Bible Truth #398 - Luke 10:1-2

Luke 10:1-2

1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

2  Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.

Jesus did not pray for the harvest, i.e. God’s Elect. Nor did He at this point teach the apostles to pray for the harvest. He taught them to pray for WORKERS to be sent. WHY?

Because God is the one who makes any planted seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-7), God is the One responsible for what is IN the fields, and that’s where the harvest takes place. There is no harvest among the thorns, there is no harvest along the path, and there is no harvest among rocky soil. All these are the equivalent of the hearts of the lost who haven’t been chosen (Matthew 13 - Bible Truth #38) and just as soil can’t change itself, neither can lost men change their hearts and believe, repent, or “accept” Jesus. The heart must be changed BY GOD from a God-hater to a God-lover BEFORE a man will respond by recognizing his need for the Savior. That is exactly what takes place every time God saves a man. God changes the soil (the heart) FIRST, the soil THEN is receptive to the seed and God MAKES it grow and produce fruit.

But back to the harvest field... Jesus taught his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to SEND OUT WORKERS. Here is a verse that reconciles and supports Philippians 2:13, that God works in us to think & believe and act according to His purpose. “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers...” Sounds to me like workers aren’t going to go unless they are sent. Jesus didn’t teach pray that workers go, He said, pray that God would SEND the workers. I pray you see the difference. Think about it. The difference is huge. Please read it again: Jesus didn’t teach pray that workers go, He said, “pray that God would SEND the workers.”

Do you think if God sends a worker, there’s a chance that the worker won’t go? Do you think if God sends a worker, there’s a chance the worker will say, “No, I’m not going.” ? Sovereign means God gets His way and He DOES get His way (Isaiah 55:11), EVERY time.

Please, please pay close attention to the pronoun preceding “harvest field” in verse 38. Whose harvest field is it? God is sovereign and if He doesn’t want workers going into His fields, they aren’t going. An example of this is Romans 1:13 and Acts 16:6-7 (Bible Truth #127). More than once not only was Paul NOT sent, but actually prevented from going into the harvest field. So the opposite of God sending a worker is also true. Do you think if God doesn’t send a worker, or actually prevents a worker from going into an area, do you think that worker will go? Even if you think a man can be “disobedient” and go anyway (which I don’t believe can happen), do you think the worker will “harvest” anyone? (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

Bottom Line - God makes the seed grow and God sends (or doesn’t send) workers into HIS fields. THAT’s sovereignty in Election.