An anonymous source has identified some interesting features of spiritual harvests:
- The harvest God provides: "Seedtime and harvest...shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22).
- The harvest sin produces: "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7)
- The Gospel harvest: "They (the fields) are white already to harvest" (John 4:35).
- The harvest of judgment: "The harvest is the end of the world" (Matt. 13:39).
Farmers understand the value and importance of harvests. The whole purpose of planting seed and cultivating ground to make it ready to produce are accomplished with one goal in mind: the harvest. The Lord Jesus reminds us of this with the Gen. 8:22 reference to nature’s annual harvest seasons. It won’t always rain, nor snow, nor be sunny in productive areas for crops. God has it all purposely balanced to give the soil exactly what it needs when it needs it, or to withhold it according to His sovereign pleasure. Workers look forward to a paycheck at the time of financial reward which should reflect their degree of labor. Students – in ideal situations – are warned that their academic output will determine the “harvest” of their grades. Labors of love sometimes go unrewarded for years, but God keeps the records, and He has promised a rich reward for those who labor for Him.
We see the harvest of sin all around us in modern culture. Nations who forget God shall reap the harvest of hell (Ps. 9:17). Nations that repent of evil deeds are often granted an extension of their national (though not necessarily spiritual) lives. Harvests can be terrible in effect but bountiful in good rewards, as well.
In his gospel record, John (4:35) reminds us that the Lord Himself said that precious souls who await the good news of the gospel are like wheat that is often white just before harvest. But it takes workers to carry the Word to the world. Isa. 6:8 tells us that Isaiah had a wondrous spiritual experience when he saw the Lord and heard Him ask: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” His answer, given over 2,700 years ago has echoed through the ages and still challenges us to respond as he did: “Here am I; send me.”
The harvest at the end of the world is fast approaching (Matt. 13:39). Nations, as individuals, will be judged, as we read in Matt. 25. May we go forth, bearing precious seed and weeping (Ps. 126:5,6), so that multitudes more will be reaped from the kingdom of darkness and brought to the kingdom of light by the power of God!
