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

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As a singer,reporters of the press all spoke of his singing as something wonderful. Soon after beginning to preach, he started to compose and write music. His first hymn was "The Shining Ones," which is still popular. He published at different times five singing books: "Shining Pearls,""Golden Gate,""Sparkling Jewels,""The Gospel Trumpet," and the "Morning Star.""Bringing in the Sheaves" was one of the last songs from his hand. A popular hymn from the 19th century called “Bringing in the Sheaves” made use of this imagery to encourage believers to share the Gospel. To bring in the sheaves refers to the idea that one day believers will come before the Lord, bringing others with them with whom they shared the Gospel. What Does “Bringing in the Sheaves” Mean? 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 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). Kalinak, Kathryn. How the West Was Sung Music in the Westerns of John Ford. Berkley, University of California Press, 2007.

Baxter, William. The Life of Knowles Shaw, Singing Evangelist. Cincinnati: Central Book Concern, 1879. 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.

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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 hymn's refrain was sung at church in the 2014 episode of the TV show Two and a Half Men titled "Miss Pasternak" Charles Ives used fragments of this and other 19th-century American secular and spiritual songs in his 2nd Symphony. [7] 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). Bringing in the Sheaves" is a popular American Gospel song used almost exclusively by Protestant Christians (though the content is not specifically Protestant in nature). The lyrics were written in 1874 by Knowles Shaw, who was inspired by Psalm 126:6, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." [1] Shaw also wrote music for these words, but they are now usually set to a tune by George Minor, written in 1880. [2] Lyrics [ edit ] Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve; Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. Refrain: Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows, Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze; By and by the harvest, and the labor ended, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. Refrain Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master, Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves; When our weeping's over, He will bid us welcome, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [3] Refrain In popular culture [ edit ]

Corinthians 9:6 ~ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. The Psalmist wishes to see the enemies of God not have a fruitful harvest: “Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms” ( Psalm 129:6-7). 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." The hymn's refrain was sung by Rod and Todd Flanders in the 1992 episode Bart the Lover of The Simpsons. [10] 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).

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.