Seedtime and Harvest shall not cease
“ Seedtime and Harvest shall not cease. “ Gen. 8: 22
I greatly delight in this promise and declaration of God to Noah and his descendants after the great flood that wiped away the rest of mankind. This divine grace proceeded after the account of Noah building an altar to the Lord and sacrificing clean animals as a burnt offering. The offerings were so delightful and acceptable to the throne of God that the act was described as “ a soothing aroma “ to the heart of God. Then, the Lord made an oath, “ I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
This act of erecting an altar and offering clean animals to the Lord must have been impressed into the mind of Noah by God; for it to be acceptable to the Spirit of Holiness. God gave us a clue to this deduction by His lamentation that nothing good dwells in the thoughts of man from birth. Therefore, this unprecedented righteous act of Noah must have proceeded from the very heart of God. It foreshadowed the greatest altar and sacrifice of all time fulfilled by God Himself through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The flood symbolized judgment over sin, the Seed of God’s grace was sown in the fellowship of Noah’s sacrifice and accompanying promise of God, and the Harvest was realized in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!!!
So what does this Genesis account of the glorious fellowship of Noah and the Lord got to do with ministering to the poor with material resources? How relevant is this Scripture to God’s mandate for His people to meet the needs of His suffering children scattered all over the world? One could say, that encounter was in the old Testament and we are now in the New Testament. That is correct but the Scripture teaches us that though the world may be changing for worse (devolving), God does not change and His Words and Promises endure forever. But I don’t have enough resources for my family, so how could I be my brothers’ keeper? How can I care about other families who may be poor out of their own lack of vision or sheer laziness? This is where God graciously leads us to transcend from self-centered thoughts to godliness first and then deep concern to the distressing needs of others. “ The righteous shows mercy and gives.” Psalm 37: 21. Now lets take a look at godliness and its connection to sowing acceptable seeds.
Acceptable Sacrifice stems from the Heart of God
Giving of material goods to the poor and needy is highly emphasized in the Bible. In fact, the Scripture warns that he who shuts his eyes from the needs of the poor or despises them in his heart actually reproaches God and will not prosper in the end. Humanitarian acts have been a gesture known to mankind for ages. There is something about reaching out to those less privileged that appeals to human conscience. For one thing, we feel good about ourselves that we are making a difference in other peoples life when our gifts change their story for the better.
But humanism or humanitarianism without the soul awakened to the consciousness of God profits only the beneficiary and not the benefactor. The Bible teaches us that God looks at the heart of the giver. What is the motive? What is the spirit driving the act of giving?
A beautiful illustration is given to us in the account of the material offerings of two brothers, Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis 4. The story was very short but it clearly reveals God finding favor and acceptance of Abel’s offering and sacrifice but a rejection of Cain’s. The Scripture is not explicit on the explanation for God’s choice.
Well, no worries. The Bible has a way of explaining itself. Man’s pride and ego often propel us to show off our accomplishment in so many funnies ways even in philanthropic ventures to no spiritual benefit. Our heavenly Father does not delight in the death of a sinner so He clarifies what is acceptable and holy from what is unprofitable.
Awakened to the Holiness and Righteousness of God
The people of ancient Israel struggled in their soul with understanding and embracing the consciousness of God in every aspect of their lives. It is much easier to keep God at the back seat of the boat where He belongs ( humor ) than to position Him at the steering wheel and we are humbled, and thus relinquish our sense of control. In the Book of Micah, our loving Father clears all doubt and errors of our perverted thinking by making known His heart known through the message of the prophet. The Israelites delighted much in sacrifices and offerings common with the pagan world at the detriment of a right relationship with God and other human beings. It is the awareness of God’s holiness that shines light to our wretchedness and need of His mercies always. The people asked, “ With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? God responded, loud and clear through the prophet, “ He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6: 6-8.
The Attitude of your Heart
Our great Master and Teacher, the Lord Jesus, went further to lend clarity to the prophetic insight just discussed. A powerful contrast between the Abel spirit and Cain spirit is granted us in the comparison of the hearts of a tax collector and a Pharisee as they approached God in worship. The Pharisee trusted in his accomplishments only and what he has given towards the welfare of others. He glorified himself to be better than others. What God saw in his heart was a spirit of pride and self-exaltation. The tax collector whom we do not really know his status in terms of material acquisition was more reflective of his need for God’s mercies regardless of his material self-worth. God saw in his heart humility and Faith in the mercies of God who abundantly gives us all things richly to enjoy through Christ. The Bible further teaches us that it is God who gave us the Power to obtain wealth and riches to confirm His promises to our fathers. Apostle Paul threw more light by asking us a question. “ What do you have that you did not receive?” Without the gift of life what can we truly accomplish? It is Faith and allegiance towards God that puts us in the right attitude regarding material things and our relationship to other men and women. Hallelujah!! Luke 18: 9-14.