The Harvest Is Ripe

Rev. H. Hofman, Sr. (1931-2007)

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” God has made the seasons and times. The coming and going of the seasons reminds us of the frailty of our life. In Ecclesiastes 3 we find written that there is a time to be born and a time to die. Between birth and dying lies our life. Being born may be called a time of sowing, and dying the time of harvest. The time, then, between birth and death is the time of ripening for harvest.

We shall not always remain here upon the earth. Man goes to his long home. We are becoming ripe for the harvest. When the month of November has arrived, the harvest is almost at an end. It is then a good custom to set apart a day of thanksgiving. The Lord who is the giver of all good gifts must be humbly acknowledged. With grief we must note that this is more a day for family gatherings than a day in which we meet to acknowledge the name of the Lord for all of His blessings. Also in this respect it is evident how much we have become conformed to the world. I would like to ask you to pause and consider the meaning of the harvest in your life. The passing of the seasons has something to say to each of us. May the Lord grant us an observing heart.

The name Joel means “the Lord is God.” It has the same meaning as the name Elijah. The message which Joel had to bring in the name of the Lord was a message of judgment upon the sins of the people and also a message of grace. It was an urgent call to repentance as can be seen in Joel 2:12&13: “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.”

If there is no repenting of the evil and returning to the Lord, judgment will be executed. Great sins bring great judgments. The tribunal of God concerns the overthrow of the enemies of the Lord and the deliverance of His people. It is portrayed for us as a harvest. “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.” Just as at harvest time the grain and the grapes are cut off, so the Lord also comes to judge our lives.

The harvest does not arrive suddenly. There is preparation for it; there is a ripening process. After sowing the seed, the field is worked, cultivated, and fertilized. The cold north wind and the soft south wind, the former and the latter rains, and the warm rays of the sun are all necessary. However, all work in the field is done with the harvest in view. The farmer waits until the right moment, and when it is time to harvest, he says to the reapers, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.” He does not come too early, nor does he come too late. The growing time and the time of ripening are then past. After all that the farmer has done in the field, he may expect to see the fruits of his labor.

Dear readers, harvest time has something to say to all of us. We have all been sown upon the field of the world. God has created us good and after His own image. The Lord has sown good seed upon the field, but through the willful disobedience of our first parents, the good seed has been spoiled, unfit for any good and inclined to all evil. The field of the world will never produce a good harvest for the Lord but only thorns and thistles. The Lord has said, “Cursed be the ground for thy sake.” Satan had desired to take the Lord’s harvest from Him, and it seemed as if he had succeeded. There is none that seeketh after God, no, not one.

But oh, the wonder of free grace! There is a harvest for the Lord; the Lord Himself will take care of it. Before Satan had spoiled the good seed, the Lord in Christ had chosen a people to Himself who shall show forth His praise. They are those purchased by the blood of Christ as we read in Isaiah 53:10, “When Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” Christ came in the fullness of time to be put in the earth as seed and to die. The sharp sickle of God’s justice has cut off His life. In His death Christ has fulfilled all righteousness. He became a curse so that He might deliver those who are under the curse of God’s law. All of that has been accomplished.

The seed of the serpent has been spoiled and shall never bring forth fruit for the Lord, but the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, shall see His seed. The most important question in our life is whether we belong to that seed. In nature, it is impossible to change weeds into wheat, but that which is impossible with men is possible with God. In Isaiah 55:13 we read, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

We have all been sown upon the field of the world, born as weeds which have no value other than to be burned. How much labor has not the Lord spent upon His field? He has no desire in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn unto Him and live. The Lord has warned, invited, and called, “Turn ye unto Me, and be ye saved.” In His unfathomable goodness He has pointed out the way of repentance and confession of sin and guilt, the way of returning to the Lord, the way of grace and redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, how much labor the Lord has bestowed upon us. What has been the result of it? Have the sun’s warm rays and the rain of heaven left you unmoved? Stand still for a moment and consider that the sickle is ready to cut off your life. The harvest is ripe. How will the sickle find us? Will we be as a mere cornstalk without an ear of corn? When the measure of unrighteousness is full, will we appear before God without fruit for the Lord?

Dear friends, how much labor the Lord has bestowed upon us. What has been the result of it? Have the sun’s warm rays and the rain of heaven left you unmoved? Stand still for a moment and consider that the sickle is ready to cut off your life. The harvest is ripe. How will the sickle find us? Will we be as a mere cornstalk without an ear of corn? When the measure of unrighteousness is full, will we appear before God without fruit for the Lord? Were all the callings, knockings, invitations, and threatenings in vain? What a day of terror that shall be, being cut off without conversion, without faith, without grace, without Christ. We shall be burned as chaff with unquenchable fire.

Thankfully, the day of harvest is not yet here. There is a postponement. The Lord waits; He calls, warns, and invites. You do not know how long; you continue to ripen. The day of God’s long-suffering is not yet at an end.

While He proffers peace and pardon
Let us hear His voice today,
Lest, if we our hearts should harden,
We should perish in the way.

Is God’s work, then, all in vain? Let all gratitude be given to God that it is not. We read in Matthew 1L25&26, “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.”

If there may be fruit in our life, it is not the work of man. We read in Romans 8 that whom God did predestinate, them He also called. That is the irresistible internal call. By means of the Word and the Holy Spirit the heart is renewed and made alive as we read in Ephesians 2, “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” The ripening process is a dying process. The north wind of discovery, the storms, the rain clouds and thunders of God’s holy law distress quickened souls, casting them down and causing them to tremble at His Word. There are times that they fear to be cast away forever. There is no growth or fruit to be seen. All good intentions to live a better life come to naught. The cold north wind of discovery brings the sinner in the depth of self-abasement that is the loathing of self.

Nevertheless, in those depths there also blows the south wind of comfort and encouragement. What an eternal wonder when the work of Christ in all His mediatorial design is revealed by the rain of the Spirit in the weary and heavy-laden soul. It includes His necessity, loveliness, all-sufficiency, and beauty. If we, through faith, become united with Him, we learn what Jesus said, “I am the Vine, and ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” Then the saps of life are drawn from the root, Jesus Christ. As the fruit ripens and communion with Christ is experienced, the result shall be a longing for the full communion with Christ.

This longing can be so strong, causing the cry to ascend, “Oh, Lord, when shall that day arise that I shall be with Thee?” Although the day of harvest is anticipated, there is also fear for the sharpness of the sickle. Death is an enemy for God’s children; however, it is the last enemy, for it has been disarmed by Christ for all His dear children. What a happy day that will be for those who are in Christ. It shall be the day of their coronation and deliverance from all sin and shortcomings. Their tears shall be wiped away by the Lord. No new tears shall well up, for sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Dear readers, stand still for a moment. If the sickle were to come today in your life, if today you would be cut off from the land of the living by the heavenly Reaper, what would your eternal destination be? There are but two possibilities—unquenchable fire for all who have cast away His Word, or eternal life for His wheat which shall be gathered into His garner.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen