"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you." -Hosea 10:12
It often seems that our good deeds go unrewarded and our bad deeds go unpunished. Hosea reminds us that the Lord will repay you for what you have sown. If you sow righteousness you will reap mercy and the Lord will rain down righteousness on you. If you sow wickedness the judgment of God will come down on your head.
Israel had sown wickedness. They had played the harlot with other gods. Their spiritual adultery was absolute wickedness before the eyes of God. Because of this sin, the Lord was going to send Israel into captivity. They were going to serve other nations, pull a plow, and be harnessed like oxen. They were getting what they deserved.
But the Lord still loved Israel. He called them out of Egypt. He bore them up on eagles wings (Exodus 19:4). he gave them the Word of God. He provided them with the proper instruction for worship. He provided all that they needed as they wandered through the wilderness. Even when Israel played the harlot over and over, God still loved Israel.
The Lord loves you and me in spite of our sin. Even though we play the harlot and serve other gods over and over again, He still loves us. We deserve the wrath of God. "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" Romans 6:1-2. Let us not presume upon God's grace by continuing in sin. Let us sow righteousness that we may reap mercy and see the showers of righteousness fall from heaven on us. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:7-9
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