“Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit”. Gal. 6:7-8 CEB
People often think they can engage in behavior that is risky, illegal, or sinful and escape the consequences, but events seldom work out as they think. Why is this the case?
It is because they are deceived about God’s law of harvest: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7). This law applies to everyone, including those who do not believe the Bible. To believe that we can sow one thing and reap another is to mock God.
God’s Word assures us that if we sow to the flesh or “sinful nature” we will reap destruction (vs. 8).
What does it mean to sow to the flesh?
Sowing to the flesh involves a self-centered worldly focus. The Bible says, “For everything in the world---the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does---comes not from the Father but from the world” (I John 2:16).
Even some Christians in Paul’s day resisted spiritual insight: “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly…” (I Cor. 3:1). Sowing to the flesh is all about the kinds of choices we make and God’s law of harvest means that we will not escape the consequences of sinful choices.
To deceive ourselves about the consequences of our behaviors seems to be a common characteristic of mankind.
The story of King Ahab in I Kings 22 is a great example of someone who thought he could escape the consequences of his actions. Micaiah warned Ahab about the “lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets” (vs. 22) and he frankly told the King that he would die in battle if he were to try to conquer Ramoth Gilead (vs.19).
Although Ahab rejected the prophet’s message, he nevertheless felt the need to take special precautions to ensure his safety in the upcoming battle.
Ahab decided to disguise himself as an ordinary soldier so his enemies would not know who he was. By doing this, Ahab was actually trying to mock God. The Bible says the King of Aram ordered his commanders to focus on killing Ahab, but they could not find him because of his disguise.
God, however, did not need the help of the King of Aram to fulfill the prophecy of Micaiah: “But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor” (vs. 34). The king died of this wound and every detail of the prophecy against Ahab was fulfilled.
So, what does this demonstrate?
Ahab believed he could disobey God and escape the consequences by being clever; out smarting God.
Today, if we believe we can avoid reaping the negative consequences of what we sow, we also think we can mock God.
“The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say”. Isaiah 28:21-23 NIV
pay attention and hear what I say”. Isaiah 28:21-23 NIV
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