“THE HARVEST IS PAST, THE SUMMER IS ENDED”
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered” (Jer. 8:20-22)? Bro. Burton Coffman’s comment on this is: “It simply means that the last opportunity for Israel to repent and turn to the Lord has already slipped away. The harvest mentioned here is the one that came in the early summer in the months of April through June. The summer’s being ended is a reference to the approach of autumn and the end of the final harvest of the year. There will be nothing more for another year. This stands as a metaphor for the termination of all of Israel’s lost opportunities. In the meanwhile, the winter of God’s judgment was coming swiftly upon them.” Several things come to mind.
Opportunity to show love and affection for our parents. All of us, whose parents are deceased, would like once again, to have that opportunity to visit with and to just sit down and talk with our parents. When they were living we were too busy rearing our family, working, going on vacation etc. Oh, we would call, “How are you Mom? How are you Dad? See you soon.” Take advantage of the opportunity you have, if your parents are still living. “The harvest is past….”
Opportunities to spend time with our children when they are small. They are under feet. They get in the way. Don’t they know I am trying to make a good living for them? Don’t they know that I will have time next week? Don’t they know I’m under the gun? Yes, Proverbs tells me, “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Prov. 22:6). When the child is small they love to go to Bible school, read Bible stories, have someone read to them but instead it is just so time consuming. I would rather let the weeds grow in the yard than in the heart of my child. “The harvest is past….
” Opportunities for my own spiritual growth. While a student at Alabama Christian College (Now Faulkner University), one of the best Bible scholars was the President of that school and also taught Bible, Bro. Rex Turner. Bro. Turner was well known for his study of the prophets, but I passed up that opportunity. Don’t pass up opportunities to grow spiritually. Many members never attend gospel meetings, lectureships, workshops and other congregational activities. Congregations have well qualified men to come speak on various subjects, but many neglect to take advantage of their knowledge. “The harvest is past….
” Opportunity to participate in the political process. God ordained the federal government (Rom. 13; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-14). We can choose our leaders. Do I take the time to investigate? Do I vote? Do I consider their views on abortion, homosexuality, same sex union? Do I take an “I don’t care, they are all the same” attitude? Dictatorship could not be far away. The time may be passing. “The harvest is past….”
Larry
