The Threshing Floor and Fire!

What does a threshing floor, the place of separating the wheat from the chaff and a fire, that has the potential to destroy the field and the harvest, have not only in common, but also in divine connection not only for our personal lives but also a symbolic framework for the day in which we are living?

We will look into a few examples of each. Our first stop is in a little town called Bethlehem which literally means “House of Bread”. For someone to make bread there must be WHEAT. A wheat field lies open before us and is ready for harvesting. Laborers are needed for the harvesting or gathering of the wheat, a tedious laborious task indeed. From this process of gathering we then must come to the “Threshing Floor”. (Ruth at Boaz’s threshing floor & David at the threshing floor of Aruanah)

In the account of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth ch.3) we see Ruth a faithful wholehearted servant soon to be bride of the kinsmen redeemer at the feet or the hem of the garment of her redeemer, Boaz. Where? At the threshing floor. The threshing procedure is a painful process of breaking the outer hard casing -the hull -of the grain, this is performed by beating or crushing until the grain of wheat is separated from the chaff. This separating process is not pleasant but necessary if there is too be BREAD in the HOUSE.

If we see Boaz as a type and shadow of Our Messiah Jesus then Ruth must be a type and shadow or HIS Bride, The Church. If we are then willing to take truth from this perspective then the threshing floor experience of Ruth’s life reflects that of the wheat. Culminating at the very same time and place. The church then today is going through the “Threshing” process, a time of “separating the wheat grain from the wheat chaff (husk). From the threshing floor the grain is Gathered in to the storehouse. This will entail a future day when we are gathered into His glorious Kingdom. He has gone to PREPARE a place for us to be with Him. (Jn ch.14:1-4)

The next threshing floor to take a look at is found on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem owned by the Jebusite Aruanah or Ornan. The names are of interest in this sense, either it can reflect the harsh grating sound of the threshing process or the shouts of joy due to a plentiful harvest. King David is then instructed to build an altar unto the LORD at this very site.(2Sam24:18-25)

Here is where we see both the Threshing Floor and the Fire come together. The altar is where the fire must be lit to consume the sacrifices made unto the LORD, as the threshing process is a refining process, so to is the FIRE from the Altar of God a refining process, a purifying for a purpose unto The Lord God. It is here that David bought the threshing floor (future site of Solomon’s Temple) for 50 pieces of silver and swore I will not make an offering unto the Lord that “COST ME NOTHING” …it is to cost us something to become a living sacrifice unto The Living God! The consuming FIRE that is The God we serve, is not to destroy but to purify and sanctify. Baked bread or grain offerings on the Altar burned and by fire. Again we see the church today being prepared for a trial by fire (persecution). We must prepare ourselves to be ready and to TRUST in Him who is able to make us STAND and be brought thru the FIRE as He did for the three Hebrew slaves (Daniel 3:22-25).

As we go through the Threshing Floor and the Fire our desire is One thing, to be a purified, sanctified, Holy and glorious Bride awaiting for her Bridegrooms sweeping away, to our banquet feast.