Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 8:8
Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Mark 4:8
Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was a hundred, sixty, and thirty times as much as had been planted!
Matthew 13:8
While I was checking other patterns in the Word of God for 30, 60 and 100 I came across the following passages which show a 30 / 60 / 100 pattern.
Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.
Exodus 16:1
The LORD’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Leviticus 23:5
Putting these two verses together we conclude that there were 30 days between when the Israelites left Egypt after taking the Passover to when they arrived in the Wilderness of Sin.
Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.
Exodus 19:1-2
Thus on the 60th day they arrived at the foot of Mt Sinai.
Look at the very next verse in the passage above.
Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel:
Exodus 19:3
Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 24:18
Moses remained there on the mountain with the LORD forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the LORD wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.
Exodus 34:28
This happened when I was on the mountain receiving the tablets of stone inscribed with the words of the covenant that the LORD had made with you. I was there for forty days and forty nights, and all that time I ate no food and drank no water.
At the end of the forty days and nights, the LORD handed me the two stone tablets inscribed with the words of the covenant.
Deuteronomy 9:9, 11
This is after Mose’s encounter with the glory of God described in Exodus 33 and 34. Moses was on the mountain on the 100th day while the people stayed at the foot of the mountain.
It was 30 days when they arrived in the Wilderness of Sin at a place called Kibroth Hataavah (Graves of Craving). After 60 days they arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai. After 100 days Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments and his face shining from the afterglow glory of God. Is this a coincidence or does this have something to do with the 30 / 60 / 100 of the Parable of the Sower?
I don’t know at this point but it is worth musing and praying about.
Ponder on these things.
Next Gem we will look at the “answer”. By that I do not mean the answer connected to this input today. These are new thoughts and I need time to process this and pray about it all. Then to wait and see. No, I mean the “answer” to the Parable of the Soils generally. Some have commented on my use of the Parable of the Soils rather than the usual Parable of the Sower. I will comment on that too.
I believe in the absolute inerrancy of Scripture, I do not believe in the inerrancy of my interpretation – or yours either.
Rick Warren
(This is why I hold the input today loosely)
Sometimes take chances, abandon the tradition, ditch the recipe and colour outside the lines!
Rick Godwin
To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise & the good learn wisdom for the future.
Plutarch
Most of my advances were by mistake. You uncover what is when you get rid of what isn’t.
R Buckminster Fuller