Bringing in the Sheaves: Wheat and Chaff from My Years as a Priest

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There are several verses in the Bible which refer to the harvesting of grain. Some of them are literal, some use the metaphor, and the symbolism is not always the same. The verse from which Shaw extracted his concept was Psalm 126. The specific verses said, “He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” ( Psalm 126:6). In the hymn the sheaves do not refer to actual bundles of wheat, but rather, the sheaves are people. The field to be harvested is the whole world, full of people who need to hear and accept the Gospel. Christians are supposed to go out and fulfill the Great Commission; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” ( Matthew 28:19-20a). By obeying this last instruction from the Lord Jesus, Christians are participating in a harvest. De Vaux, Roland. Ancient Israel Its Life and Institutions. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958. Kalinak, Kathryn. How the West Was Sung Music in the Westerns of John Ford. Berkley, University of California Press, 2007.

W.C. Fields, Alison Skipworth and Baby LeRoy in a Wild Pictorial Farce at the Rialto -- Other Films". The New York Times. November 13, 1933 . Retrieved April 13, 2022.It is encouraging to know that obeying the Great Commission will one day be a source of great joy. Being able to see others in Heaven that God used you to bring into His kingdom will be a reason for rejoicing. There are many reasons to become despondent when toiling in the harvest, praying for the salvation of others, and feeling like it is not enough. “Bringing in the Sheaves” reminds believers the most important thing they can do is work in this labor, which will be rewarded one day by the Lord of the Harvest. Sources In the writings of Micah: “But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor” ( Micah 4:12).

In the prophecies of Jeremiah: “Speak: ‘Thus declares the Lord, ‘The dead bodies of men shall fall like dung upon the open field, like sheaves after the reaper, and none shall gather them’” ( Jeremiah 9:22).

Kalinak, Kathryn (2007). How the West Was Sung: Music in the Westerns of John Ford (illustrateded.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520252349 . Retrieved 2020-09-09. The metaphor of bringing in the sheaves has its roots in agricultural cycles and culture. Specifically, it comes from the process of the growing and harvesting of wheat, a staple of many cultures across the world. According to hymnary.org, "Knowles Shaw...was born near New London, in Morgan Township, Ohio, on the 13th of October, 1834. His mother's maiden name was Huldah Griffin, and by both of his parents, he was of Scottish extraction. His early life was spent in Rush County, Indiana, where he first began to play the violin, furnishing the music for many a dance. While the ball was going on he was converted, ceasing to play in the middle of the piece he was performing. Very soon thereafter he entered the ministry of the Christian Church. On the 11th of January, 1855, he married Miss Martha Finley. Most of his time after entering the ministry was spent in the West and South, and on account of his wonderful vocal powers he was called the "singing evangelist."

Pisani, Michael (May 2009). "Reviewed Work: How the West Was Sung: Music in the Westerns of John Ford by Kathryn Kalinak". Pacific Historical Review. 78 (2): 312. Joseph’s dream where the sheaves represent his family: “Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf” ( Genesis 37:7).

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Ruth gleaned sheaves in Boaz’s fields: “She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest … When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, ‘Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her’” ( Ruth 2:7&15).