Topical Bible: The Gifts of God: Temporal: Rain and Fruitful Seasons

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Topical Encyclopedia

The gifts of God manifest in various forms, both spiritual and temporal. Among the temporal blessings, rain and fruitful seasons stand out as essential provisions for sustaining life on earth. These gifts are frequently acknowledged in the Bible as expressions of God's benevolence and faithfulness to His creation.

Biblical Foundation

Rain and fruitful seasons are depicted in Scripture as direct blessings from God, essential for agricultural productivity and the sustenance of human and animal life. In the Book of Acts, the Apostle Paul speaks to the people of Lystra, emphasizing God's kindness through these gifts: "Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). This passage highlights the divine origin of these natural phenomena and their role in providing for human needs.

Old Testament References

The Old Testament frequently associates rain with God's covenantal promises and His control over nature. In Deuteronomy, Moses instructs the Israelites on the blessings of obedience, including the provision of rain: "The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands" (Deuteronomy 28:12). Here, rain is portrayed as a reward for faithfulness, underscoring its significance as a divine gift.

The Psalms also celebrate God's provision through rain and fruitful seasons. Psalm 65:9-10 declares, "You attend to the earth and water it; with abundance You enrich it. The streams of God are full of water, for You prepare our grain by providing for the earth. You soak its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its growth." This poetic imagery reflects the nurturing aspect of God's provision, ensuring the earth's fertility and productivity.

New Testament Insights

In addition to the Acts passage, the New Testament continues to affirm God's role in providing rain and fruitful seasons. Jesus, in His teachings, points to God's impartial generosity: "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). This statement emphasizes God's universal grace, extending His gifts to all humanity regardless of their moral standing.

Theological Implications

The provision of rain and fruitful seasons is not merely a natural occurrence but a testament to God's ongoing involvement in the world. These gifts serve as reminders of His sovereignty, faithfulness, and care for His creation. They also call for a response of gratitude and stewardship from humanity, recognizing the dependence on God's provision for sustenance and well-being.

Practical Considerations

For believers, acknowledging rain and fruitful seasons as gifts from God encourages a posture of thankfulness and reliance on divine providence. It also inspires responsible stewardship of the earth's resources, aligning human activity with God's design for creation. In agricultural communities, these gifts are particularly celebrated, as they directly impact livelihoods and community welfare.

In summary, rain and fruitful seasons are temporal gifts from God, richly woven into the biblical narrative as symbols of His goodness and provision. They invite believers to trust in God's care and to respond with gratitude and stewardship.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 27:28
Therefore God give you of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 26:4,5
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 30:23
Then shall he give the rain of your seed, that you shall sow the ground with; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall your cattle feed in large pastures.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Treatise v. An Address to Demetrianus.
... this your obstinacy and contempt, if the rain comes down ... until, when the end of the
temporal life shall ... but to God, shall not receive God's gifts and promises ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise v an address to.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of ...
... an ignorant sot, and that I want those blessed gifts of knowledge ... At these seasons
he would not let me eat my ... do it now, or you will displease God, and despise ...
/.../bunyan/grace abounding to the chief of sinners/grace abounding to the chief.htm

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... They carry it even in their most eminent seasons, as if the sense and ... He was a servant,
a servant among the servants of God, and had gifts and abilities ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a treatise of the fear.htm

Election and Ordination of Bishops: Form of Service on Sundays.
... 3628] and bestow upon them for their temporal things, those ... wilt mercifully look
down upon these gifts which are here set before Thee, O Thou God, who standest ...
/.../constitutions of the holy apostles/sec ii election and ordination of.htm

True Prayer --True Power!
... If you want either a temporal or spiritual mercy ... injunction in coveting very earnestly
such gifts as these ... but seek the spirit of prayer, and God Almighty bless ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/true prayertrue power.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... for fear lest that grace, and these gifts that the ... wherefore light, even the
illuminating grace of God, especially in ... lo, the winter is past the rain is over ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1836 to the ...
... praise him for any other blessings, whether temporal or spiritual ... therefore, before
he began to exercise his gifts as a ... spread of the gospel of the Son of God. ...
/.../chapter 14 from the close.htm

Christian Behavior
... to the downward, dark, dreary road to misery temporal and eternal ... with God: 'covet
earnestly the best gifts' (1 Corinthians ... be in thee any fear of God, or love ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/christian behavior.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
... that Bunyan journeyed to that bright and fruitful land of ... other good people had give
them of God;[21] but ... sot, and that I want those blessed gifts of knowledge ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/grace abounding to the chief.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1808, to the ...
... could, while he so applied himself to temporal business as ... which he was eminently
fitted both by gifts and grace ... with outpourings of the Spirit of God, so that ...
/.../chapter 8 from the close.htm