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AGAPE LESSON 42
THE THRESHING FLOOR
Put together by Bongie Kuzwayo
Threshing floor = a threshing floor is a place of separation. Here grain was separated from the chaff
after it had been trampled by animals, dragging a threshing board, to tear the ears of grain from the
stalks, and loosen the grain itself from the husks.
Today the word of God does the separation between the true and false, between the wheat and
tares, and between the precious and the vile. All the parables that Jesus taught were parables of
separation – wise and foolish virgins, barren and good soil
[Matthew3v8—12] Therefore, bear fruit, worthy of repentance, (9) and do not think to say to
yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to
Abraham from these stones. (10) And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees, Therefore,
every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (11) I indeed baptize
you with water, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to
carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (12) His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He
will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barns, but He will burn
out the chaff with unquenchable fire.
John the Baptist here was announcing the presence of Jesus who would thoroughly clean out His
threshing floor – the then church, the Nation of Israel; personified by Gomar; Hosea’s unfaithful wife.
His threshing floor today is the church; personified by the harlot.
God delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage and gave them the land that was flowing with milk and
honey. He also gave them the ten commandments and rules by Moses to teach them how to relate to
God as their husband. Israel received blessings from God (vineyards, fig trees, oil) and attributed all
those blessings to Baal, even calling them her wages (Hosea2v12); including sacrificing their children
to Molech (Leviticus 20v2—5).
God has delivered the church from the bondage of sin and death, and has given us everything that
pertains to life and godliness (Ephesians1v3). He has given us the Truth which teaches us how to
relate to Him. Everything that we are and have, rightfully belongs to God. We are stewards of all that
belongs to God. As stewards we are responsible to distribute the resources for the advancement of
the kingdom.
After plundering the Egyptians (Exodus11v2—3), God asked the children of Israel to give offerings for
the building of the tabernacle. The children of Israel had never known what it is to earn anything;
they knew themselves as slaves under cruel masters. They had not even started spending the
treasure they took from Egypt. This was their first lesson in stewardship. They received the lesson
with great enthusiasm, to the point that they were restrained from giving. [Exodus36v3—6] And they
received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the
service of making the sanctuary. So, they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.
(4) The, all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he
was doing. (5) They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the
service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” (6) So, Moses gave a commandment, and
they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, Saying, “Let neither man nor woman do
anymore work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained.
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[Matthew10v8] Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give.
There is nothing that we have that we did not receive.
It is only when God has given us the Spirit of might that we readily flow with stewardship and are not
overwhelmed with abundance. David promoted himself from stewardship to ownership. He was
overwhelmed with his unbroken success.
[2Samuel 12v29—31] So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabba, fought against
it, and took it. (30) Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold,
with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also, he brought out the spoil of the city in
great abundance. (31) And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with
saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So, he did to all the
cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
King David became proud because of the victories that God gave him. For David to do mighty
exploits, was because of the Spirit of God that was upon him. He killed a bear, killed a lion, killed
Goliath. His mighty men who did exploits are listed in (2 Samuel 23). Suddenly David sees himself as
victorious and not the God who fought wars for him. He dares to do a census of the people of God as
though they belonged to him. He promoted himself from a position of a steward to ownership. Today
we see mega churches who boast about numbers and cash-flow. They will tell you about, ‘My church
my ministry, my books, my program, my conference.”
Today, God’s threshing floor is us, the church. [Matthew 13v47—50] Again the kingdom of God is like
a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, (48) which when it was full,
they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
(49) So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among
the just, (50) and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
[2Samuel24v17—24] Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the
people, and said, “Surely, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they
done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and my father’s house.” And, Gad came to David that
day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the
Jebusite.” (19) So, David, according to the word of prophet Gad, went up as the Lord commanded.
(20) Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and His servants coming toward him. So Araunah went
out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. (21) Then Araunah said, “Why does the
king, my lord come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an
altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people. (22) Now Araunah said to
David, “Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, the threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen
for wood. (23) All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, ‘May
the Lord, your God, accept you,’ (24) Then the King said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will buy it from you for
a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.’ So,
David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
The threshing floor of Araunah represents a separation from self-centeredness – a place of feeling
important and a feeling of wanting to hod for self. For the plague to stop, David had to sacrifice self
by seeing others more important than self; to ask for punishment of self, and to freely part with
substance. He had to humble himself by personally coming to Araunah and refusing to sacrifice
that which cost him nothing. This situation stripped him of self and he worshipped when he was
deeply humiliated. It is called the sacrifice of praise.
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The threshing floor is a symbol of discipline. At the threshing floor God deals with our flesh as he
patterns us to the image of His Son. This is a school of sonship. We grow up into Him who is the head,
even Christ. As we journey with God, every threshing floor is graduation to the next level. This, we
cannot escape; it is the only route to perfection.
AGAPE LESSON 42