Field-work in biblical times was an essential aspect of daily life and survival, deeply intertwined with the agrarian society of ancient Israel and the surrounding regions. The Bible provides numerous references to field-work, illustrating its significance in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

Agricultural Practices

Field-work primarily involved agriculture, which was the backbone of the economy in biblical times. The Israelites engaged in various agricultural activities, including plowing, sowing, reaping, and threshing. These tasks were often labor-intensive and required cooperation among family members and sometimes the community.

In Genesis 3:17-19, after the fall of man, God tells Adam, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." This passage highlights the toil associated with field-work as a consequence of sin.

Seasons and Festivals

The agricultural calendar was marked by specific seasons and festivals. The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, celebrated the wheat harvest, while the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, marked the end of the agricultural year with the gathering of fruits. These festivals were times of thanksgiving and remembrance of God's provision.

In Leviticus 23:22, the Israelites are commanded, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God." This law reflects the social responsibility intertwined with field-work, ensuring provision for the less fortunate.

Parables and Teachings

Jesus often used agricultural imagery in His parables to convey spiritual truths. In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9), Jesus describes a sower who scatters seed on different types of soil, each yielding different results. This parable illustrates the varied reception of the Gospel message among different people.

In John 4:35, Jesus uses the metaphor of fields ready for harvest to describe the urgency of spiritual work: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months until the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest."

Symbolism and Metaphor

Field-work also serves as a metaphor for spiritual labor and diligence. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, Paul writes, "I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building."

This passage emphasizes the collaborative nature of ministry and the ultimate reliance on God for spiritual growth and success.

Conclusion

Field-work in the Bible is a rich theme that encompasses the physical labor of agriculture, the rhythms of the agricultural calendar, and profound spiritual lessons. It reflects the dependence on God's provision, the importance of community and social responsibility, and the call to spiritual diligence and readiness.

Unexpected Orders
... to be. The cadets delighted in her classes. She made the field work appear
to be the most glorious calling on earth. She inspired ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/xvi unexpected orders.htm

Ruth
... You know what I mean. You know what field-work too often is. Read the Book of Ruth,
and see what field-work may be, and ought to be. Yes, my dear friends. ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon x ruth.htm

To his Praise!
... When my husband resigned the regular field work of Changte, Honan,
it became necessary for us to find a home elsewhere. ...
/.../goforth/how i know god answers prayer/ix to his praise.htm

San Josef
... You pass all the races of the island going to and from town or field-work, or washing
clothes in some clear brook, beside which a solemn Chinaman sits catching ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter ix san josef.htm

The Doxology
... not on God, for comfort and for wealth, and my Heavenly Father does not know what
I have need of?' When parents send their girls out to field-work, without any ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon x the doxology.htm

'He Uttered his Voice, the Earth Melted'
... For two seed-times only field work was to be impossible on account of the Assyrian
occupation, but it was to foam itself away, like a winter torrent, before a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/he uttered his voice the.htm

1877-1879. "They Helped Every one his Neighbour" --Miss Child, a ...
... It is my duty to see that a suitable education be given him to strengthen these
desires; therefore when field-work is over, we have hours for study, Mr. Merry ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/lowe/gods answers/chapter vii 1877-1879 they helped.htm

Additional Notes.
... ii., takes account of fresh matter available since the appearance of Field's work,
which however is not likely, so far as it extends, to be superseded for ...
/.../additional notes.htm

Kate Lee's Secret
... As to her health, she was quite prepared to die at her post, but to leave the work
of training those cadets for the field-work which she understood so well and ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/xiii kate lees secret.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xviii. 15, "If Thy Brother Sin ...
... with joy? When we see man making progress in the words of God. When does
the labourer in the field work with joy? When he looks ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xxxii on the words.htm

Field-work (12 Occurrences)
Field-work. Fieldstones, Field-work. Field-workers . Multi-Version
Concordance Field-work (12 Occurrences). Leviticus ...
/f/field-work.htm - 9k

Fieldstones (1 Occurrence)

/f/fieldstones.htm - 6k

Field-workers (3 Occurrences)
Field-workers. Field-work, Field-workers. Fierce . Multi-Version Concordance ...
Field-work, Field-workers. Fierce . Reference Bible.
/f/field-workers.htm - 7k

Sort (143 Occurrences)
... be living. (BBE). Leviticus 23:7 On the first day you will have a holy meeting;
you may do no sort of field-work. (BBE). Leviticus ...
/s/sort.htm - 36k

Wherever (107 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 23:21 And on the same day, let it be given out that there will be a holy
meeting for you: you may do no field-work on that day: it is a rule for ever ...
/w/wherever.htm - 38k

Special (89 Occurrences)
... day there is to be a holy meeting, when you are to give an offering made by fire
to the Lord; this is a special holy day: you may do no field-work on that day. ...
/s/special.htm - 34k

Horns (104 Occurrences)
... Numbers 29:1 In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, let there be a
holy meeting; on it you may do no field-work; let the day be marked by the ...
/h/horns.htm - 42k

Horn (108 Occurrences)
... Numbers 29:1 In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, let there be a
holy meeting; on it you may do no field-work; let the day be marked by the ...
/h/horn.htm - 49k

Marked (163 Occurrences)
... Numbers 29:1 In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, let there be a
holy meeting; on it you may do no field-work; let the day be marked by the ...
/m/marked.htm - 38k

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