THE HARVESTS OF PALESTINE
SYMBOLISM OF THE GRAINS AND HARVESTS
In the Scriptures, the sowing, the physical planting of
seed, and the reaping or harvesting of the grain or fruit
are analogous to the spiritual harvest of God. Let us consider
Christ's description of the Kingdom of God in these terms:
We can also consider Christ's parable of the sower sowing seeds
(Mt 13:1-9,18-23), where the lesson is that proper soil-symbolising
the receptive heart (vv 16,23)-is essential for the full growth
of the seed and for the success of the harvest of souls. In this
parable, some soil is suitable, some is not.
From Christ's parable of the tares and the wheat we learn that
the spiritual harvest of the Kingdom can only be a perfectly
pure crop:
RAINS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
In the Old Testament, "rain" is often used figuratively:
Psalm 68 seems to be a processional song to celebrate the triumphant
rulership of God. Part of it recalls God leading His people through
the wilderness into the Promised Land. Let us notice verses 7-9:
When God acts on behalf of His people, righteousness is executed.
We see this imagery of the rain painted again in the preamble
to the Song of Deborah, which commemorated God's deliverance of
the people from their enemies:
When the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church on the Day of Pentecost,
the apostle Peter quoted what had just taken place as being the
fulfillment of a prophecy spoken by Joel. Let us now consider
this:
JESUS CHRIST: THE "FORMER" RAIN
In Isa 41:2-4, the Persian king, Cyrus, is depicted as the instrument
of God's righteousness. In Isa 42:1-7, Jesus Christ, the "Servant
of the Lord", is the true Teacher of Righteousness (see Isa
2:3; Jn 3:2; 4:25), given to us by God, through Whom the Holy
Spirit came upon the Church. Jesus Christ is the first crop of
the spiritual harvest of God!
THE LATTER RAIN
The full effects of these latter rains of the righteousness and
goodness of God do eventually impact upon the entire earth in
the "last", or "latter" days. The people of
God are affected by them:
The parable of the talents teaches us that God expects much of
His children, that He seeks, through the exercise of His Spirit
in us, to reap righteousness above and beyond what He has initially
given us:
Will we ask God for more of His Spirit of righteousness? After
all, He promises His people "showers of blessing" in
their due seasons (Eze 34:26)-when they are most appropriate,
when we need them most.
In considering the biblical holy days, I'm sure we appreciate
that God's sacred calendar is centred around the seasons and the
harvests as they fall in the land of Palestine. In ancient Israel,
there were two main harvest cycles. The average harvesting period
was set at a period of seven weeks (Lev 23:15; Dt. 16:9), and
the year's harvest was mostly gathered in before the autumnal
equinox. An abundant harvest was a cause for great rejoicing (Is
9:3), and so God's three Festival seasons (Dt 16:16) were similarly
tied to the harvest times of Israel. Barley, the first of the
grains, from which came the Wave Sheaf Offering (Lev 23:10), was
harvested in spring from March-April to May, coinciding with the
Unleavened Bread season; wheat in late spring-early summer from
May through to June-July, marking the time of Pentecost, the Feast
of Weeks; and the summer fruits-olives, dates, figs, grapes, and
the like-from August to September, when the latter festivals culminating
in the Feast of Tabernacles were commemorated.
Ex 23:16 "and the Feast of Harvest [of the wheat:
Ex 34:22], the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown
in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering [Tabernacles] at the
end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors
from the field."
The agricultural cycle of Palestine, with its two harvests-the
smaller spring harvest and the greater autumn harvest-pictures
the two major stages of the spiritual harvest of souls, the harvest
of human beings into the Kingdom of God. It is this cycle that
I would like to look at in some detail, and to consider how it
applies spiritually to us today, especially as we draw near to
the Day of Pentecost, the day of the firstfruits of God. As we
go through this we will hopefully also be able to further clarify
our understanding of some concepts we have been taught in the
past.
Lev 23:39 'Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,
when you have gathered in the [summer] fruit of the land,
you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first
day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.'
Dt 16:13-15 "You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles
seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and
from your winepress [referring to the harvest of summer
fruits]."
Even in ancient Israel, the harvests were invested with a certain
degree of symbolism. For instance:
As well as the wheat and barley, other common grains included
spelt (Ex. 9:32) and millet (Eze. 4:9). What is usually rendered
as "corn" in the KJV is a general term used by the translators
for any grain-and grain, too, carries its own symbolism.
Is 16:9-10 (NRSV) Therefore I weep with the weeping of
Jazer for the vines of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon
and Elealeh; for the shout over your fruit harvest and your grain
harvest has ceased. 10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the
fruitful field; and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no shouts
are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; the vintage-shout
is hushed.
Jer 51:33 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor
when it is time to thresh her; yet a little while and the time
of her harvest will come."
Joel 3:13 "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is
ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow;
for their wickedness is great." (cf. Rev 14:15)
Jer 8:20 "The harvest [perhaps referring to the
first harvest of April-June] is past, the summer [and the
gathering of fruit in August-September] is ended [that
is, all the year's harvesting is completed!], and we are not
saved!"
The resurrection body is likened to seed which dies before it
sprouts and grows. Then it appears in another form, a different
form for every kind of seed (vv 35-38). The "body that is
to be" is in essence the same as that of the body of the
seed that dies. Wheat yields wheat: the essential character and
identity continues on into the resurrection.
Mt 3:11-12 "I baptize you with water for repentance.
But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose
sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and
he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the
barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
1Co 15:35-38 (NRSV) 35 But someone will ask, "How
are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"
36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37
And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be,
but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38
But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of
seed its own body.
Mk 4:26-29 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as
if a man should scatter seed [but God does not sow indiscriminately;
the ploughman follows immediately behind!] on the ground,
27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should
sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth
yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after
that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens,
immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
It is a testimony to the power of the Gospel and to the work of
the Holy Spirit that once the message of the Kingdom has been
sown, a harvest will ultimately, according to the foreknowledge
of God, be reaped. This is a call for inner peace, faithfulness
and confident expectation on our part.
Mt 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed
in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed
tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain
had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares [probably
darnel, believed by the rabbis to be corrupt wheat, which looks
very much like wheat in its early stages of growth] also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did
you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said
to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' 29 But
he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot
the wheat with them [suggesting both the difficulty of distinction
between the two as well as the tendency of darnel to root itself
more firmly than wheat]. 30 Let both grow together until
the harvest [the time of judgement at the end of the age: Mt
13:39], and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,
"First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles
to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
In Mt 9:36-38,Christ tells us that the spiritual harvest, unlike
the physical one, is always plentiful, and constantly in need
of labourers to work its fields. Let us also notice His words
in Jn 4:35-38 where He, then in a town of the Samaritans, appears
to be alluding to a spiritual harvest which included some of these
very Samaritans (Jn 4:39):
Jn 4:35-38 "Do you [talking to His disciples]
not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields,
for they are already white [Mt 5:36: the spiritually-ripe grain
is likened to grey hair] for harvest! 36 And he who reaps
receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both
he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in
this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent
you to reap that for which you have not labored; others [John
the Baptist, Christ Himself] have labored, and you have entered
into their labors."
Christ had both sown seed and reaped an early harvest, as was
to be fully evidenced by the Day of Pentecost. So while the seasons
determine the physical harvest, the spiritual harvest of souls
can ripen early, if the conditions are correct.
For the crops to flourish, there is obviously a need for rain,
both when the seed is planted as well as abundant rain just prior
to the harvest. Palestine was a land dependent upon the yearly
rains to ensure an fruitful harvest and an ample food supply for
the coming year. Rain "in due season" was one of the
conditional promises of God for the people's obedience:
Lev 26:4 then I will give you rain in its season, the
land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall
yield their fruit.
The crucial rain fell in two seasons: the early rains during September-November
soon after the grain was sown, and the later rains in March and
April, just prior to harvest. Of course there were the winter
rains between November and December. This rain in due season is
also vitally important in the bringing forth of the spiritual
harvest. In the Scriptures, these vital two cycles of rain are
called the "former" rain and the "latter"
rain. We shall examine these shortly. However, let us first look
at some of the symbolism of the rain.
King Solomon understood this principle:
Dt 28:12 "The LORD will open to you His good treasure,
the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and
to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations,
but you shall not borrow."
Dt 28:23-24 "And your heavens which are over your
head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be
iron. 24 The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder
and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you
are destroyed."
Dt 11:17 "lest [in turning from God] the Lord's
anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that
there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish
quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you."
1Ki 8:35-36 "When the heavens are shut up and there
is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray
toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin
because You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven, and forgive
the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach
them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on
Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance."
