Dispose of the chaff but keep the wheat

It's tempting to see the Bible chronologically in order of the layout of its books, whereas this is not always the case. So I have returned to the time-line which accompanies a book we read recently, The Reforming Power of the Scriptures by Mary Trammell and William Dawley. Here are the entries which help us see where Jeremiah fits in, i.e. in the lead up to the fall of Jerusalem in 587BC --

·        Israel Divided into Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel and Judah 922 - 721 B.C. (Amos, Hosea, I Isaiah, Micah)  

·        Judah Stands Alone 721 - 587 B.C. (Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Daniel story, Ezekiel, Destruction of Jerusalem)

·        Exile in Babylonia 587 - 538 B.C. (Lamentations, II Isaiah)

While much of Jeremiah’s message is very stern (especially on a particular recording I have of it), there are many passages which gleam with light. One such occurs in chapter 23 verse 28, which concludes: What is the chaff to the wheat? This question concludes a beautiful and moving poem by Diane W. Allison in the August 2014 issue of The Christian Science Journal and it prompted a deep study of the concept of tares and wheat for a testimony meeting this week.

I’d love to hear what others think of the poem. (Subscribers to jsh-online.org can listen to it read by the author—what a treat!)

Jeremiah’s question

By Diane W. Allison

From the August 2014 issue of The Christian Science Journal

---

 “What is the chaff to the wheat?”^*
      What is the husk to the seed?
      Is it the thing that is gathered and cherished?
      Is it the thing that we need?
      Is it the thing that can grow and bear fruit?
      Is it the thing that can feed?

  What is the chaff to the wheat—
      the mortal lies to God’s thought?
      Which is the one 
            to be gathered and cherished?
      Which is the one to be taught?
      Which will cause us to grow and bear fruit?
      Which is the one to be bought?

   When chaff is flown and kernels are gathered,
      and their substance transformed to bread,
      the baker is recompensed, 
           the child is nourished, 
           and all of the multitudes fed.
    Even so—
    When lies are flown 
           and God’s thoughts are gathered
               Mind’s universe understood, known, 
           divine Love will thrive in us, 
           all heaven alive in us—
           we’ll see that God’s Life is our own.

    Children beloved, complete.
    What is the chaff to the wheat?

—Diane W. Allison

^* Jeremiah 23:28

The following statement by Mary Baker Eddy seems apt for our friend Jeremiah:

“It requires the spirit of our blessed Master to tell a man his faults, and so risk human displeasure for the sake of doing right and benefiting our race.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 571:7–10)

So, we might conclude that within Jeremiah’s lament, he discerns (maybe only faintly) what’s worth hanging on to as opposed to what’s worthless chaff.

Julie Swannell