THE CROWNING OF THE YEAR

PSALMS 65:1

A. "THOU CROWNEST THE YEAR WITH THY GOODNESS; AND THY PATHS DROP FATNESS"
  1. In the midst of great political convulsions, of shaking of nations and kingdoms:
    1. Jehovah had manifested His goodness to His people
    2. By sending down the blessings upon their flocks and their fields
    3. The folds were full of sheep
    4. The valleys stood so thick with corn that they laughed and sang
  2. Peace had been given to Zion as well as plenty:
    1. The goodness of the Lord was in evidence among His people
    2. To the Psalmist the blessings of the year was the crown of God upon His relationship with His people B. HARVEST THANKSGIVING
  3. Israel had three feasts in memory of the blessings of the harvests:
    1. The Passover was kept in the time of the year when the barley harvest was begun and a sheaf of the first fruits was offered as a thank offering - Lev. 23:10
    2. Fifty days later came Pentecost when the wheat was ripe; and then two loaves of the new corn was presented - Lev. 23:17
    3. Last of all the Feast of Tabernacles when the fruits of the earth had been gathered in and the people gave thanks and rejoiced before the Lord - Lev. 23:40; Deut. 16:13-17
  4. The harvest crown comes as the reward of human labor:
    1. Man is called to be a co-worker with God - 2 Cor. 6:1
    2. Nature may do its best, but with out the efforts of men, nothing could be accomplished. To Adam and Eve the Lord said, "Replenish the earth, and subdue it" - Gen. 1:28
    3. God cannot and will not crown laziness during seeding time and the cultivation of the land - Prov. 6:6-9; 13:4; Prov. 4:33
    4. Neither will men enjoy the blessings of the harvest, unless they have had a part in preparing for the harvest C. AND YET THE HARVEST IS THE GIFT OF GOD, AND SHOULD LINK MAN WITH GOD
  5. Man can only do his little part:
    1. He ploughs and sows
    2. He cultivates, making what preparation he can, and then he has to sit down and wait; he can hasten nothing; he must work and then wait
    3. Who is he waiting for God - for ought we know, God could do the work instantly; Examples: Jesus made wine in a moment of time - John 2:6-8; "He spake and it was done" - Ps. 33:9; Elijah commanded the widow to borrow vessels and begin filling them with oil, and the oil flowed - 2 Kings 4:3-7
    4. God chooses to wait upon man's co-operation and he does it to teach man to work together with God
  6. God blesses our humble efforts:
    1. When we do our part, be it in the field or in the home
    2. Be it in the work of soul-winning or in the work of the church in general
    3. If we wish to see and experience the joy of a bountiful harvest; we must do our part to make it possible
  7. The crowning of the harvest is not for ornament and beauty only:
    1. It is, also, for utility and beneficence the ripe grain becomes the seed of the future harvest
    2. The husbandman plans to use the best of his grain and cast it into the ground to produce another bountiful harvest
  8. What should come to our mind during the harvest feast is:
    1. That God's world is not a dead world at all it is still loaded with the potentials of a bountiful harvest
    2. It is true, the curse of sin has plagued the world, but God in His mercy, still uses the powers of the earth and nature to bless men
    3. It is God's world and it is ruled by His laws
    4. Looking back we should review the great events of the year - God's underserved care and constant benevolence for us
    5. Harvest time should fill our hearts with thanksgiving to the lord of the harvest


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