“A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.”
“Hmmm… that’s violent.” I read this Proverb to my 7-year-old grandson yesterday morning. He was helping me decide which verse to share today, and this one definitely caught his attention. That’s when he responded, “Hmmm… that’s violent.” True insight from a child. In over 15 years, sharing a verse a day, I’m not sure I’ve shared this verse more than once or twice. There is so much in the news these days about crime, punishment, and victims. Here Solomon lets us know that at least in his time, criminals and other forms of wicked people were removed—separated—from the rest of society. In God’s truth, there is a clear distinction between the two. The day is coming, or at least eternity will reveal, when that separation will be realized. Business leaders take seriously the responsibility to make sure the input of leadership runs through the filter of God’s truth. Winnowing, in its simplest form, means to separate the good from the bad—the wheat from the chaff. Initially, it was done by allowing the wind to blow the chaff away. Another method used a threshing wheel, often part of a larger implement called a threshing sledge: a wooden frame with rollers studded with sharp stones or metal teeth, pulled by oxen over a spread of harvested grain. Violent. Seeing in this verse a comparison to how God cleans out those things in our lives that don’t belong, it’s easy to recognize that it can often be a very painful process. As followers of Christ, it is imperative that we allow God—and even assist Him—in removing those things from our lives that will choke out the good growth and the good fruit He has placed in us. Today, embrace the process. #BeTheEdge
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 NIV
