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Grim
Reaping
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The prophets were special
spokesmen of God. They could see far into the future and
forecast things that were to come. Sometimes, their
predictions were pleasant, as when they told of the coming
Messiah, the Savior of the world. Other times, their
prophecies warned of something more devastating that God would
send down out of heaven.
Hosea was charged with the responsibility of telling God’s
own people of His displeasure with them. He spoke for the Lord
when he said, “They have transgressed My covenant and
rebelled against My law” (Hos. 8:1). Israel had appointed
their own rulers and princes without consulting the King in
heaven. They had taken God’s gifts of silver and gold and
fashioned them into false idols for worship. Because of their
sins, Hosea foretold the Lord’s pending punishment and
destruction upon them. In short, “they sow the wind, and
they reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7).
It is a simple law of nature. When you put a certain kind of
seed in the ground, there is only one kind of crop you will
reap. You don’t sow corn seed and look to harvest potatoes.
You don’t plant an acorn and wait for a palm tree to sprout
up. You reap what you sow. Israel had sown the wind: vain,
futile and worthless worship. They reaped the whirlwind: an
agent of violence and desolation. They received back what they
had planted...and then some.
Before we are too quick to complain about how far things have
strayed in the religious world, we must see that much of it is
the result of seeds we have sown in the ground. These choices,
sometimes small and with good intentions, have grown and
flourished and are now bearing fruit. We can see the
whirlwind; oh, that we had first seen the wind.
We have sown entertaining worship, we are reaping contemporary
Christians. It is not uncommon to drive by a church
building and see a sign advertising one assembly with
“traditional worship” and one at a later time with
“contemporary worship.” I wonder which service the Lord
attends? How can both be acceptable to Him? This is proof that
many churches are taking a man-centered approach to a
God-centered activity. Worship must now give to me instead of
me giving to God (see Psa. 96:7-10).
My entertainment is chosen according to what fits “my”
tastes and preferences. If one television show doesn’t keep
my interest, I’ll just keep pressing the button on the
remote until I find another one that does. But once you convert
a man with entertainment, you’re going to have to keep him
entertained with brighter lights and louder music. Otherwise,
he’ll just go a little further down the road until he finds
a church that will. Israel was punished for worshiping idols.
How shall we escape the sin of worshiping ourselves?
We have sown casual dress, we are reaping an informal attitude
toward God. It is amazing to me what people will wear
in public. They eat in restaurants sporting attire that leaves
little to the imagination. They arrive to board an airplane
looking like they’re still in their pajamas. Even many of
the businesses who experimented with “casual Fridays” have
abandoned the practice due to a noticeable decrease in
employee productivity. It didn’t work.
But that hasn’t stopped us from casual Sundays. The “come
as you are” philosophy can rob us of a reverent, dignified
worship service. The person who argues otherwise would never
dress down to go to a funeral. Why do so when commemorating
the death of the Lord? I know that God sees the heart and is
interested in what is on the inside (Matt. 15:8; 23:27). But
when you make no distinction between worship clothes and
casual clothes, you are less likely to address the importance
of the Lord’s day over every other day of the week.
We have sown lack of discipline, we are reaping
irresponsibility. Many children are treated with
kids’ gloves in our day. They are at times found innocent
before the parent-teacher conference even begins. If someone
brings an accusation against a child, they are thought of as
too harsh or rigid. And even when children are brought to
justice, the judgment rendered is a mere slap on the wrist
that does little to deter a repeat offense.
This has helped produce a generation who thinks they can do
whatever they want. If they see something they’d like to
have, they just take it. No one has stopped them before. If
they know something is wrong, they do it anyway and wait for
mom and dad to swoop down and rescue them again. When what
they need are parents who love them enough to discipline them.
That is certainly the purpose behind the spiritual correction
from our Father’s hand (Heb. 12:4-11). He directs our paths
away from the wind to avoid the destruction of the whirlwind.
Let parents show the same responsibility in this regard.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man
sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Harvest time is
coming. Whatever seed you put in the ground, you will have to
face what comes up.
Bubba Garner
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