Ecclesiastes 10:10 “Keeping the sickle sharp.’

A man with a scythe in his hand stands at the edge of a golden field of grain. It is early morning and much work is to be done before nightfall. He takes a broad sweep with his scythe and the freshly cut grain lies at his feet. He sweeps again and again, the razor-sharp sickle cuts cleanly and evenly.  After a while he stops his work and taking out his sharpening stone he draws it along the full length of the blade until the dull edge is restored.  Once again he begins his work in the field. The sun is high in the sky, the day is half done. Throughout the long day he will stop several times and put the stone to the scythe.  To the casual onlooker it may seem a time-wasting exercise. Why does he not just keep toiling away without these periodic interruptions to tend the sickle? After all, the night is fast approaching and the work must be completed. Surely the more he keeps at it the quicker it will be finished! Yet, the man in the field with the scythe in his hand, is wise enough to know that unless he stops to sharpen the sickle he will have to labour twice as hard. Keeping a keen edge on the blade requires time-out. But time-out is not wasted time. 

Solomon, that ancient sage of the Bible, put it this way, “If the iron be blunt and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10) All of us lose our edge. There are times when we feel dull and blunt. We have tried to keep pace without let up, only to find ourselves tired and jaded. As Christians, we need to take time-out to sharpen our spiritual scythes. Yes, there is much grain to be gathered in before the night comes when no man can work. (John 9:4) Yet, continuing to labour on with a blunt sickle is a recipe for just more weariness and frustration. How then can we restore the spiritual edge to our lives again? 

Jesus is our supreme example. He always took time-out to be alone with the Father. The multitudes were very demanding. Training His disciples was time consuming. The drain on His time and energies must have been immense. But Jesus was very careful to utilise those moments of solitude when He could refresh His body, soul and spirit. Alone in the Garden, high on a hillside, or simply rising before dawn, was His way of getting alone with His Father. No wonder His disciples were intrigued by His prayer life. Small wonder they asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1) So, let us keep our sickles sharp. Being ready for the harvest field. 

- Pastor David Goudy