Dear Ones:
Jesus spoke of “the hand on the plow,” with regard to following Him. “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) Who then is “fit” for the kingdom? There is none…and as Paul put it, “…no, not one.” What then does he mean by putting one’s hand on the plow? Growing up on a farm, I saw and experienced first hand what this means. The weight of the plow, the hardness of the ground, and the power of the mule or the horse pulling the plow, are such, that if there is not the firm grasp upon the plow, there will be no effective work with the plow. Secondly, there is no way that one can plow without looking forward, for the direction of the plow, and the corresponding furrow it makes, is in the control of the farmer. There is no doubt that the Lord Jesus is speaking of commitment here, the commitment to “do” the will of God, and in leaving the past (…and preoccupations) behind, to look unto Him for all that is needed to finish the task.
In the history of Israel’s exile, after seventy years, she returned to the land of promise, specifically to Jerusalem, by the edict of Cyrus the Persian, having been ordered to rebuild the temple, “the house of the Lord.” (Ezra 3:8) The account of this is in the opening chapters of the book of Ezra. The return of the people was truly an act of faith. The rebuilding of the temple was also an act of faith, according to the will of God. The foundation was laid. But then, something happened. The people were wrongly accused by their adversaries, and because of the rule of another monarch, the work ceased. (4:24) Now, it must be understood that the building of the temple, like the falling down of the walls of Jericho, was a spiritual work. God, of necessity, had to be IN it, or it would not be done. At the beginning of this enterprise, we might say that, “all hands were on the plow.” But then for some reason…the “plow” stopped moving. We note that at the beginning of the work, during and shortly after the laying of the foundation of the temple, “Jeshua the son of Jozadac, and his brethren the priests…” were engaged. The blessing of God was upon all. When we go to Haggai and Zechariah, we discover the name again of Joshua (sp.), the son of Josedech, as the high priest. But in Zech. 3, Zechariah relates that he is standing before the angel of the Lord, clothed with filthy garments, being accused by Satan. In other words, he is neutralized, and thus, Israel is neutralized, and the work on the temple is neutralized. For some reason that we do not know, there must needs be cleansing in the heart of Joshua (…and perhaps in a good many others), primarily because of their unbelief. If the temple is to be built, then God must “return with mercies” to Jerusalem. And this is what He will do…and did…but only after Joshua is cleansed from unbelief.
Through the preaching of Haggai and Zecharaiah, the hands were again strengthened by faith to firmly grasp the plow. There was cleansing by an act of God. Satan was held at bay. And the spirit of the people was again stirred up by God, to grip well and firmly the handle of the plow, going forward, even in the face of opposition. God had “returned” with His blessing, for faith had again grasped well the plow.
Dear Father, forgive our unbelief, which so easily creeps in almost imperceptibly. Cleanse us thoroughly in mind, heart, soul, spirit, and body, strengthening our hands to firmly grip the plow. Anoint our eyes, and renew our vision, enabling us to look unto You, as we go forward in faith and obedience, trusting You for the full out working of Your will and purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Love, Dad