Good morning, friends.
Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 21:9, “And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.”
There’s no great mystery to the role of the scarecrow. I mean, its name tells you all you need to know. Crows (as well as other wildlife), which are especially fond of corn seed (and other seeds of the farm) need to be discouraged from eating up what’s been planted so as not to ruin the harvest of the crop. So farmers erect these hay-men decked out in human clothes and place them all about their fields, intending to scare the birds off and preserve their precious commodity. It might seem logical to think that the birds would be kept at bay by the impression that people were out in the fields. What might seem less than normal is the idea of actual humans hanging throughout the farm to rid the land of potential scavengers. Now, I don’t think the Gibeonites hanged those seven descendants of Saul for the purpose of preserving their crop. The text says that they were hanged in the days of the harvest, and so there would be little need for scarecrows at that point. No, those young men were given up for national, as well as personal, reasons. In fact, their lives were used by God to open back up the lines of communication between Him and His people. It’s a grotesque image for what can happen when something gets between us and our Lord, and the drastic measures that must be taken to make amends.
Eventually, God had to place His only Son on one of those wooden crosses. But it wasn’t intended to scare off anyone. Rather, the sacrifice of Jesus was full of love and compassion from the Most High, whose holiness demanded that He alone make right what we ourselves had messed up. A scarecrow in a field may seem cute these days, more of a throwback to days gone by. Modern farms probably use far more sophisticated means to protect their investment. But when you see one, let it remind you that one Man hung on a cross because He loves you so much that He died to make it possible for you to love Him back. And don’t ever be scared to crow about that.
As we seek Him today, remember the love that carried Jesus to the cross, kept Him on the cross, and raised Him up beyond the cross.
Have a wonderful Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
