Wheat fire at Lake Cargelligo.

While working on my theology degree in the early 70’s I spent my breaks working on a wheat property in Western NSW.  It was harvest time, the weather was blistering hot, as Australian summers can be. Because I was ‘the boy’ my harvester was the old one. Others got to sit in air-conditioned cabs with the harvesting comb in front of them. I had to sit on an open-air tractor which pulled the harvester behind. The whole thing was driven by a PTO shaft.  My job was to watch behind for the level of crop stripping and maintain a straight course along the crop.

The hours rolled by and my attention waned. On one occasion I looked behind and was startled to notice the crop was on fire for about 50 meters. My header comb had accumulated stubble in the outer edge and the friction had ignited it, and I had inadvertently dragged the fire along the edge of the wheat crop. My heart leaped, and so did I – from the tractor. I grabbed a sack from the floor and started beating the fire along the line. This would put out the flames. Others quickly joined me, and it would seem that we almost had it beaten, when a gust of wind would fuel the fire and it would flare up again.  The fire spread, until it had burned a large patch. Others parked their expensive machinery on the burnt patch, because fire cannot burn twice in the same place, and then they joined the struggle.

A neighbour saw the smoke and he panicked too! He didn’t want a fire getting into his crop. He quickly hooked up a plough to his tractor and drove straight over the top of the boundary fence. He was not going to waste time driving around the road. When he got to the fire, he dropped his plough and made a fire break around the crop. We were then able to quickly bring the fire under control. It was exhausting.

On reflection, I learnt the following truth. The best safety in a fire, is to be where the fire has already been. In the last days the fire of God’s wrath must finally deal with sin and rebellion. Our only safety is to be where that fire has already raged. The fire of God’s wrath has been poured out on Christ and our eternal security depends on you trusting in that event.

Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’—.” (NASB)

The context of this verse reads like this: “For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”  Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “The person who performs them will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:10-14 NASB

Your only safety in the grand climax of this world’s rebellion is to be where the fire of God’s wrath has already been – in Christ at the cross.