Knowles Shaw – Bringing In The Sheaves

19th-century Hymn composer Knowles Shaw was a member of the churches of Christ.  He was a quick learner, taking up jobs such as shoemaking, carpentry, plasterer, watchmaker, and candlestick maker.  He apprenticed with a school teacher and absorbed all the information within a month.

He played the violin and became a local sensation, invited to play local parties and town events where alcohol was often available.  He met God at one of these occasions, where he famously left the stage mid-set and vowed to never play at a dance again and overcame his alcoholic addiction.  He counted his past life as rubbish and quickly attended church services.  Shortly after, he received salvation.

Shaw became a hired farmer for a neighbor and married his neighbor’s daughter.  He had eight children, many of whom died in infancy or before the age of 18.  He eventually became a preacher and wrote hymns, best known for his work on Bringing In The Sheaves.  He also wrote Shining Pearls (1668), The Golden Gate (1878), and The Gospel Trumpet (1878).

He tragically died at the age of 44 in a train wreck, reportedly saving a Methodist minister.  He was the only person who did not survive the accident.

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1. What message does the song communicate?

Shaw sows seeds of kindness throughout various times of the day, expecting a harvest when finished.   What is the harvest according to these lyrics?  Shaw doesn’t explain.  While many will interpret this song based on Jesus’ famed “parable of the sower”, according to Shaw, it is based on Psalm 126:6.  The context of this Psalm is about restoring fortunes, not the Gospel.  Yet without clarity, we can interpret “sheaves” any way we want!

The sowing is for the “Master”, who Christians will likely interpret as God.  Could it be someone other than the Christian God?  Without any clear attributes/acts/explicit naming conventions to differentiate the Christian God with another, it could easily find a deist interpretation without Christianity in mind, adding further ambiguity to this song’s meaning.

This song follows a basic format, where Refrain repeats after each Verse.

Score: 4/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Since I have good reason to think that the “Master” is a deity but unclear as to which one, I’ll only apply a one-point penalty instead of the usual two, with the assumption that “Master” is the Christian God.

With that in mind, the ambiguity surrounding the word “sheaves” makes Scriptural evaluation elusive, costing more points.  For this review, I’ll explore two possibilities: Shaw’s original inspiration (Psalm 126) and Jesus’ “Parable of the Sower” and compare the lyrics to these options, the latter having less Scriptural issues.

[Verse 1]

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Shaw’s inspiration (Psalm 126:1-6): The original context of Psalm 126 is that the “seeds” are tears, not kindness.  See Psalm 126:5.  Shaw explains that the seeds sown are throughout the day, perhaps in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

Parable of the Sower interpretation (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15): The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11).  It is sown in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Shaw’s inspiration (Psalm 126:1-6): The joyous occasion is due to riches that came back.

Parable of the Sower interpretation (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15): The harvest is fruit; good works born out of the Word of God (Luke 8:15).

[Refrain]

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Repeats Verse 1, line 4.

[Verse 2]

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Essentially repeats the same ideas in Verse 1 sans seed explanation.

[Verse 3]

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

These are statements that exist outside Psalm 126 or the Parable of the Sower.  After our work is finished and the blood, sweat, and tears suffered to follow God spent (Matthew 5:29, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Mark 9:43, Luke 9:23, Acts 20:24, Philippians 3:2-11, Hebrews 11:25, and 1 Peter 2:11), we will join Him for all eternity (Mark 10:29-30, John 3:15-16, John 3:36, John 4:14, John 5:24, John 5:39-40, John 6:27, John 6:40, John 10:28, John 17:3, John 20:31, Romans 5:21, Romans 6:22-23, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Galatians 6:8, 1 Timothy 1:16, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:11, Hebrews 5:9, 1 Peter 5:10, 1 John 2:23-27, 1 John 5:10-13, 1 John 5:20, Jude 1:20-21, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 7:16-17, and Revelation 21:3-4).  This is at odds with the Psalm 126 interpretation, which explains that the joys are for wealth, not returning to God.

Score: 6/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

I have mixed feelings about the unbeliever’s interpretation.  Will they think it’s a Christian song?  It’s hard to say, purely from a lyrical standpoint.  “Master” could be any deity, as explained in section 1.

Having said that, the farmer metaphors should be half discernable, that the seed is being nice to others.  This is possible and uplifting!  As mentioned in other sections, the specific interpretation of harvest is unclear at best.

Score: 3/10

4. What does this song glorify?

I want to say that it glorifies God because kindness is something Christians ought to spread.  It’s also a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22).  However, the ambiguous motivations and deity contained therein make it hard to say God is fully glorified.

Score: 4/10

Closing Comments

Knowles Shaw’s Bringing In The Sheaves is unclear.  It presents farming language that explains that we ought to spread kindness to others.  If we assume God and look for a Scriptural interpretation, it best aligns with the Parable of the Sower, that seed scattering causes others to follow Jesus and produce good works; However, without a clear reason contained in the lyrics, it makes it difficult to justify this view or that God is glorified through it.  This opens the door to a myriad of interpretive possibilities for everyone who listens.

I cannot recommend this for corporate worship.

Final Score: 4.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Bringing In The Sheaves (listen to the song)

Artist: Knowles Shaw

Album: N/A

Genre: Hymn

Release Year: 1874

Duration: N/A

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