“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” I Peter 1:25
“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 55:11.
Recently our pastor preached a message on the parable of the Sower, and as an illustration he mentioned something that had been brought to his attention. I was curious about this and looked it up. I just want to share this interesting information with you.
For years, a staple crop in the Kingdom of Judea was the date palm. It was used for food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Once the Roman Empire took control in 70 A.D., the date palms were destroyed to cripple the Jewish economy. By the 19th Century, no traces of them remained.
In 1963 the late archeologist Yigael Yadin began excavating Masada, the last stand of a small band of Jewish rebels who held out against Roman legions for several years, before committing mass suicide in 73 AD.
In the rubble, he discovered a small stockpile of seeds buried in a clay jar, dating back 2000 years. These were kept in a drawer at a University, for four decades. But then, in 2005, a researcher decided to plant one and see if it would sprout. In about eight weeks, a small green sprout emerged from one seed, and produced a sapling no one had seen for centuries. The plant was nicknamed “Methuselah.”.
In 20ll the plant produced its first flowers, and today the plant continues to grow and thrive. The dates produce from it had a light brown skin and is a little less sweet than the popular dates. Later more Judean date palm seeds were located, and trees were produced from them.
If you want to read more about this try this: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/02/how-to-grow-a-date-tree-from-2000-year-old-seeds/606079/
What significance does this have for us today? In the parable of the sower, the seed is the Word of God. The Scriptures printed above tell us the Word of God lives forever. This gives us hope for our unsaved loved ones, who once read and heard the Word of God. It is still there somewhere in their minds and hearts. Sunday School teacher, Youth Leader, Mother, and Grandmother. Never give up on that wayward child. Pray that the Lord will cause the Word that is in their hearts to germinate and bring forth life. Nothing is impossible with the Lord. No matter how many years you have been praying, keep on praying and trust the Lord to bring those scriptures to life.
Prayer: Jesus thank you for your Word that lives and abides for ever. We pray that your Spirit will stir up the Word in the hearts of our loved ones and cause them to turn their eyes towards you. Restore them to life, we pray.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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