I had a friend tell me I should read this verse. My peave is when Christians will "give" you a verse. Not what it says just the reference. I think I feel manipulated to look it up. So often times I just nod and grin and don't bother looking it up. This time, however, I wanted to look it up with the faint hope of hearing from God. (reasoning how can I ask "Him" to speak to me if I am not listening?) So I began to write it on my bathroom mirror with a bar of soap. However it wasn't working so all I got was "HO". (A month later while the mirror was misted up I winced at the derogatory ghetto meaning and secretly hoped no one in my family wondered what that was all about.) So I looked it up yesterday. This is not me telling you this verse to shed light on your darkened corner, not that I am beyond that, but this is me documenting something that seems to have meaning but am not sure as to what with the hope that sometime in the future it could make sense to me. That and the possibility one of the 15-24 daily reader's who come by this blog might find something therein. Maybe not.
The verse sounds inspiring but is somewhat cryptic (to me at least):
"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."
Context: This is the "nice" or hopeful part of a line of chastisements from God to Israel prophesied by and recorded by Hosea. In the other verses God is pretty hardnosed, he doesn't pussyfoot about concerning the lameness of the nation of Israel's abondonment of God, and the consequences. Yet somehow amongst the smoke of truth He is still kind, and has words of hope. Wow.
I like the notion of righteousness falling like rain. Would I skip and dance Gene Kelly style, or would I mutter about the weather? I know righteousness isn't always pleasing to be caught up in.
It is funny how this verse might be found on a placard in a religious bookstore. We like to "cherry pick" the Bible, put the "nicey" verses about that make us feel good on wristbands and such. What if you went to someones house and framed boldly on spotlit wall it grimly said:
"Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy own way"
Most certainly if we placed it on a bumper sticker it would not be in the context of God's condemnation of us as followers of Jesus, but of the loathsome "sinner".
The expression, "Break up your fallow ground" (Hos. 10:12; Jer. 4:3) means, "Do not sow your seed among thorns", i.e., break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts of weeds, in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness. Land was allowed to lie fallow that it might become more fruitful; but when in this condition, it soon became overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the soil was careful to "break up" his fallow ground, i.e., to clear the field of weeds, before sowing seed in it. So says the prophet, "Break off your evil ways, repent of your sins, cease to do evil, and then the good seed of the word will have room to grow and bear fruit."
25. OK so iz liek teh nites and Jesus camez out, and he iz srsly wlking ontop teh waterz.
26. Teh dscpls sawed him and ar scured and tehy sayed "OMG haxx!"
27. But Jesus sez "Oh hai! Iz just me. lol."
28. "Hay dood," sez Peter, "I can comez ontop teh waterz plz?"
29. "Yah lol," sez Jesus. Peter comez ontop teh waterz and iz goes to Jesus.
30. But Peter sawed teh windz and he iz scured and he fallz in teh waterz and is liek "Halp!"
31. Jesus halps Peter and sez "U iz stoopid noob becuz u duznt beleev."
I love Jesus, I love the Bible, and I am entertained by the creativity and humor of this.