it was a male without spot)

Cain brought the fruit of the ground [not the fruit of his labor] – Genesis 3:18-19 teaches this would have been thorns and thistles. Cain brought the cursed worship that his heart produced.

Able did not bring worship produced in his heart but brought the best of the fruit of his labor that The LORD had provided.  (Proverbs 3:9, Deuteronomy 16:15, 1Corinthians 3:7)

Deuteronomy 6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Second Application Part One: When man was created by God planted His word in his heart and intended to receive worship through that man’s offspring who would have the word rooted in their hearts. After Adam sinned man could no longer produce offspring (fruit) with the word (seed) rooted in their cursed hearts.

Next week: Second Application Part Two: The history of Israel by the rain

Deuteronomy 11:14 - - Joel 2: 23 - - Jeremiah 3:3 - - James 5:7; Isaiah 30:1; Romans 11:16; Isaiah 61:6, 21

Zechariah 8:20-23