That’s what verse 16 says about both the Feast of Harvest and the Feast of Ingathering. In type, those are appointed times when the fruit of our labors are brought before God. Israel did that physically, but we understand that, for the Israel of God, God is most interested in our spiritual labors and the spiritual fruit that comes as a result.
It is within this symbol of the harvest that we find the well-known principle of sowing and reaping, which we will spend some time on. In Galatians 6:7, we are told that “. . . God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Job 4:8 says that “…those who … sow trouble reap the same.” Proverbs 22:8 says, “He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow. . ..” And Hosea 8:7 refers to “sow[ing] the wind and reap[ing] the whirlwind.
Thus, the laws of agriculture extend to the laws of human behavior as well. The principle of cause and effect, of action and reaction, is always at work. If we plant a seed of something harmful, what comes to fruition can only be bad as well. Or, on the positive side, if we begin with something good, more good will be produced in time—perhaps a great deal of time.
One of the effects of the Industrial Revolution is that much of the nation and the culture has moved away from constant reminders of natural law and constraints. As the wonders and inventions of mankind fill our minds, we enter a humanistic fantasy where it appears we have advanced beyond consequences. To varying degrees, we believe that mankind can always find ways to override natural law—that somehow what we do won’t catch up with us.
The late comedian, Fred Allen, quipped that “Most of us spend the first six days of the week sowing wild oats, then we go to church and pray for a crop failure.” That is a pretty accurate description of human nature, except that all too often it doesn’t stop after just six days. Human nature tends to sow the wrong things for as long as it looks like it can get away with it, and then it starts urgently hoping that somehow what is harvested will be completely different from what was sown. Human nature gambles that eternal principles and laws do not apply to itself, as though God could be mocked with enough cleverness.
Please turn over to Galatians 6, verse 7. It takes God's love flowing through us to make a personal sacrifice of time, money, and energy without strings attached, without expecting anything in return. But when we serve with a generous attitude, God's Spirit gives us peace and satisfaction. If we plant goodness, we will harvest happiness and peace.
An excellent way to overcome feelings of self-pity is by being generous. It could be your time, your money, your effort, it could be any number of things. Whatever you have the ability to give to someone else. We should find ways to assist others when we become overly fixated on ourselves. Perhaps it involves visiting the sick or comforting someone who is upset. It could be writing a letter of encouragement, calling someone who is lonely, or helping a widow.
It is about bringing happiness to others. Giving is a natural unbreakable law that also brings joy to the giver. The key is to focus less on ourselves.