The Word of God accomplishes the righteous will of God.
Isa 45:8 "Rain down, you heavens, from above, and
let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open,
let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up
together. I, the LORD, have created it."
Isa 55:10-11 (NIV) As the rain and the snow come down
from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the
sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out
from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish
what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
The apostle Paul quoted from this verse (in the Septuagint translation)
as well as from Hos 10:12 (also the Septuagint rendering), which
we will look at shortly, in reference to a spiritual harvest
of righteousness:
2Co 9:10 (NIV) Now he who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed
and will enlarge the harvest [or "fruits"] of
your righteousness.
We shall go on to examine this harvest of righteousness. Let's
first notice a few more examples of God's righteousness being
likened to rain.
Ps 68:7-9 O God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the wilderness, Sela 8 the earth shook;
the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai
[the mountain from which Christ spoke] itself was moved
at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You, O God, sent
a plentiful rain, whereby You confirmed [the Hebrew can
also mean "provided for"] Your inheritance, when
it was weary.
Yet we read of no rain during Israel's desert wanderings, nor
at Mt. Sinai, even though thunder, lightning, thick clouds-which
could, of course, have been accompanied by rain-and smoke are
mentioned (Ex 19:16-18). God certainly "rained down"
manna (Ps 78:24) and quail (Ps 78:27) to, in a sense, "refresh"
His people physically, but the reference here seems to also be
suggestive of the righteousness of God which is truly refreshing.
Jdg 5:4-5 (NIV) "O LORD, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens
poured, the clouds poured down water. 5 The mountains
quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the
God of Israel."
Similarly in David's psalm of praise to God for his deliverance:
Ps 18:9-11 (NRSV) He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub, and
flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made
darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark
with water.
And in Solomon's description of a godly ruler who exercises this
same type of righteousness:
Ps 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before
mowing, like showers that water the earth.
THE FORMER AND THE LATTER RAIN
In ancient Palestine, the yearly seasons included these early-or
"former"-and the later- or "latter"-rains
as part of the rainy season from about October to March-April.
The grain crops were therefore planted to grow in the rainy season.
The former, or early rains came during Fall or Autumn, in October-November,
and from these rains came the first harvests of early spring when
the farmers were able to enjoy the "firstfruits" of
their crops. These early rains were important because they helped
to germinate the seed which had already been sown. The latter
rains came during spring, between February and March-April, and
from these normally heavier rains the main crop harvests were
gathered. These later rains therefore ensured that the crops-both
the grain crops each year as well as the usual annual summer crops
and fruits-would fully mature for harvest. God promised ancient
Israel both these rains and, as we shall see, He likewise promises
them to His elect saints:
Dt 11:14 'then I will give you the rain for your land
in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may
gather in your grain [barley, wheat, etc], your new wine,
and your oil [two of the summer crops].'
Notice that the "remnant of Jacob" who are described
as triumphant and exercising power over their enemies (Mic 5:8-9)
are also likened to light rain, or showers, reminiscent of the
early, smaller rains which nourished the firstfruit crops:
Mic 5:7 (NRSV) Then the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by
many peoples, shall be like dew from the LORD, like showers
on the grass, which do not depend upon people or wait for
any mortal.
However, it is important that we here note that while they
of course contributed to the successful harvesting of the summer
fruits, both the former autumnal rains and the latter spring
rains primarily watered the firstfruits' crops-largely
barley and wheat-which had been planted some time after the previous
harvest festival of Tabernacles. Notions that we may therefore
have had of the latter rains being solely millennial are not entirely
accurate although, as we shall see, the effect of these rains
impacted upon the summer harvests which typify the millennial
age.
Acts 2:16-18 "But this is what was spoken by the
prophet Joel: 17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days
[the prophecy is therefore to be fully completed in "the
last days"], says God, That I will pour out of
My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out
My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.'"
But let us note what else must take place before the prophecy
is completed:
Acts 2:19-21 "'I will show wonders in heaven above
and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 21
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the
LORD shall be saved.'"
This outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost therefore
fulfilled the prophecy of Joel only in part. The heavenly signs
of verse 20, taken from Joel 2:30-31, have yet to occur, and verse
21 must be totally realized. Let us turn to the original prophecy
in the Book of Joel:
Joel 2:28-29 "And it shall come to pass afterward
that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your
young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and
on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."
