Spurgeon: August PM
* 08/04/PM
"I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all
the labours of your hands."
--Haggai 2:17
How destructive is the hail to the standing crops, beating out
the precious grain upon the ground! How grateful ought we to be
when the corn is spared so terrible a ruin! Let us offer unto
the Lord thanksgiving. Even more to be dreaded are those
mysterious destroyers--smut, bunt, rust, and mildew. These turn
the ear into a mass of soot, or render it putrid, or dry up the
grain, and all in a manner so beyond all human control that the
farmer is compelled to cry, "This is the finger of God."
Innumerable minute fungi cause the mischief, and were it not for
the goodness of God, the rider on the black horse would soon
scatter famine over the land. Infinite mercy spares the food of
men, but in view of the active agents which are ready to destroy
the harvest, right wisely are we taught to pray, "Give us this
day our daily bread." The curse is abroad; we have constant need
of the blessing. When blight and mildew come they are
chastisements from heaven, and men must learn to hear the rod,
and Him that hath appointed it.
Spiritually, mildew is no uncommon evil. When our work is
most promising this blight appears. We hoped for many
conversions, and lo! a general apathy, an abounding worldliness,
or a cruel hardness of heart! There may be no open sin in those
for whom we are labouring, but there is a deficiency of
sincerity and decision sadly disappointing our desires. We learn
from this our dependence upon the Lord, and the need of prayer
that no blight may fall upon our work. Spiritual pride or sloth
will soon bring upon us the dreadful evil, and only the Lord of
the harvest can remove it. Mildew may even attack our own
hearts, and shrivel our prayers and religious exercises. May it
please the great Husbandman to avert so serious a calamity.
Shine, blessed Sun of Righteousness, and drive the blights away.