Tumbleweeds
Marlys Roos, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
Jeremiah17:5-6
God often uses analogies and metaphors to teach His people truths He wants us to remember. Scripture is filled with them, whether written as a literary device in verses like today’s or seen in the narratives told. Jesus used them in His parables. And sometimes God doesn’t even use words to share the analogies.
The truths of God are so prevalent in His creation, it’s as if He is saying, “In case you haven’t read My Word or heard its teaching…” (Rom. 1:20), or “I put this in nature to help you remember” (Job 12:7-9).
I grew up in West Texas, where tumbleweeds are ubiquitous and mesquite trees are among the most common native vegetation (and the best wood for barbeque!). Not only do these two plants illustrate Jeremiah 17:5-10, but the descriptions of these two plants bring biblical as well as personal life stories to mind.
Let’s start with the tumbleweed, a “plant that breaks away from its roots and is driven about by the wind as a light rolling mass, scattering seeds as it goes.”1 The obvious metaphor is that it could be the plant version of “I can do it myself.” It starts out soft and pliant but grows brittle and spiny with a hard, dry fruit before breaking from its root.
At first thought, the tumbleweed reminds us of Cain who made an offering his way and then killed his brother Abel. The Lord punished him to “be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth” (Gen. 4:12). There are others in Scripture with shallow roots who drifted away—the Israelites in the desert for forty years, King Saul and many of the kings who followed, and Judas Iscariot.
Jesus’s parable of the sower in Matthew 13 also comes to mind:
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered [and blew] away.
Matthew 13:5-6
I recently read that most tumbleweeds are from a plant not native to the U.S.; its seeds were unknowingly brought in with healthy seeds to the Midwest in the 1870s.2 So, the metaphor grew to include another parable in Matthew 13. In it, though good seed was sown, an enemy sowed weeds among them (vv. 25-30, 37-41). Not only is the tumbleweed like the one who breaks from God, it’s like sin, an invasion brought in that multiplies to the extent it becomes commonplace. In fact, tumbleweeds are now collected and sold as chic décor for homes or are painted and shaped into outside decorations—just as many sins have become socially acceptable. Again, as with sin, it may sound clever and creative, but it’s an insidious invader (Isa. 5:20-23).
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
God, however, truly is creative in the many ways He has designed all creation to point to Him (Rom. 1:19-22). And though we sometimes try to break away or find ourselves blown about by circumstances and culture and even our own sin, if we are rooted in Him, we cannot be separated from Him (Rom. 8:38-39; Ps. 1:3-4). Tomorrow we’ll look at the mesquite tree, considered a pest by some, but a reminder from God of the blessing of deep roots.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible were created by You and through You and for You.3 In Your infinite imagination and wisdom, You have designed every detail to reveal Yourself to us so that we are without excuse to see Your glory in all things.
1 Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "tumbleweed." Encyclopedia Britannica, May 29, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/plant/tumbleweed.
2 “Tumbleweed (not native)” Nature Collective, May 29, 2023. https://naturecollective.org/plant-guide/details/tumbleweed-non-indigenous/.
More free resources for help, hope, and healing:
Help & Hope audio stories produced by MARKINC address some of life's darkest circumstances that are often difficult to discuss yet need to be faced as we help one another walk by faith. These are the real-life testimonies of people who have walked through these experiences and have found their strength in Christ. Listening to these resources is also a way to sure up your foundation for those uninvited moments when your faith is challenged. We hope you will be encouraged and that you will share these stories with others to help them persevere in faith. Listen to the first Help & Hope podcast, a private interview with founders Chuck and Sharon Betters as they talk about the loss of their son, Mark: Loss of a Child
About the Author: Marlys Roos is publications coordinator for the PCA’s Committee on Discipleship Ministries. She, her husband, and son live in Atlanta and are members of Perimeter Church.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Wednesday, 21 August 2024.
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