Pastor's Message
November 2024
The Harvest
Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, where we give thanks to the Lord for another successful harvest, I thought it only appropriate to look back at Scripture and the many ways the harvest is mentioned.
We begin with Genesis 8:22. Following the flood, the Lord promises, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” This month, we celebrate that God has again remained faithful to his promise.
Later in Genesis, Pharoah had a dream associated with the harvest which Joseph interpreted. There would be seven years of plentiful harvests followed by seven years of famine. They saved up some of the plenty so that they would be prepared for the few. It is wise for us to save in time of plenty, too.
As we read further in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we discover that Israel’s worship life was centered around the harvest. The week of Passover precedes their annual grain harvest. “Firstfruits” was the day after Passover. Fifty days later, at the end of the grain harvest, they would celebrate Pentecost, or the Feast of Ingathering. Finally, in the fall, following the fruit harvest, they would celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
There were other ceremonial laws associated with the harvest, like the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee. For six years, Israel was to work the land. In that sixth year, the Lord would give an abundant crop. But the seventh year was to be a sabbath to the Lord, a year of rest for the land. And, in the seventh Sabbath year (year 49) they were to take an extra year off (year 50) as a special sabbath to the Lord. For the Lord would give them such a bumper crop in year 48, that they would have enough for two years. (All of this pointed ahead to the sabbath rest we have in Christ.) Also, because Israel never obeyed this law, they were exiled in Babylon the exact number of Sabbath years they did not observe.
Another interesting part of the harvest laws had to do with the gleaning laws. Let’s call this the Israelite welfare system. When harvesting, they were not to harvest the edges of the field, nor were they to go back through and pick up what was dropped or left behind. This was to be for those who had no land or no crops. (Think of Ruth gleaning in Boaz’s fields.) Furthermore, what grain springs up on its own and unattended vines were also left for those in need.
There are many passages where the harvest is just a marker for what time of year it was, like Joshua 3:15, Judges 15:1 or 1 Samuel 6:13.
There are three psalms which reference the harvest: “The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us” (67:6); “The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest” (85:12); and “They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish” (107:37-38).
There are seven proverbs: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (6:6-8); “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” (10:5); “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests” (14:4); “From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied” (18:20); “Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing” (20:4); “Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master” (25:13); and “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool” (26:1).
The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, and Haggai all reference the harvest, both positively (the Lord’s blessing) and negatively (the Lord withholding blessing).
As for the New Testament, Jesus often referred to the harvest. He references it in connection with the preaching of the gospel and the harvest of souls. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Mt 9:37-38). “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together” (Jn 4:35-36).
The harvest is part of the parable of the weeds (Mt 13:23-30), the parable of the tenants (Mt 21:33-44), the parable of the bags of gold (Mt 25:14-30), the parable of the growing seed (Mk 4:26-29), and the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:13-21).
The harvest serves as a metaphor in Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians 9:10-11, 2 Corinthians 9:10, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 12:11, James 3:18 and Revelation 14:15-16. Let that last one serve as our example: “Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” Yes, that is a reference to Christ’s final judgment on those still alive on the earth when he comes again.
As you watch the harvesting going on in the field this month, call to mind these thoughts from Scripture. Think about the literal harvest and the abundant blessings we receive each year. And think about the spiritual harvest, about Christ’s coming and Judgment Day. That way, we will be prepared.
Pastor Ben Golisch
The Harvest
Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, where we give thanks to the Lord for another successful harvest, I thought it only appropriate to look back at Scripture and the many ways the harvest is mentioned.
We begin with Genesis 8:22. Following the flood, the Lord promises, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” This month, we celebrate that God has again remained faithful to his promise.
Later in Genesis, Pharoah had a dream associated with the harvest which Joseph interpreted. There would be seven years of plentiful harvests followed by seven years of famine. They saved up some of the plenty so that they would be prepared for the few. It is wise for us to save in time of plenty, too.
As we read further in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we discover that Israel’s worship life was centered around the harvest. The week of Passover precedes their annual grain harvest. “Firstfruits” was the day after Passover. Fifty days later, at the end of the grain harvest, they would celebrate Pentecost, or the Feast of Ingathering. Finally, in the fall, following the fruit harvest, they would celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
There were other ceremonial laws associated with the harvest, like the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee. For six years, Israel was to work the land. In that sixth year, the Lord would give an abundant crop. But the seventh year was to be a sabbath to the Lord, a year of rest for the land. And, in the seventh Sabbath year (year 49) they were to take an extra year off (year 50) as a special sabbath to the Lord. For the Lord would give them such a bumper crop in year 48, that they would have enough for two years. (All of this pointed ahead to the sabbath rest we have in Christ.) Also, because Israel never obeyed this law, they were exiled in Babylon the exact number of Sabbath years they did not observe.
Another interesting part of the harvest laws had to do with the gleaning laws. Let’s call this the Israelite welfare system. When harvesting, they were not to harvest the edges of the field, nor were they to go back through and pick up what was dropped or left behind. This was to be for those who had no land or no crops. (Think of Ruth gleaning in Boaz’s fields.) Furthermore, what grain springs up on its own and unattended vines were also left for those in need.
There are many passages where the harvest is just a marker for what time of year it was, like Joshua 3:15, Judges 15:1 or 1 Samuel 6:13.
There are three psalms which reference the harvest: “The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us” (67:6); “The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest” (85:12); and “They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish” (107:37-38).
There are seven proverbs: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (6:6-8); “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” (10:5); “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests” (14:4); “From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied” (18:20); “Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing” (20:4); “Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master” (25:13); and “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool” (26:1).
The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, and Haggai all reference the harvest, both positively (the Lord’s blessing) and negatively (the Lord withholding blessing).
As for the New Testament, Jesus often referred to the harvest. He references it in connection with the preaching of the gospel and the harvest of souls. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Mt 9:37-38). “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together” (Jn 4:35-36).
The harvest is part of the parable of the weeds (Mt 13:23-30), the parable of the tenants (Mt 21:33-44), the parable of the bags of gold (Mt 25:14-30), the parable of the growing seed (Mk 4:26-29), and the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:13-21).
The harvest serves as a metaphor in Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians 9:10-11, 2 Corinthians 9:10, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 12:11, James 3:18 and Revelation 14:15-16. Let that last one serve as our example: “Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” Yes, that is a reference to Christ’s final judgment on those still alive on the earth when he comes again.
As you watch the harvesting going on in the field this month, call to mind these thoughts from Scripture. Think about the literal harvest and the abundant blessings we receive each year. And think about the spiritual harvest, about Christ’s coming and Judgment Day. That way, we will be prepared.
Pastor Ben Golisch