Daily Devotional | God as Farmer

In 1935, the United States had 6.8 million farms. Today, while approximately the same amount of land is used for farming, the number of farms has decreased to about 2 million. The shift from a family-based farming model to agribusiness is the reason. As a result, most Americans lack firsthand knowledge of farming.

Farming was one of the most common occupations in the ancient world. It is not a surprise that one of the first images of God in the Bible is that of a farmer. In Genesis 1, God is the sovereign Creator. He speaks and the world comes into existence. Then the tone shifts in Genesis 2 and God gets His hands dirty in the soil. He “formed a man from the dust of the ground” (v. 7).

After creating Adam, God “planted a garden in the east, in Eden” (v. 8). God was the very first farmer. He “made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food” (v. 9). After completing His work, God turned over the responsibility to Adam. He charged the man “to work it and take care of it” (v. 15). The garden would produce food that would sustain them. It would be a place where they could fellowship with God and have meaningful and productive work to accomplish.

But because of sin, man’s relationship with the land changed. God proclaimed, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it” (Gen. 3:17). From that point on, farming became more difficult. Still, God continued to provide for His people.