Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Hosea 10:12 KJV
Ancient Israel was an agrarian community with farmers and those who reared livestock. The land the Lord had given the Israelites, however, was not the most irrigated land, unlike Egypt where they came from. It was a land that depended solely on the Lord for rain and the ability to bear fruits. In preparation for this rain, the Israelites knew too well the importance of preparing their crops. They needed to break up the fallow ground, till the soil before putting the seeds in it. After this preparation, they waited for the rain.
In Genesis 8:22, God promised that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest time will continue. This had importance to physical Israel and now even much more to spiritual Israel, the church. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says that we have a treasure, the Holy Spirit in a vessel made of earth. This vessel is our body made of earth. We can rephrase Genesis 8:22, then to say, while we are in this body of earth, seedtime and harvest will continue. The seed, the rain, and the harvest also have spiritual significance to us. Hosea 10:12 admonishes us to sow to ourselves in righteousness. Jesus tells us in Luke 8:11 that the seed is the Word of God that grows in us to bear fruit.
Before seed is sown, however, the fallow ground is broken. Without breaking the fallow ground, the ground will be too hard for the seed to germinate and it will become food for birds. So the ground is wet with water and broken with hard instruments. Spiritually, this speaks of different dimensions of the Word of God that comes to us. It comes as the water to wash and to soften our heart with the assurance of His love as Ephesians 5:25-26 says and as a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29) to break lies that we have believed, that truth may take root in us. The Lord comes to us in these dimensions to prepare us for the rain.
Just like any farmer, the Lord who gives seed expects a harvest. In Isaiah 5:1-8 the Lord was upset with Israel because He had invested so much in them, sending prophets, doing miracles, giving them the law. Yet when He came looking for fruits of righteousness, he found injustice. For us, Jesus said the Words He speaks to us are Spirit and Life. This means the fruit He expects to find in us, as Galatians 5:22 says, is the fruit of the Spirit which is Love (the other 8 attributes also being part of Love as described in 1 Corinthians 13). God is Love and so after giving us His Seed, He expects to see His nature in us. In order for Him to receive this fruit, He sends His rain. Hosea 6:1-2 shows that the rain is the way the Lord comes to us to bring a revival and elevate us to a higher level of life in Him.
All that said, it is important to note that we are the ones who sow to ourselves in righteousness, with the seeds we have been given. Paul also shows us in Galatians 6:8 that we can choose to either sow to our flesh and reap corruption or sow to our spirit and reap life and peace. As we journey in the faith, the Lord sends us His word in various forms to prepare our hearts for His rain. It is our responsibility to ensure that our heart is fertile and has the right seed planted in it, seeds that endure to eternal life. Practically sowing in righteousness involves meditating, confessing, and pondering on promises, and obeying the commandments of God to us. We can only do our part to plant seeds and pray for the rain, however, it is the Lord that gives the increase. He rewards them that diligently seek.
Final thoughts: Do you have things in your life that you are not proud of? Things that do not reflect godliness? If yes, then this is your seed time. Take it upon yourself to find scriptures and verses that address the situation. Meditate on them, confess them, ponder on the verses seek the Lord for rain, the increase only He can give. In due season you will reap in Mercy (the Lord’s benevolence towards you) as long as you do not grow tired.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word that comes to me each day with assurance of your love and instructions in righteousness. Help me to heed to your Word and meditate on Your Word that it may be planted in me. Pour out your rain on me Lord, that I may yield fruits of righteousness for you. Amen
Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23
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