#DailyDevotion Will You Sow & Reap Righteousness or Wickedness & Wrath?
Hos. 10 11Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh. And will I put a yoke on her fair neck? I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will harrow for himself.”
When the cattle thresh the grain, they get to eat as much as they like for themselves. It is fairly easy and enjoyable work for them. Ephraim had been enjoying making use of all the LORD’s benefits to her. The LORD in His affection for the Israelite people and His faithfulness to the covenants blessed this people greatly.
However, things are about to change for Ephraim and Judah. Because of their sins and their not keeping the covenant, the LORD is getting ready to put a heavy yoke on them. No more easy threshing and eating all you like. No, now the hard work of plowing and harrowing will be their lot in life. Things were easy before, now they are going to be much harder. Since they will not serve the LORD and live under His easy yoke, they will serve the Assyrians with hard labor.
How often have we not realized the easy threshing floor the LORD has provided us and have not given Him thanks and praise. The world and the devil promise us freedom and an easy life. What they will give us is a hard life and servitude.
12Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of kindness; break new ground for yourselves. It is time to search for the LORD until He comes and rains righteousness on you.
All hope is not lost yet. The LORD pleads with His people to repent. He calls them to turn away from their idols and false gods. He calls them to turn away from the lives of sins and wickedness which are the fruits of their false worship. The LORD calls them to turn to Him and to seek Him. He is easily found in His word and in the mouths of His prophets. The LORD wants them to trust in Him for all good things and to trust in His name which is grace, mercy, kindness, steadfast love and forgiveness. In trusting in the LORD for these things they will begin to sow righteousness for themselves and reap the fruit of kindness. He will rain righteousness upon them if they would only turn to Him, fear Him, trust Him and love Him.
How often the LORD calls upon us to seek Him in His word? How often does He call together to worship Him? He desires us to trust Him for our daily bread, strength for the day and deliverance from all our problems. He also calls us to turn away from our idols, the people and things we look to for every good.
13You have plowed wickedness and harvested wrong. You have eaten the fruit of lies because you trusted in your ways and your many warriors. 14The noise of war will come against your people; all your fortresses will be destroyed as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in battle: mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. 15So it will be done to you, Bethel, because your wickedness is so very great. At daybreak the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.
Because they will not seek Him, because the trust in themselves, their ways, their strength and the like, war would come upon them. The LORD would destroy them with the hand of Assyria. Their destruction is a preview of judgment day for the world. Don’t follow their path.
Heavenly Father, may we have no trust or fear than You and Your Son Jesus Christ. Let us seek You so we may be blessed by You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.