For most of us these days, the phrase, “you reap what you sow” might only be understood by farmers.  This phrase also comes froman ancient proverb of which many stories have been told with the moral of “future consequences are inevitably shaped by present actions.”  Aesop’s Fable of the Grasshopper and the Ants is a great example.  The ants vigorously gathered food and stored it for winter so they would survive.  The grasshopper taunted them as he sat lazily nearby not doing anything about saving for later.  He just played his fiddle and danced the summer away.  When winter came, the grasshopper ended up cold and hungry.  He went to the ants and begged for food. The ants reply delivered the moral of the fable; “What in the world were you doing all last summer?”

“I didn’t have time to store up any food,” whined the Grasshopper; “I was so busy making music and dancing that before I knew it the summer was gone.”

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust. “Making music, were you?” they cried. “Very well; now dance!” And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.  (Source: Library of Congress) 

In other words, we reap what we sow and must live with the consequence of our behavior.

Jesus puts a twist on sowing and reaping while teaching his disciples on the road to Samaria but after he offered salvation to the Samaritan women at the well. (John 4) Jesus stayed at back to rest at the town well, Jacob’s well to be exact, for a divine appointment with a particular woman while his disciples went to town to buy food. Upon their return with food, they were appalled at seeing Jesus with her; because Jews were customarily enemies of Samaritans.  Upon the offer of food, and seeing another “teachable moment for His ragtag learners, Jesus shares;

“My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, It’s still four months until harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus, the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”—Jesus, John 4:34-38

Jesus did not look on the Father’s will as a heavy burden or a distasteful task. He viewed His work as the very nourishment of His soul. Doing the Father’s will fed Him and satisfied Him inwardly. “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” sings the Psalmist was the heart of the Singer! (Psalm 40:8).

Later in John 4 we learn that the Samaritan woman was now doing the Father’s will and finding excitement and enrichment in it!  She went back to town and told everyone who would listen; “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.” John 4:29-30

We have the choice to sow seeds of goodness or weeds of evil. Jesus teaches us to give. Evil teaches us to take. Jesus offers The Way to help others have eternal life while the Enemy seeks to lead us to eternal death in hell.  Our choice.  Do we sow seeds or weeds to the world in need of a Savior?  It depends on who we love with all our hearts, minds, and souls.  Our behaviors will reflect the depth of our belief.

King Jehoshaphat trained his son Jehoramto succeed him as king.  Jehoshaphat did “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” However, Jehoram chose evil.

Jehoram will reap what he sows.

2 Chronicles 21

Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king. ² Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. ³ Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.

Jehoram King of Judah

⁴ When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel. ⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. ⁶ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ⁷ Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.

⁸ In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. ⁹ So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. ¹⁰ To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.

Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his ancestors. ¹¹ He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

¹² Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said:

“This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not followed the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. ¹³ But you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your own family, men who were better than you. ¹⁴ So now the Lord is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. ¹⁵ You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.’”

¹⁶ The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites. ¹⁷ They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah, the youngest.

¹⁸ After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. ¹⁹ In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honor, as they had for his predecessors.

²⁰ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jehoram rejected all that his father Jehoshaphat had stood for and believed with all his heart.  Jehoram sowed weeds of evil in ways that brought disaster to his own family and choked the lives of the people who lived in the kingdom of Judah.  God spared Judah, as promised, because from Judah the Messiah would come to save us.  But He allowed Jehoram to die a painful death for murdering his brothers, worshipping idols, along with other detestable evil deeds.  Jehoram’s evil work was so disgustable that when he died—he was given no honor in death as a king.  Everyone was glad to see him go!

God intervenes to end the evil Jehoram was sowing among God’s people. God cause him to reap what he had sown as a murderer, idolator, and leader of evil among God’s people. The enemy would invade and loot the kingdom of Judah and take Jehoram’s treasures as well as his wives and sons. Then, the king would be afflicted with an incurable bowel disease that would give him great pain and ultimately take his life. Elijah, the great prophet predicted it as truth from God and it happened just as God said it would. Writing this letter to the king of Judah may have been one of Elijah’s last prophetic actions.  And no kingly honor was given to a dishonarable king.

We reap what we sow.  Later, another convert of Jesus who becomes a sower of the Good News reaps a harvest of blessings.  Paul was a missionary who planted churches all over the known world but only where God sent him.  He wanted to know Christ so he could be like Him and love like Him and share all the suffering Christ did for us!  With this heart for Jesus; Paul taught the church then to “imitate Christ” in all they think, say, and do.  This truth delivered though Paul by God’s Holy Spirit is for us today.  Paul,the passionate pastor, teaches;

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatian 6:7-9

Don’t give up because God certainly never gives up on us!

Lord,

Wow, this passage took a turn that I did not expect to happen—but isn’t that just like you to teach what I needed for today.  May we all pause to reflect on our habitual lifestyles. Are we sowing seeds of Life or weeds of destruction. Lord, help us.  Cleanse our hearts; remove the weeds.  Renew our minds with Truth. Refresh and fill our souls with your tender mercies that teach us to be merciful.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us like an ever flowing fountain of your love, mercy, and grace!  I’m yours. I’m listening. Help me to trust and obey as I seek to know you more.

In Jesus Name, Amen