GLEANINGS - GenesisSample

You reap what you sow: lessons from Laban’s trickery of Jacob

After Jacob lied to get his father’s blessing, Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob escaped to his uncle Laban’s place. There he found out what it is like to be tricked.

Whether you believe in God or not, the principle of sowing and reaping applies to all. Sowing and reaping are agricultural terms. Farmers and gardeners throughout history have depended on this principle to be true in the natural realm and God’s word says that what is true in agriculture is true in life as well. This is a law of life. God has built this into the fabric of creation in order to deliver a response to our actions. The Bible mentions this principle of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:7-9.

We reap what we sow. If you sow corn, you will reap corn. If you sow tomatoes, you will reap tomatoes. Jacob sowed deception and he reaped deception. You can’t sow to the flesh and hope to reap life. If we sow to the Spirit, however, we will reap eternal life because God is the author of life.

We often also reap more than we sow. Hosea warns about those who sow wickedness: “They sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7). So, there is the multiplication effect. This is because the seed we sow accumulates over time. Holiness of character is developed one choice at a time. Our character comes from our choices because, over time, our choices bend our character in their direction. If we choose to lie – we become a liar and if we choose to steal – we become a thief.

But there is a delay between the sowing and the reaping. The flesh leverages this delay to say, sow what you want, it doesn’t matter. Nothing bad will come of it.

The Spirit speaks to our hearts with faith and says, sow good and don’t grow weary, for in due season you will reap if you don’t give up. If you’ve been sowing but aren’t seeing the reaping, it’s not due season yet. Keep sowing. Don’t grow weary of doing good and don’t give up – yes, there’s a delay, but you will reap in due season.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

In what areas of your life have you sown to the flesh in time past and are now reaping the harvest? What choices can you make to change? How can you sow to the Spirit and see the fruit of a changed life?

QUOTE:

“Do not sow the Word of God plus man’s philosophies, man’s theories, man’s traditions. Just sow the pure Word of God. A good farmer washes his seed before he sows it. A good spiritual farmer makes sure he does not mix God’s Word with anything defiling.” Warren Wiersbe

PRAYER:

Lord, I pray that I will remember the principles of sowing and reaping. Help me to sow the right spiritual seeds in my life today, knowing that it is the choices I make today that will determine my destiny of tomorrow. Amen