Joel spoke prophetically of both a former and a latter
rain:
Joel 2:23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice
in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain
faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you; the
former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
These events recorded in Acts 2 are but the early rain of the
Spirit of God. Joel's prophecy of the "latter rain"
is yet to be fulfilled, both is this age, the age of the Church,
as well as into the age to come, as will be shown.
Let us consider the NIV rendering of Joel 2:23:
Joel 2:23 (NIV) Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in
the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains [Heb:
moreh (H4175); from yarah (H3384); related to
yoreh (H3138)] in righteousness [NRSV: "for your
vindication"; the Hebrew can also mean "moderately"].
He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as
before.
The early autumnal rains are also described as having already
been given to the people of God. The reference here is
certainly to the first outpourings of the Holy Spirit epitomized
by the Day of Pentecost of 30 AD.
The NIV Study Bible footnote to the translation "autumn
rains in righteousness" reads:
"The religious sect at Qumran (which produced most of the
Dead Sea Scrolls…) hailed their most revered teacher of the
law, whom they called the "Teacher of Righteousness",
as the fulfillment of this prophecy."
This verse from Joel is related, through some apparently deliberate
word play in the Hebrew, to a verse in the Book of Hosea:
Hos 10:12 (NIV) Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap
the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers [Heb:
yarah (H3384); related to yoreh (H3138): "sprinkling",
or "autumnal showers"; yoreh is the active participle
of yarah] righteousness on you. [the Hebrew can also
be translated "until He comes to teach righteousness to you"]
The Hebrew word for "autumn rain", moreh,
can also mean "teacher". In conjunction with Hos
10:12, where the word is similarly associated with a word for
"righteousness", it has been understood as part of the
biblical basis for this "Teacher of Righteousness" (see
F.F. Bruce, Second Thoughts on the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1961,
p. 94).
The latter part of Joel 2:23 can therefore also read: "….and
He has given you the Teacher for justification"-the Teacher
through Whom comes the teaching of the Way of righteousness. In
Joel 2:23, the KJV provides the marginal note "a teacher
of righteousness according to righteousness" for its
translation of "(He has given you) the former rain moderately"
But when is this "latter" rain?
The apostle James speaks of both the former and the latter
rain in connection with the return of Jesus Christ:
Jas 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming
of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of
the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early
and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts,
for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Indeed, the prophecy of Joel, as we saw, provides the time-setting:
Joel 2:30-1 [v28: "I will pour out My Spirit on all
flesh…"] 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens
and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The
sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."-before
the return of Christ!
These earth-shaking events, as we know, are associated with the
"Day of the LORD":
Mt 24:29-30 "Immediately after the tribulation of
those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will
mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory."
For Joel's prophecy to reach completion, a second outpouring
of the Spirit of God-the rain of righteousness, in the form of
these latter spring rains which bring the crop to maturity-must
take place just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Not only
that, but the momentum begun by this will continue on into the
Millennium to totally fulfill the prophecy:
Rev 6:12-14 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and
behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black
as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And
the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its
late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky
receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and
island was moved out of its place.
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls
on the name of the LORD shall be saved [an absolute fulfillment
is required]. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall
be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the
LORD calls.
Let us again note Joel 2:23 and continue into verse 24, which
portrays this imagery of the Millennial age:
Joel 2:23-24 Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice
in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully,
and He will cause the rain to come down for you; the former rain
[or early autumnal rain], and the latter rain in the first
month [the spring month of Abib]. 24 The threshing floors
shall be full of wheat [the firstfruits' crop], and the
vats shall overflow with new wine and oil [summer fruits symbolising
the millennial period].
The Promised Land, a type of the Kingdom of God to come, is described
as a land made up of both this early firstfruits' harvest as well
as the millennial harvest that is reaped in the age to come:
Joel 2:18-19,22 Then the LORD will be zealous for His
land, and pity His people. 19 The LORD will answer and say to
His people, "Behold, I will send you grain [the
firstfruits] and new wine and oil [from the summer fruits],
and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a
reproach among the nations."
22 "Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; for the open
pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; the fig
tree and the vine [the millennial crop] yield their strength."
Dt 8:8 a land of wheat and barley [the firstfruits'
harvest], of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land
of olive oil and honey [the latter harvest].
RENEWED POWER OF THE SPIRIT?
