“Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the
Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season:
he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” –Jeremiah 5:24
The timing of
rain can often determine whether or not it will be a blessing or a curse. Especially when you’re talking in
agricultural terms; concerning rain, timing is everything. You can have a
lot of rain at planting, then none throughout growing, and you will have a
lousy crop. You can have none at planting, and then a lot at harvest; and
you will not be able to get to your crop. The blessing of rain walks hand
in hand with the timing of it; and we must remember that God controls both the
rain and when it falls.
Agriculture
analogies, allegories, and references are used all throughout the Bible. People in that day and time could really relate
to what was being said. Furthermore, seeing
is how people will always need to eat; the folks in our day can relate as well.
It is both relevant and timeless. In the above text, Jeremiah speaks to a
people who have a “revolting and rebellious heart.” They do not
fear God, that is to say, they do not respect or reverence him. They do
not recognize that God gives the rain, and reserves the harvest. In other
words, all that they have, they have because of God. The arrogance of
refusing to recognize this is astounding, and not surprising, relevant in
today’s time. Imagine if you will, a place where there is no grocery
store, no Wal-Mart, no fast food chains; a place where the food you eat is
solely provided by the land you own. This is the reality that the people
in Jeremiah’s day lived in (and truthfully it is the reality we live in as
well; we are just further removed from the farming aspect of it all).
They had to totally depend on the rain, and on the timing of the rain. In order to receive life and substance, they
were completely relaying on something that was far beyond their control.
In planting, you
want a former rain, a rain that comes in swiftly after you plant.
This supercharges your crop and gives you strong germination. Right
before harvest, you want a latter rain. A rain that drenches your crop and
gives it that last drink to boost it up some more before you have to bring it
in. Obviously, you need rain in between, but the former and the latter
rain at the perfect time gives you an abundant harvest. Who on earth can command the rain? What can we do to stop the rain from falling? The nutrients and abundance of a field is
reserved by God for man, and given by His hand.
These people in Jeremiah’s day are reaping the fruits of bounty on the
back of the Almighty, and they have no humility or thankfulness in their heart. There is only open rebellion and a false belief
that they are the giver of life. Do you
see yourself in this text? Our lives are
our field, and in it we work and labor. We sow what little seeds of time
we have and earnestly expect a return on our investment. We hope for a
harvest, and rejoice when there is one; but to whom is the glory given? What do you have that God did not give? What did we gain that God did not first
provide? “Ye are not your own but bought with a price.” One of the greatest tragedies that ever
befell this country is the acceptance of evolution and anti-creationism. Under the cloak of this theory the devil
crept in and sowed a seed of doubt that would undermine Christianity entirely;
and that seed is this. God is not the
creator. When the people accept that
there is no creator, then they believe that there is no governor of the rain;
and if we believe that, then we accept that we are lords over our lives.
If God chooses
to send the former and latter rain, than we must praise Him for it. If he chooses to withhold the rain, that is
in His providence and we must bless His name. God knows when to send
the rain and he knows when the blessing is needed. The righteous trust God and praise God in the
dry season and the rainy season. The wicked trust themselves in all
seasons, and “neither say they in their
hearts let us now fear God”. When we
refuse to accept a God that sends the rain, then we break the first
commandment; and though we have all the goods this world can offer, we will
want in the Day of Judgment. “Fear ye the
Lord all ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him.”
