The Sowing Grounds of Sha'ul
The sowing grounds of grace represent a “spiritual foundation” in which a seed may be sown. From the way side even toward good ground, each of us stand in at least one of these four sowing grounds. & where you stand, will often determine the fate of the seed sown there-in.
There is an Apostle whose own path reflects journeying from the wayside faith, even toward the abundance of good grounds. The man once known as Saul, is a man;
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. An Hebrew of the Hebrews; As touching the law, a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” -Phillippians 3:5-6
Saul as a pharisee went from breathing out threatenings & slaughter against disciples of Ha-Mashiyach to proclaiming their same gospel in the synagogues at the revelation & experience of that light.
Saul found his faith fallen on the wayside the moment he realized that he was persecuting the church. & from that moment moving forward in the gospel, he was met with much affliction in the remission of his faithful path. Much of this conflict which stems from traditions held by the Yahudim of Jerusalem at the time. Some of them being disciples even, whom Saul would eventually find to be “false brethren”, who would attempt to discredit his claim to apostleship at the revelation of Ha-Mashiyach in a vision. Even to this day, some two-thousand years later, do we find some brethren of the faith which attempt to find both contradiction & hypocrisy in the doctrine of Sha’ul, so as to discredit his faithful seeds. This is nothing unexpected.
But when the blade was sprung up, & brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.” -Matthew 13:26
As for Saul, his faith remained in the vision of his calling through grace of the gospel. & the question becomes, Is his vision credible?