What is the spiritual significance of the "early and latter rain" mentioned in James 5:7?

Question

What is the spiritual significance of the "early and latter rain" mentioned in

James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.( AKJV )

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What does "early and latter rain" practically mean in the life of a beleiver?

What is the "precious fruit" refered to here related to the beleiver ?

Does this have any relation to "hope" and "promises" in

Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

If yes then what is the hope and what are the promises ?

Answer 1

In commenting on James 5:7, Ellicott reminds us:

The early and latter rain.—It is, perhaps, just as well to recollect there were only two seasons of rainfall in the Holy Land, and, if long delayed, famine was a certain result. … The “early rain” fell during the autumn sowing—in October, November, and December; “the latter” in March and April.

Some versions translate these "early" and "latter" rains as "autumn" and "spring" rains respectively, eg, NIV and BSB, etc.

As to the significance of this agrarian simile, there is much debate, especially among some of the extreme Christian groups which I will avoid here. The simplest, most obvious explanation is that provided by Barnes who comments:

Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth - The farmer waits patiently for the grain to grow. It requires time to mature the crop, and he does not become impatient. The idea seems to be, that we should wait for things to develop themselves in their proper season, and should not be impatient before that season arrives. In due time we may expect the harvest to be ripened. We cannot hasten it. We cannot control the rain, the sun, the season; and the farmer therefore patiently waits until in the regular course of events he has a harvest. So we cannot control and hasten the events which are in God's own keeping; and we should patiently wait for the developments of his will, and the arrangements of his providence, by which we may obtain what we desire.

This idea of patience is suggested in the verse of James 5:7, itself, "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming." In fact, the NLT makes this more explicit: "Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen."

The "precious fruit" may well be an allusion to Gal 5:22, 23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." It might also include the mysterious workings of God sovereign providence in the affairs of men to finally resolve the problem of sin at His return, or "His coming" as James 5:7 says.

(I cannot see an immediate connection with Heb 6:11, except for the incidental use of the word "patient".)

Answer 2

The "rain" represents the sanctifying grace and mercy of God's providence that He affords those who submit themselves to His care with patience and restraint when under trials. Its outworking is through the sanctifying and sustaining work of the Holy Spirit who enables us when we set our hearts to walk faithfully during such times.

Answer 3

In James 5:1-6, the rich are described as oppressing the righteous. In James 5:7, he urges the righteous to remain patience until the Lord's coming. This call for patience aligns with the teachings in Deuteronomy 32:35; Proverbs 20:22; Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30:

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

Therefore, whether referred to as "early and latter rain" and "precious fruit" in the AKJV version, or "autumn and spring rains" and "valuable crop" in the NIV version, the specific terms are less significant. The primary emphasis is on the call for "patience", and the farming scenario effectively illustrates the need for "waiting" for the appropriate time.

Believers in every generation will certainly experience the injustices of the world. They are urged to remain patience, to not seek vengeance, and to let the Lord enact justice. The scope of 'patience' in James 5:7 and Hebrews 6:12 may differ slightly, but they align in principle.

Hebrews 6:9-12 (NIV)

9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation (my emphasis). 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

The hope of humanity and the promise from God is the salvation of the righteous, who receive the forgiveness of sins and dwell with God eternally.

Answer 4

Agricultural Year
The meteorological calendar of Israel (N.T. Judea) is very interesting. But there are a few bits of information that must be learned.

• The nomenclature is different in different hemispheres. When the Bible speaks of the Early Rain, those in North America would assume rain that falls in the Spring time. And the Latter Rain would be considered the Fall rains.
  But this terminology is just the opposite in Israel: the Early rain is that which pours down in October and November; the Latter rain in April and May.

• Although only two rainy periods are oft repeated in the Bible, there are in fact Three rainy periods. Between the Early and Latter Rain is the Winter rain---and this rain is much greater than either of the two!!! And it lasts from December to March continually.

• The importance of the two rain periods (early and later), even though they are minimal, is related to their necessity for planting and harvesting. The Early rain (Fall rain) loosens up the extremely hard soil---hardened by four months of hot, dry sunshine, in which there is no water falling. At this time the farmers plow the ground, and plant their seeds.
  During the Latter rain, the crops that have been growing throughout the "winter", are given a boost that swells their grains, and increases the harvest. Note that a drenching downpour is not what is needed, for that would level the crops and destroy the harvest! As Proverbs said, "Rain during harvest is a curse." (Compare hay harvesting in the America, and the need for no rain at that time.)

Note the information given by the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible:

This hot, dry summer is a common feature of most of the lands surrounding the the Mediterranean; it is balanced by a cool wet winter, but, from the farmers point of view, the two critical periods are the beginning and end of the wet season, when temperatures are high enough to promote growth, and the soil is moist enough to work. (vol.5, p. 27-8)

Spiritual Significance
There are some modern pastors and denominations that have built a whole history of the Church around this agricultural year, saying that the two rains represent the outpouring of the Holy Spirit---first century and twentieth century occurrences. But, of course, they have erroneously left out the middle of the year winter rain...which is greater than the other two! This info totally destroys their symbolic picture of Church history. If they were consistent in their symbolism, the Middle Ages would have had a greater outpouring than either of the other two---which they would deny.

True Message
What then, is the message of James 5:7? It is summed up in the very first part of the verse: be patient unto the coming of the Lord. The rest is simply illustrative of this message. "Precious fruit" is just a synonym for "harvest." And "patience" is a character quality that all farmers need when anticipating that harvest.

All Christians, through boredom and adversity, good times and bad times, drought and prosperity, atheistic attack and pagan persecution...are to stay the course! Until Christ Returns with resurrection power and rewards for this patient endurance.

There is no special significance of the verbage in the farmer illustration. "Let us not lose sight of the forest because of the trees in the way!"

And again, James repeated himself at the end: Be patient; establish your hearts, for the Coming of the Lord draws near. (Hebrews 6:11 is a similar exhortation by a different author. All the disciples recognized this same need in the believer: perseverance.)