In the book of Hosea, Hosea shared how Jehovah God said, “Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loves to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods”, and in chapter ten and verse twelve of Hosea, Hosea said, “sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy” where we read,
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground:
for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
The verse begins, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground:” Hosea began with the words, “sow to yourselves in righteousness” or “scatter yield producing seed to your own selves in justice, lawfulness, correctness and truthfulness”, “reap in mercy” which means “harvest and gather in goodness, kindness and faithfulness”; “break up” or “freshly plow or till” “your fallow ground” which means “your, Israel's, tillable and untilled land”. Hosea called upon the “people of Israel” to scatter within themselves the seeds of justice and truthfulness, and they would harvest kindness and faithfulness. He also told them to freshly plow up their hardened land.
The verse continues, “for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea added the words, “for it is time” or “because, since and on account that the season, occurrence and occasion has come” “to seek the LORD” which means “to resort to, search with care, frequent and inquire of Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God”, “till he come and rain righteousness” or “unto the time he, Jehovah God, enters, enumerates, casts and shoots forth justice, rightness and justification” “upon you” which means “on you, Israel”. Hosea declared it to be the season and occasion for the people of Israel to resort to Jehovah God until He enters among them and shoots forth justice, rightness and justification upon them.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how Hosea exhorted the people of Israel to scatter seeds of justice and lawfulness within their lives, and the result would be a harvest of goodness and faithfulness. He told them to till their hardened land or “hearts” because the season arrived that they should be searching for Jehovah God until He arrived and caused justice and justification to pour down upon them. God wants us to “sow” rightness and lawfulness to ourselves, break up our hardened hearts and seek Him with all our souls, minds and wills. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for our sins, and when we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us His Holy Spirit so we conduct ourselves in a right, just, lawful and pleasing way before Him.
Next time Hosea says, “you have plowed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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