Sermon and Worship Resources

Dictionary: Harvest

The harvest was a major event on the yearly calendar of Israel’s agrarian society (Lev. 25:11; Judg. 15:1; Ruth 1:22; 2 Sam. 21:9–10). Life was dependent on the harvest. As a result, God set certain rules with respect to the harvest to help the Israelites keep proper priorities. Every seven years and every fiftieth year, the people were to give the land a rest (Exod. 23:10; Lev. 25:20–22). The people were to rest on the Sabbath, even during the harvesttime (Exod. 34:21). Some portions of crops were to be left in the field so that the poor might have food (Lev. 19:9; 23:22; Deut. 24:21). The people were to acknowledge God as the source of the harvest by offering the first of the produce (Lev. 23:10). Celebrating the harvest was commanded (Exod. 23:16; Deut. 16:15; Isa. 9:3). Planning for the harvest was a mark of wisdom (Prov. 6:8; 10:5; 20:4). Even as a good harvest was the blessing of God (Ps. 67:6; Isa. 62:9), so a bad harvest was a curse from God and the plight of a fool (1 Sam. 12:17; Job 5:5; Prov. 26:1; Isa. 18:4–5; Jer. 8:13, 20; Joel 3:12; Mic. 6:15). Failure to acknowledge God for the harvest was a sin (Jer. 5:24).

The harvest is often used in Scripture as an analogy. The prophets talk about the negative harvest of idolatry (Isa. 17:11). Israel is called the firstfruits of God’s harvest (Jer. 2:3). Hosea uses the idea of harvest to indicate that God’s people have a future (Hos. 6:11). In the Gospels, the harvest is used as an analogy for those needing to hear the good news (Matt. 9:37–38), for the end times (Matt. 13:24–30; Rev. 14:15), and for a lesson about unfaithful leadership (Matt. 21:33–46; 25:24). In the remainder of the NT, the harvest analogy usually refers to Christian growth and salvation (Rom. 1:13; 1 Cor. 9:10–11; 2 Cor. 9:10; Gal. 6:9; Heb. 12:11; James 3:18).

Synonyms: gathering, crops, harvesting, harvest time, harvest home, yield, reap, vintage, year's growth, return, result, fruits, gather in, gather, bring in, take in, glean, acquire, obtain, gain, get, procure, secure, earn

Antonyms: plant, cultivate, decompose, seed, start, adjourn, disperse, scatter, disseminate, sow, experimental work, circularize, propagate, circulate, raise, antecedent, causation, foundation, grounds, inception

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1. Swept Up Together

Luke 11:14-28

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... thought crossed my mind that I might use a vacuum sweeper. Let’s see what happens when I scatter these things on the floor and then plug in my sweeper. [Scatter some objects like paper, dust, marbles, blocks of wood, etc.] Let’s pretend that Jesus is the sweeper and that he is coming out to ... get us. We are all scattered around because we are the pieces of things that I have just spread out all over the floor. Let’s pretend that ...

2. Listening and Paying Attention

Matthew 13:1-23

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... nod in agreement. Then I hold up a bag I've brought with me and ask the children what it contains. "Sunflower seeds!" several reply. "Well, suppose I wanted to plant these seeds to grow sunflowers," I suggest. "What would happen if I just went out and scattered them on the ground?" "The birds would eat them!" comes the response. "That's right," I agree. "Birds like sunflower seeds. What if I threw them into some rocks?" "They wouldn't grow," the children assure me. "No, they can't grow in rocks. Seeds need ...

3. Anger

John 2:12-25

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... worth. And that's what happened to the folks who came to the Temple to exchange their money. The money-changers charged them a lot more than was fair. When Jesus saw what was going on, what happened?" "He got angry and turned over the tables and scattered money all over the place," a boy answers. "Yes," I reply, "Jesus got angry. And it wasn't just the business with the money-changers that angered him. Back in that time, the Jews practiced animal sacrifice, and the animals used for this had to be absolutely ...

4. Stumbling Blocks

1 Corinthians 10:32

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... or behave, they may decide that they don't want to be Christians if that's the way you turn out. Those are stumbling block Christians. They keep getting in other people's way. People who are stumbling blocks are like a room with all of the clothes and toys scattered over the floor. We all know that they don't belong there and we know that someone may get hurt, but we are careless. We forget what it is like to trip and get hurt. Some boys and girls forget what it would be like to be without Jesus. They ...

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