By the time you read this column, the summer will nearly be over, and many people will be heading back to work, children to school and young adults off to university.
Many years ago, in farming communities, the end of the summer, the harvest's completion, and the crops' gathering was a great social event. It was often seen as a time of new beginnings, a fresh start, and when the cycle of life began again.
The Bible develops this idea by calling people to enjoy a fresh start in their relationship with God. Jeremiah, one of the ancient prophets of Israel, wrote the following words - ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved,’ Jer. 8. 20. Jeremiah is often described as the ‘weeping prophet’. A prophet in Bible times was a man who brought God’s message to the citizens of his country (and sometimes other nations). He was commissioned by ‘the Almighty’ to communicate a straightforward and specific message. Jeremiah had been doing this for a long time. He had become discouraged and downhearted with the lack of response from the nation he spoke to. It is recorded in Jeremiah chapter nine verse one that the Prophet was brokenhearted and wept over the state of his nation - ‘If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people’[1].
Any thinking person should be very upset at the state of our nation. We live in days when there is no absolute right and wrong, truth is traded for lies, people are free to do what is right in their own eyes, and we are often very self-centred. I believe God is very upset that we have moved so far away from the morals and values He designed us to live by.
It could be said of us - ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved,’ Jeremiah 8:20. As a society, we have lost our way.
However, as individuals, we still have an opportunity to make things right. God is calling our nation to repent of our evil and the pain we have brought upon each other by breaking God’s moral law. This change of mind and heart starts with individuals!
We can be saved and rescued from God's judgment against our sins. This is the very reason Jesus came. The Bible unequivocally states, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,’ 1 Tim 1.15. This is a message of hope and encouragement that should fill us with optimism.
If we follow the advice of scripture and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, realising that he died and rose from the dead to take the punishment for our sins, and if we accept him as our Saviour and Lord, we will be saved.
