The Threshing floor of Atad
Gen 50:10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
There is an interesting relationship between worship and the “threshing floor”. This verse is the first mention of the threshing floor in the Bible. We are told Joseph and his brothers mourned the death of their father, Israel. Why mourn at a “threshing floor”? I believe the reason becomes more apparent as we see its significance in Old Testament typology. It was at the “threshing floor ”, that Uzzah was struck dead for taking hold of the Ark of the Covenant (II Samuel 6:6-7). The Temple was built at the threshing floor David had purchased from Ornan the Jebusite (I Chronicles 22:1). Ruth came to Boaz at the “threshing floor” (Ruth 3:6-14). Boaz represents Christ (our kinsman redeemer) and Ruth, the Bride of Christ.
At the center of the threshing floor, one finds two large flat stones, one resting on the top of the other. They were “fitted and joined” together. The top stone was known as the “female” and the bottom stone the “male”. The “grinding of grain” was a depiction of the act of marriage (Job 31:10). The act of marriage is a physical depiction of the “spiritual communion” God desires between Himself and Man. When God’s covenant people stray from Him and worship other gods, God calls it “adultery” or “playing the harlot” (Ezek. 23:37, Hosea 4:12). Notice what God says to Israel in Hosea 9:1, “You have loved harlots earnings on every threshing floor”.
The “threshing floor” speaks to us about a place of encounter with God, a place of worship. Worship for us is to be a time of “threshing”, when God separates the “wheat’ from the “chaff” in our lives. When we enter into worship, we are stepping onto God’s “threshing floor” where He deals with those things which need to be “winnowed” out of our lives. Joseph and his brothers mourned at the threshing floor. I do not think they just mourned for the loss of their father in very ripe old age … but for their wickedness and evil ways even as God exposed their terrible deeds and evil motivations to them. May we receive grace to mourn for the things of God not in our life and seek repentance rather than just the blessings we lost. May we worship at the threshing floor … meaning we also come, as we worship, to the realization of what needs to be winnowed out of our lives. May we meet God at the threshing floor…and mournfully rediscover our need for fresh consecration.
Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
I pray that I will begin to see worship from the perspective of the “threshing floor”.
Song.
Purify my heart – Let it be as gold as precious silver.
Purify my heart – Let it be as gold – pure gold
Refiners fire – my heart’s one desire is to be holy – set apart for you Lord.
I choose to be holy. Set apart for you my master – ready to do your will.
Prayer : Lord, Bring me to the threshing floor where the rubbish in my life can be revealed and separated. Amen
The Songs of Joseph is an integration of encouragement scriptural devotions, prayers and a compendium of songs of mercy, salvation, new beginnings and victory. We can expect as we trust and obey that our end will indeed be ultimately glorious because God works His marvellous agenda. Be blessed as you read and sing along, daily. Edited by Bolade Apampa
