The summer harvest is a joy to see not just for the farmers but for those who understand our dependence upon agriculture for our daily food. It is easy for us who are not involved with farming to become detached from the importance of the harvest. We go to the shops and buy bread among other things and expect to see shelves full of various types of bread – week in week out throughout the year and are distanced from the daily concerns the farmers have for their crops. I wonder how many of us pray for the farmers? At seedtime when the crops are planted – that there will be a fruitful yield. Do we pray at harvest time that the farmers will be kept safe and given help and favourable weather to gather in the harvest?
Our lives depend upon having sufficient food and with populations increasing what pressure there is upon the supply of food. The Lord Jesus taught this to His disciples. He was asked ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ Luke ch11 v1. - ‘Give us day by day our daily bread.’ V3 being part of the prayer He taught them. May it be part of our daily prayers and let us not be taking anything for granted however well stocked the local supermarket may be.
The harvest is also a great joy and comfort to those who read the word of God for in the harvest they see the continued fulfilment of the promise made to Noah after his exit from the ark. Noah offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving for sparing his life and the lives of those with him in the ark, and we read ‘And the Lord smelled a sweet savour…’ Genesis ch8 v21 – that is true thanksgiving. God was pleased to record in His word this promise – ‘While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.’ Genesis ch8 v22 How comforting to see the faithfulness of God displayed around us.
The harvest is also a solemn reminder for us – the promise is ‘While the earth remaineth…’ The word of God speaks of another ‘Harvest’. The end of the world. In the parable of the wheat and tares we have the solemn warning ‘Let them both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’ Matthew ch13 v30 – The solemn final separation!
The Lord Jesus in this parable is not speaking of weeds which are obvious to see among the wheat – but tares which are only seen for what they are when the fruit begins to grow. The wheat He sets forth as the true child of God – the tare being false professors of religion. They were among the Church of God then – they will certainly be present in our day.
May God grant us a spirit of self examination – do we appear as wheat but where is the fruit? There is a blessed order to the work of Grace in the heart set forth in Mark ch4 v26-29. ‘..first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.’ May we prayerfully grow in grace and God grant us the desire of David ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thought: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ Psalm 139 v23 &24