We began to learn last week about the "enemy" who sowed tares--bad seed--in the Lord's field, where He had put only the good seed of His own Word. Jesus said that this parable in the 13th chapter of Matthew is about the kingdom of God, and explained it to His disciples to teach us also, when He said, "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil." (Matthew 13:38-39)
You all know when and how Satan began to cast his bad seed into the Lord's field. Into the beautiful garden of Eden he came with his heart filled with hatred, to try to destroy the work of God. He began by whispering lies into the ear of Eve, telling her that the Word of God was not true, so that she might let him pluck it from her heart, and put his bad seed in its place.
If only Eve had trusted in God and believed His word, she would have kept it in her heart and been safe. For we learned last week how carefully our Heavenly Father watches over His plants, and keeps them "night and day," (Isaiah 27:3) lest any hurt them. But, oh, she listened to Satan until she really believed that what he said was true, and so his bad seed got right into her heart, and choked the good seed and destroyed it.
And how quickly this bad seed sprang up and brought forth its bitter fruit of sinful actions, disobedience and shame and sorrow. Instead of "the children of the kingdom," (Matthew 13:38) which come from the good seed of God's Word, Adam and Eve became "the children of the wicked one." (Matthew 13:38)
They were just tares or weeds in God's garden, instead of His precious and fruitful plants. And since, as we have learned, every plant must bring forth "after its kind," (Genesis 1:11) and can only multiply itself, but not bring forth any other kind of plant, all their children must be like themselves, "the children of the wicked one." (Matthew 13:38)
So the whole world would be filled with weeds. How sad for the Lord to see His beautiful garden that He loved and watched so eagerly bringing forth only weeds. But He did not become discouraged and leave the field to Satan. He says, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure," (Isaiah 46:10) and, "My word ... shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
No enemy can really hinder the work of the Lord, or keep Him from carrying out His purpose.
God did not pull the weeds out of His garden and destroy them at once; He loved His children so much that He longed to save them. He wanted to put the good seed back into their hearts, and undo all the work of the enemy. So He gave to the woman in her sorrow the promise of a most precious Seed (Genesis 3:15) that He would plant in His field, through whom they might again become "the children of the kingdom," (Matthew 13:38) and the whole world be filled with the precious fruit of it. Read the sixteenth verse of the 3rd chapter of Galatians, (Galatians 3:16; Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ) which will tell you who this precious Seed is, and then we will talk more about this next week.--Present Truth, October 13, 1898--A children's companion to: The Everlasting Gospel, Chapter 17, "The Power of Growth".