Bible Commentaries

FOR A HARVEST FESTIVAL

‘The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord: and Thou givest them their meat in due season.’

Psalms 145:15 (Prayer Book Version)

We shall find a few minutes’ consideration of the words in the text most suitable to the occasion of our Harvest Festival, and most helpful to us if we desire to enter fully into the spirit of religious thankfulness and holy joy, which the event of harvest ought to arouse in our souls.

I. ‘The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord; and Thou givest them their meat in due season.’—That was the result of the unknown Psalmist’s observation of the course of events. He looked round upon the wide corn-fields of Palestine, extending for miles all around, and waving golden in the sunshine with their precious increase. There, as long as industry dwelt in the land, and its fertile plains and terraced hills were inhabited by the free husbandman and vinedresser, the valleys stood thick with corn, and the hills, terrace after terrace, were clothed with vines, purple with such grapes as those of Eshcol, a single bunch of which, in the days of Moses, was a burden for two men. In those days, the palmy days of Israel, the garners were ‘full and plenteous with all manner of store—there was no decay, no leading into captivity, and no complaining in their streets.’

That was the Psalmist’s experience, and it prompted the pious thanksgiving in the text.

II. We look to-day over a wider horizon, and are led to a similar conclusion.—Our knowledge extends to many countries of which our Psalmist had never heard. All of these minister to the support of our people. Abundant and plentiful as our harvest has been, we know that we do not at home grow sufficient corn for our teeming population. The whole world combines to furnish the corn which we need.

And we must not look at this great gift of harvest from a selfish point of view, and as it concerns the supply of our own personal wants alone. We must not look at the harvest of the world as if it was sent for the purpose of feeding English people only. The poor Hindoo in his rice field rejoices in his joyful increase as much as we.

III. Thus, in various forms and by different instrumentalities, God feeds all His creatures.—They look to Him for their food; they cry to Him knowingly or unknowingly, blindly and ignorantly, or with sense and knowledge, when they need it; ‘the lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat from God,’ says the Psalmist; and in some way or other they give, more or less, gratefully, thanks to the Great Father of all. ‘These wait all upon Thee; and thou mayest give them meat in due season. When Thou givest it them they gather it; and when Thou openest Thy hand they are filled with good.’ But if the lower animals thank God only unconsciously, that is not so with man. He stands at the head of the ranks of Creation, and it is his duty and his privilege to offer up to God the praises and thanksgivings of all—fully, freely, sincerely, intelligently, for all His good gifts; and especially for this good gift of harvest, upon which all the others depend, because upon it depends life and health and existence.

IV. It ought not to be passed over in silence that we have this year a harvest plentiful beyond the average of many years past.—It is not so fully recognised as it should be that England has been specially blessed for many years past in being exempted from even partial failure of the wheat crop. The harvest, as we have said, never fails everywhere. It may as surely be counted on generally as the sunrise or the night. But this general certainty is quite consistent with partial failures here and there. Two such, those in India and in China, must be within the memory of us all. Even from these we have been this year, by God’s mercy, exempt.

Are we thankful for them? thankful, that is to say, in the religious sense—not merely glad in a selfish way, that so much more wealth or the means of wealth, has come into our hand; but thankful religiously—referring these our good things to the kind Providence of God—and rendering back to Him something, whatever it may be, doing some kindness, or helping some good work, as a thank-offering to Him.

Illustration

‘We have seen the eyes of a dog fastened on the little child who is eating its cake. The whole nature of the dumb animal is expressed in that eager and alert gaze. Ears, muscles, eyes are all at one. So, says the Psalmist, the eyes of all living things wait upon God, but their eager expectancy does not disturb the tranquillity of His being, for He knows that He can fulfil the desire of every living thing as easily as any of us can open our hands.’