Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lᴏʀᴅ, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors, therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
The last chapters of Hosea include several encouragements to come back to the LORD who has been forsaken. As dark as the Israelite apostasy has been historically and what has been foretold as yet to come if they do not respond to the LORD, God keeps wooing, pleading, welcoming, encouraging the return to Himself.
Think about what is offered by God: sow righteousness and reap continuing love. We cannot make ourselves righteous but we can agree with His ways and live in the righteousness God enables and in that ongoing agreement with Him, we ‘reap’ His continuing love. That is quite the bargain. We don’t earn it but He is willing to give it. He even encourages that now is the time to seek Him so that He is able to rain His righteousness upon you! But maybe ‘it is time to seek the LORD’ includes a warning that ‘eventually’ doesn’t always come—‘now’ is the opportunity He is reminding us we have. The following verses remind us of what is most likely to come if we continue in our own ways, doing our own thing, living at our own pace,
All that we are comfortable with may not endure in our expectations as we get the ‘reaping’ of what we’ve earned. At least sometimes I am surprised by the outcome of my efforts not producing that which honors God… I would rather reap the love God gives.
FOOTNOTES & LINKS:
1 Hosea 10:12 (ESV) Blue Letter Bible link
2 Hosea 10:13-14 (ESV) Blue Letter Bible link