Just as the Word of God always fulfills His purpose, I'm sure
that we understand, and the Day of Pentecost in 30 AD so illustrates,
that God never gives of His Spirit purposelessly; rather, He pours
it out powerfully to fulfill His great Plan. What then is this
future outpouring of the Spirit of God that is depicted by these
latter rains? And just as these spring rains are unleashed more
abundantly upon the land of Palestine than the earlier autumnal
rains, can we expect an even greater work of the Spirit in and
through the firstfruits of God prior to and during the period
of the tribulation and the Day of the Lord immediately preceding
Christ's return-a work that continues on into the Millennium and
accelerates as the righteousness of God fills the earth? Let's
recall some prophetic considerations:
The outpouring of the Spirit of the early rain powerfully established
the New Testament Church. Will we see the latter resurgence of
the same Spirit complete the New Testament Church age and
usher in the Kingdom of God-the perfected, bountiful harvest of
firstfruits-with a similar display of power?
Hos 3:5 (NRSV) Afterward the Israelites shall return and
seek the LORD their God, and David their king; they shall come
in awe to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.
As are all nations:
Isa 2:2-3 (NIV) In the last days the mountain of the Lord's
temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will
be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to
the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He
will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
SOWING AND REAPING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Isa 61:11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and
as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord
GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all
the nations.
So as we see the Day of Pentecost, which so intimately involves
us, rapidly drawing near, let us ask ourselves: What are we harvesting?
Are we continuing to sow the seeds of righteousness so that we
will also reap righteousness and be included among the glorified
resurrected firstfruits of God?
Mt 25:24-30 (NIV) "Then the man who had received the
one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard
man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you
have not scattered seed [this was his own false perception
of God as harsh and unfair]. 25 So I was afraid and went
out and hid [kept on hiding] your talent in the ground.
See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 His master replied, 'You
wicked, lazy servant! So you knew [Christ is saying, "Is
that what you think?"] that I harvest where I have not
sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then
["if that was indeed your concept of Me"],
you should have [been even more diligent and] put my money
on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have
received it back with [legal] interest [godly fruit
ought to have been borne]. 28 Take the talent from him and
give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who
has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever
does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And
throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
As we sow, what is the condition of the soil of our hearts, of
our minds? Is there fallow, unploughed ground that needs to be
broken up (Hos 10:12) before the seeds of righteousness can truly
flourish?
Jer 4:3 …Break up your fallow ground, and do not
sow among thorns.
Are we perhaps sowing among thorns, sowing the wind to reap the
whirlwind (Hos 8:7)?
Will we one day have cause to be ashamed of the harvest reaped
in us, as was God's lament for His people because of their iniquity?
Jer 12:13 "They have sown wheat but reaped thorns;
they have put themselves to pain but do not profit. but be ashamed
of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the LORD."
Both what we sow and how we sow it will determine
what we reap:
Pr 22:8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow….(Job
4:8)
The principle of 2Co 9:6-sowing sparingly and reaping sparingly-is
applicable also to the seeds and the harvest of righteousness.
Gal 6:7-9 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever
a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his
flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the
Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us
not grow weary while doing good [i.e., sowing righteousness],
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Let's not be like Israel of old:
Jer 5:24 (NRSV) They do not say in their hearts, "Let
us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the
autumn [former] rain [that initial outpouring of the
Spirit upon us, and Jesus Christ to teach us] and the
spring [latter] rain [He can give us more abundantly
of His Spirit if we ask Him], and keeps for us the weeks appointed
for the harvest [God will ensure that His harvest comes to
fruition; perhaps the reference here is even to the seven weeks
between Passover and Pentecost]."
For our sins can cause God to withhold these rains of righteousness:
Jer 5:25 (NRSV) Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have deprived you of good.
Let us be sure to heed the admonition of the prophet Hosea:
Hos 6:3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the
LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come
to us like the rain, like the latter and former
rain to the earth.
As surely as the autumnal rains, the earlier, gentler rains which
so beautifully picture Jesus Christ and the firstfruits of the
Spirit of God, revived and restored the earth and helped to establish
the already planted seed, let us be sure that we allow Jesus Christ,
through His Holy Spirit in us, to establish us in the path of
righteousness. And like the latter spring rains which brought
the physical crops to full maturity, let us ensure that we, too,
are included in this harvest of righteousness which the upcoming
Pentecost feast day so wonderfully pictures.