The Fallen Harvest

Isaiah 16:9
“Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.”

A sad statement is made in the verse above when it says, “…for thy harvest is fallen.” What does it mean when God says that the “harvest is fallen?” Jeremiah 8:20 is a good definition of this when it says, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” It is sad that the harvest was never harvested, and what could have become a time of joy became a time of weeping. Had the harvest been reaped before it was fallen, the people would have had a time to rejoice because of the reaping of the harvest.

Sadly, the harvest is continuing to fall all over the world. The LORD sent the church to reach the harvest, but the church doesn’t seem to be concerned with reaching it. The problem is not that there is no harvest; rather, the problem is that there are no laborers to reach the harvest before it is past. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 9:38, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” It is never a harvest issue; it is always a laborer issue. If we could get laborers to reach the harvest, the harvest would never fall. In the next verse, God shows the results of a fallen harvest. Let me share with you the results of the fallen harvest.

First, a fallen harvest results in sadness and a lack of joy. Verse 10 says, “And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field…” One of the ways to put a smile back on the face of the believer is to get them to reach the harvest. Nothing brings gladness more quickly than reaching a soul for Jesus Christ. The grumpy believer is the believer who never reaches the lost for Jesus Christ. The believer who never sees what is going right is the believer who never reaches the harvest. The quickest way for a believer to get rid of a critical spirit is to go reach the harvest for Jesus Christ. You will be amazed how your negativity will flee when you start reaching people for Jesus Christ.

Second, a fallen harvest results in no singing. Verse 10 continues to say, “…and in the vineyards there shall be no singing…” Something about reaching the lost for Christ brings a song to the heart of a believer. One of the reasons a church has a dead song service is because they are not reaching the lost for Christ. You will always find an exciting song service in the church that is actively reaching the harvest for Christ. You won’t have to manufacture a feeling in the song service if you will just reach the harvest for Christ.

Third, a fallen harvest results in no shouting. Verse 10 continues to say, “…neither shall there be shouting…” The church that reaches the harvest will be a church that will enjoy the preaching of God’s Word and will show their enjoyment through the shouting of “Amen’s.” If you want to make the preaching service exciting, then go reach the harvest and you will find yourself becoming easily excited in the preaching.

Fourth, a fallen harvest results in ministries dying. Verse 10 continues to say, “…the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses…” The dying church is a church that never reaches the harvest. If you want to keep your church from dying, then you need to get actively involved in the harvest. A church that is actively reaching the harvest is a church that will never need to be concerned with dying ministries.

Author: Allen Domelle