12 Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated... Hosea10:12-14
Hosea chapters 6-10 deal with Israel's persistent failure and hardened heart. These chapters document their disobedience and rejection of God's ways. At the end of chapter 10 we see the inevitable climax of their sin:
- They planted wickedness and reaped evil
- They (willingly) ate the fruit of deception
- They depended on their own strength.
And so war (in the form of the Assyrian invasion) will come.
But it is verse 12 that has grabbed my heart:
Even here, in midst of judgement, God is still appealing to them:
- Sow righteousness - reap love
- Break up your unplowed ground
- Seek the Lord.
It is a powerful image - Hosea sees a field (representing their relationship with God) - It is unplowed and unused.
If they would seek Him, He will bring showers of righteousness.
Imagine two fields:
One barren, dry, unplowed and unfruitful.
Another plowed, sowed, rain falling gently and plants sprouting.
If I want to be the second field, I need to walk in righteousness and love, I need to break the unplowed ground of devotion and seek the Lord.
And the rain will come!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
