GATHERING STONES

If you drive around America’s New England states you’ll notice a great many old stone walls bordering different properties.  These walls were built mostly during the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries by farmers who were clearing stones from their fields.  The first year they would dig the stones out of the ground, and a year or two later would use them to build boundary walls around their fields.  Before the Industrial Age kicked into high gear and after the Civil War, these farmers had produced an astonishing 240,000 miles of stone walls!  That’s estimated to be enough to wrap around the earth at the equator 10 times, and all done using no modern equipment.  These early pioneers moved all that stone by hand using only shovels, pry bars, runner-less stone “sleds” pulled by oxen or horse, and sheer muscle and grit.

 

The reason for all of this labor on the part of the New England farmers was to improve the production of their farms.  Large stones lying just beneath the surface of the soil would prevent the root growth of seeds planted above them.  Also, striking one of those big rocks with a plowshare could do a lot of damage to equipment and cause delays in getting their fields planted in a timely manner.  The walls were just a side benefit and a way to utilize what would normally have been waste.

 

Two great lessons of the Bible both speak to the importance of gathering and removing stones.  The first is John the Baptist’s message about highway building, and the second is Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. 

 

Starting with the Parable of the Sower, let’s examine these two great teachings to see what relevance stone gathering has for us.

 

Early in His ministry, Jesus spoke the Parable of the Sower in order to teach those multitudes who followed Him some basics about the Word of God.  The Parable is perfect in its simplicity, yet complex in its depth of wisdom.  It seems fundamental and elementary on the surface, but after studying it over and over again it still yields treasures that are fresh and new.

 

For this study, I’d like to concentrate on just the one portion of the Parable that deals with stony ground.  Jesus said, “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.” (Mark 4:16, 17).

 

In clearing ground for planting, there are rocks and stones that appear on the surface that can quickly be identified and removed.  Then there are the stones that lie just below the surface that are at first invisible, but their presence becomes apparent when the ground is plowed for the first time.  They would be painstakingly removed if possible.  In some cases, if a farmer couldn’t extract them because of their size, he would mark where they were on the surface and be forced to plow and plant around them.

 

Jesus did not explain what the stones represented, but He did describe the effect that the stones would have on the growth of the seeds that were planted above them.  The Lord said that the seeds would quickly germinate and break through the ground.  Because the earth covering the stone was so shallow, roots would not be able to dig deep and access the moisture and nutrients further down in the soil.  When the sun came up, therefore, it would scorch the young plants, and they would wither and die.

 

When we first come to Christ, there are many things in our lives which we quickly realize cannot remain.  These are the first, most obvious things that we give to the Lord to remove from our “field”.  These are the presumptuous sins and the obvious affections of the flesh that we already feel some guilt about.  It’s the stones that are below the surface, and therefore invisible, which are more difficult to remove.  These are the secret sins, the unrighteous thoughts, the hidden pride, etc., that create a barrier to the Word, and to its maturing in us.  As long as we allow these things to remain, our spiritual growth will be obstructed, and it will be impossible to bear fruit in certain areas of our lives.

 

In the Book of Joshua we find the story of Israel’s conquest of Canaan.  It tells how God directed their armies against the strong city of Jericho, and caused its walls to miraculously fall down before them.  God warned them not to take any of the spoil of the city for themselves, but to offer it all for the LORD’s use.  All of the Israelites understood and obeyed this directive.  All, that is, but Achan.  Achan saw several things when they conquered Jericho that he coveted.  He took those things and secretly buried them in his tent.  Like the stones below the surface, his sin was invisible to Joshua and to Israel.  When their armies were then defeated soundly at the battle of Ai, God told Joshua the reason for the defeat was that there was sin in the camp of Israel that needed to be dealt with.  God allowed Achan to be exposed, along with his sin, and he was judged severely for his transgression.   

 

In the same manner, the hidden sins in our lives can hinder our progress in the Lord.  As God reveals things in our hearts by His Holy Spirit that He has placed within us, it is necessary for us to remove them by bringing them to the Savior, repenting of the sin, and surrendering them to Him.  Don’t be disheartened by this.  It is a process that we must experience many times as we grow up into the measure and the stature of Christ Jesus.  The Lord’s character and divine nature can only be revealed to us little-by-little, and step-by-step.  As Jesus told His disciples before He left them, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.  Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:12-14). 

 

Unscriptural beliefs and incorrect doctrines can also be stones that inhibit true spiritual growth.  It is easy to develop expectations of God that are wrong – ways in which we think He should always move, or how things should always be done.  These things can become “set in stone” in our hearts.  When things aren’t done “the way we’ve always done it”, we can stumble and even fall away in anger or discouragement.

 

It is imperative, therefore, that we allow God’s Word to reach down deep into our hearts to take root and grow.  Anything superficial and shallow is going to burn up when the heat of affliction, persecution, or temptation gets turned up in our lives.  We must remember that God’s goal in sowing His Word in our hearts is that we “…hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” (Mark 4:20).

 

John the Baptist’s message was different but just as fundamental to our walk with God.  It had actually been provided for him centuries before he was even born.  The Prophet Isaiah had foreseen John’s ministry and proclaimed these words: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:3-5).  In a related text, the prophet also said, “Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.” (Isaiah 62:10).

 

The highway that the Prophet and later, John the Baptist, were referring to was not a physical highway, but a spiritual highway that would be known as the “highway of holiness” and “the way of the LORD.” Isaiah describes the highway like this: “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:8-10).

 

Both Isaiah and John were prophets of the LORD, and the message that burned in them was that mankind would prepare a highway in their hearts for the coming Messiah.  This was not a road for the unclean to travel on - it was a way of holiness.  It would be a place for wayfaring men, that is, sojourners, those who have no permanent home and are on a spiritual journey.  The New Testament refers to them as “strangers and pilgrims.” Yes, for the Christian, life IS a highway!  This is a highway for the redeemed, the ransomed of the LORD.   Though they be fools in their natural understanding, yet they will not err because it is God through His Holy Spirit Who is instructing them, and leading them into all truth.

 

Any wise highway engineer would say that a good road must be as smooth and straight as possible.  The low spots need to be raised, and the high places lowered.  The crooked portions must be straightened, and the rough spots leveled and made smooth.  Any rocks or stones must be removed from the road surface lest they cause damage to an axle or wheel and impede progress along the road.  Highway building is labor intensive work.  It is a slow, but deliberate, process which will eventually yield great rewards.  It has precise, measureable goals that must be reached.  A road stretches from one starting location to another exact location, and is not considered complete until that goal is reached. 

 

The highway that we are asked to prepare for the LORD must be no less precise.  The time and effort that we spend in preparation will also yield great rewards in our future.  Smoothing and leveling the road in our hearts and minds is essential.  Gathering out the stones is an essential part of the process.  It is an ongoing task that requires diligence and a good deal of vigilance.  It will be worth it all to those who press for the mark of this high calling, and reach the goal!  Our starting point is our old, carnal nature, “…which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” (Ephesians 4:22).  Our end goal is our new, spiritual nature, “…which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24).  The promises of God are faithful and true.  We can proceed day-by-day into perfection and true holiness if we will learn to follow the Lord Jesus.  The Holy Spirit will reveal to us the things that are unlike our Lord, and He will give us the strength and perseverance to overcome our old nature and put on His new nature.  Wise King Solomon once wrote, “…the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18).

 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  For 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: so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11).