Agriculture in the Bible

When reading the bible we hear agricultural terms like wheat, field, shepherd, and sheep. In fact, you could probably find something dealing with agriculture in all books of the Bible. Since I do love God and agriculture, I am going to combine the two and talk about agriculture in the bible.

Honestly, there is so much to talk about, so I am going to try to keep this broad. There will be facts stated, my opinion on some verses, and a discussion on God’s design for mankind and sacrifices. I want to talk about different aspects of agriculture while tying in scripture.

“Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil” (Genesis 4:2b).

Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Abel was a herdsman while Cain was a farmer. God created man to work. In fact, working is supposed to be a blessing. God wanted man to work in the fields and with the animals. I believe God’s original design for mankind was to be an agriculturalist and take care of His creation. Yes God created the world, but the LORD created man to take care of this creation. His creation includes the fields and animals. God shows this design early on when Abel and Cain, the sons of the first humans walking the earth, were agriculturalists.

“If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering” (Leviticus 4:3).

One thing I always found interesting about the bible is its treatment of animals. Yes, the Israelites sacrificed animals to God in the Old Testament, but the sacrifices were humane. They used humane practices to slaughter the animals. This goes back to the Rights v. Welfare article I wrote about. Based on the fact the Israelites humanely sacrificed their animals, and God created man to have dominion over them (Genesis 1:26), the Bible supports animal welfare.

“And he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:3).

In biblical times, wealth was measured by agriculture. Here we see God’s servant, Job, with many animals, which implies a vast amount of wealth. In the Old Testament, there was no currency with coins. Their currency was agricultural commodities. This scripture shows how important agriculture was in the lives of the Israelites. Not only was agriculture their life’s work, but it also determined their wealth. Agriculture was the foundation of their way of life. It was their work, currency, and wealth status.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

God calls His followers sheep. There is a stereotype that sheep are dumb animals; however, they have an intelligence level close to cattle (Cobb). While sheep are known to do dumb tasks, they can defend themselves and have an amazing memory. (Remember I am writing this from more of an agricultural perspective, not biblical). Sheep indeed like to be together (gregarious), and they enjoy “following the leader.” This is why a shepherd is present because sheep have no sense of direction, and need someone to guide their steps.

“And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).

In biblical times, they thought the mustard seed was the smallest seed and the mulberry tree was the tallest tree. Here are some quick facts about the mustard seed and mulberry tree (Gardenerdy and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint):

• Mustard seeds can be considered a weed because of their small size

• Seeds were ground up into paste or powder to make medicine.

• This seed could grow into a large tree

• Mulberry trees can live past 100 years

• Mulberry Trees produce mulberries (there is white, black, red, texas, Chinese, and African)

• The white mulberry was prominent in the Chinese silk industry

“I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener” (John 15:1).

Honestly, this is one of my favorite verses in the bible. When Jesus says He is the true vine, He is meaning we grow off of Him. He is our source of life. Similar to vines. When looking at a vine, there is one central stem and many branches coming off of the limb. In this verse, Jesus also calls God our Gardner. One job of a gardener is pruning. Pruning is an amazing activity because it allows the new growth of a plant. When you prune off the branch of a plant, the plant will use its energy to redirect growth into a branch that is still attached. This energy will be redirected all over the plant, and new growth will appear.

I LOVE talking about God’s word, so if you want to discuss these topics further email me on my connect page!

Agriculture in the bible has shown God’s design for mankind, used as a symbol of wealth, and used as a metaphor. Similar to God’s word, agriculture in the bible has endless discoveries.

Through God, WE FEED ALL.

Cobb, R. (1999). An Introduction to Sheep Behavior. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from http://livestocktrail.illinois.edu/sheepnet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=1

Mulberry Tree Facts That are Absolutely Compelling to Read. (2010, January 23). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://gardenerdy.com/mulberry-tree-facts/

The Mustard Seed. (2013). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2013/02/the-mustard-seed?lang=eng