Naked Seed vs. Dead Seed

 

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Once seed is sowed in the ground, it has to absorb water, break open, loose its covering, and become naked, in order to grow.

When the Word is sowed into us, the same thing has to happen.

How broken and naked are you now?

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What kind of seed is there?

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1.  Something physical inside a fruit, that naturally reproduces after its own kind:

Gen 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.

2.  Human reproductive seed – egg and sperm

Gen 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

3.  “Word of God” is seed to the sower

Mat 13:3   And he spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Mat 13:8   But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands [it]; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

4.  Something that could be interpreted as both physical seed, and “word”

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.

The seed of the woman is her physical contribution (her egg) to the Messiah, yet with her words of agreement, her covenant is sealed.

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The Science of the seed

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The seed is an embryo.

It is not ready to be used when it is sowed.

It has to mature first.

But when it is sowed, it is given enough “food” to keep it alive until it matures.

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1. Physical Growth and Pre-emergence

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Germination begins after the soybean seed absorbs water equal to approximately 50% of its weight.

This absorbed water rehydrates cells and metabolism (growth) begins within the seed.

Cell elongation in the radical causes this primary root to push through the seed coat and into the soil.

The seed coat falls off for this to happen. The seed is now naked and swollen.

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Dead seeds will absorb water and swell in size, but little or no root growth will occur.

The next structure to elongate is the hypocotyl. Its elongation pulls the cotyledons through the soil and up to the soil surface.

Once in sunlight, the hypocotyl will straighten upright to completely bring the cotyledons out of the soil.

Notice that the root has to come out first, and become established, before the “head” is ready.

Seed coats that have come off

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2. How much water does a seed need?

Horticultura Brasileira

Hortic. Bras. vol.21 no.1 Brasília Jan./Mar. 2003

Desiccation effects on germination and vigor of King palm seeds

Cibele C. MartinsI; Marilene L. A. BoviII; João NakagawaI

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Highest germination percentage (over 67%) occurs when seed is undried (47% seed moisture, ie 53% dry).

Lowering seed moisture below 31.5% reduces the germination rate significantly (<52.5%).

Total germination failure is observed when seed moisture reaches 15.1%. (too low)

The electrical conductivity is the most sensitive vigor test to identify seed deterioration.

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Moisture is a decisive factor in maintenance of recalcitrant seed quality during storage.

In these seeds, the sub-cellular water is strongly associated with macromolecular surfaces, assuring the stability of membranes and macromolecules.

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Water loss during the drying process causes a series of metabolic alterations, acting on the control of growth regulators, amount and types of proteins and sugars, presence of free radicals, physical water status, among others (Pammenter & Berjak, 1999), resulting in the on-set of the deterioration process.

Recalcitrant seeds lose viability when moisture levels are lower than those considered critical. When seed moisture is at or below the levels considered lethal, there is a total loss of viability (Probert & Longley, 1989; Pritchard, 1991; Hong & Ellis, 1992).

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Seed points: physical + spirit

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Repeating a point: Notice that the root has to come out first, and become established, before the “head” is ready.

We have to have a firm foundation (root) in the Word, and remain hidden while we mature, before we can even emerge our “head” into the world, and witness what has been planted in us.

Remaining hidden is important, because we must learn to be naked before God, and humble before God and man.

Newly born again, or immature, preachers tend to start ministry before they are rooted in the ground from which they came.

This leads to sin and error, and false doctrines.

This is the easy way into ministry.

They have no true foundation first. No root.

It is possible to have too much water, which will drown the seed, and allow it to rot.

Too much of something is a waste, and can do more harm than good.

Too little water is also lethal. The seed dies.

In the spirit, we need a balanced spiritual life.

Constant church attendance, or fellowshipping, with no private time with God, and His Word, is will not produce the best fruit.

We need to have our own thoughts and revelations of God, not just what others tell us.

We need at least 32% of our private time in the Word, minimum.

Otherwise, we are “drying out” too much. Our internal spiritual processes are not functioning at the optimum.

The degree of spiritual dryness in our lives is also significant.

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The best germination rate, or productivity, for us is when we are 53% dry, not wet.

This means most of our life is disappointing, and not affirming.

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We cannot be “watered” all the time, by either God or the Church.

There has to be “down times,” when there is “nothing” for us.  This makes us “thirsty” for God.

However, the water we were exposed to is still working in us.

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The conductivity concept is also relevant to the spirit.

The Holy Spirit cannot flow effectively through us, if we overloaded with too much “water.”

We may be exposed to the Spirit and Word, but if there is too much there to process it, and make it meaningful, then it is just wasted until it is internalized.

We need to internalize what we read and hear.

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God works on line by line, and precept upon precept.

He does not expect us to read the entire bible in one sitting, and comprehend much that way.

It has to be just the right amount of daily exposure for us, and it has to be consistent.

Wisdom comes with time, and many sorrows, and many losses.

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Our ego covering has to come off, and we need to become naked before God.

There are no excuses when we are naked before Him, just humility and honesty.

If we are too dry (not enough Word in our lives), then we give the Holy Spirit very little to work with.

The Spirit activates the Word, and the less Word present, the less activation there is.

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Final thoughts

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So what part of the seed in us “is lost?”

When God sows the Word, it is pure, and unselfish, and ready to grow. But as we incorporate it into our fallen natures, we attach our own personality and meanings to it.

We add our “flesh” to the original seed.

So, it is the seed coat, our fleshy selfish nature, our soul (mind, will, and emotions), which will fall off.

This hurts, but it has to go.

We will lack affirmation, encouragement, hope, success, etc.

Our ego will be destroyed. We become humbled.

The true inner man, one with the Word (naked seed) that he clings to, will be very much alive.

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This has never been a volunteer experience for anyone. We all hate to be hurt, betrayed, dismissed, passed over, hated, ridiculed, insulted, lied about, rejected, etc.

But it is this process that removes our selfish egos, even if we are basically “nice” people.

It is part of human nature to enjoy love and acceptance.

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But it is also our weakness, that the more we have of these and other comforts, the more we enjoy it, and they become too important to us. Finally, we drift away from God.

Allowing our ego – seed covering – to die in the Word, making ourselves naked before God, is necessary for the purification of our souls.

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Spending a long incubation time under ground, unseen by the world, also allows for the most dynamic part of our growth process.

So, if you feel like you have been buried for years, do not be discouraged.

When the seed coat is gone, and you have gotten the right amount of water, you will break through the surface that is hiding you, and holding you down and under, and you will finally see the sun again.

So do not give up. Your time is coming.

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Do not let your seed die in the ground. Become naked seed, and live.