The 7 Seeds Paradigm from Deut 8:8 helps us understand Israel's people, land, and history in a new way. It connects the old and new parts of the Bible, showing how they guide the church's mission. In this paradigm, six seeds - Wheat, Barley, Olive, Date (Palm), Pomegranate, and Vine - stand for important parts of Israel's story and future. They also relate to different aspects of human life and experience.
The 'Wheat' and 'Barley' signify the church's role in sharing God's message, like providing food. The 'Olive' points to the church's mission to be a guiding light, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The 'Date (Palm)' and 'Pomegranate' suggest a life of goodness and the rich promises of God. The 'Vine' is about life, growth, and nourishment, much like the church's mission to share Christ's life with the world. The church is to be fruitful and refreshing, like a vineyard.
The church is seen as a family where everyone is to grow and become more like Christ. It's a place for people to find their unique gifts and use them to help the church grow. So, the 7 Seeds Paradigm, along with the 7 Modalities Paradigm, gives us a rich way to see the church's role, mission, and growth. It's a call to be fruitful, to show Christ's life to the world, and to be a guiding light as the 'Israel of God'.
Agricultural Cycles and Harvest Timelines in Ancient Israel
Agriculture in ancient Israel was closely tied to the region's seasons and climate. The agricultural year began in the fall with the "early rains," which softened the ground for plowing and sowing seeds. The "latter rains" in the spring then helped the crops to mature for harvest. The summer was a dry season, and the fall was marked by the collection of fruit crops, coinciding with the start of the rainy season.
The Barley harvest occurred in the spring, around April, making it one of the first crops to be harvested in the agricultural year. This was followed by the Wheat harvest, which took place in the late spring to early summer, around May to June.
The Vine (grapes) and Olive trees, being more tolerant to different weathers, had their fruits collected in the summer to fall, around June to September. The Date (Palm) fruits were also gathered in this period, typically in the late summer to fall. The Fig harvest season in ancient Israel typically occurred in the early fall, around August to September.
Finally, the Pomegranate, a symbol of righteousness, was harvested in the fall, around September to October, marking the end of the agricultural cycle.
| Seed in Israel | Description | Content Block | Archives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat: Law of Israel | Wheat, a fundamental grain for bread, is crushed in a deliberate and unchangeable process, a transformation that once initiated, cannot be reversed. | ‣ | “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ” (Zec 8:23) |
| Barley: Glory of Israel | Barley seed has a colorful and dramatic history. The lives of Ruth, Gideon, and others in the hall of faith set a high standard for the rest of us. | ‣ | “… upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:18,19) |
| Olive: Spiritual Israel | Olives, when Grafted into a single stem, the olive, both wild and cultivated, grows to produce one ancient and modern stock, bearing in it a single variety, one new man. | ‣ | “For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility…” (Eph 2:14) |
| Fig: Land of Israel | The fig tree, a symbol of God's people, represents a return to a life of spiritual awakening and growth. | ‣ | “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Mal 4:5-6) |
| Pomegranate: Commonwealth of Israel | Pomegranates, Though we are many, we are one body. The power of us together in intimate union will do the greater work. | ‣ | “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go….” (Luke 10:1 ff) |
| Vine: The Tribes of Israel | In the rich tapestry of the 7 Modalities Paradigm, the 'Eleemosynary Genius' symbolised in the blood of grapes weaves a profound connection with the Tribes of Israel. | ‣ | “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken” (Micah 4:3-4) |
| Date (Palm): The House of Israel | Dates, the fruit of the Date (Palm), are the sweet part of the phrase 'milk and honey'. They come from the palm tree, which is a symbol of leadership and the wealth of rulers and their realms. | ‣ | “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. (Amos 9:13) |
Pomegranate: Commonwealth of Israel
Date (Palm): The House of Israel