"For they sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind" is a phrase from the Old Testament book of Hosea (8:7), one of my favorite prophetic books. Those who heard Hosea's proverb understood what he meant. The proverb illustrated the agricultural process familiar to all in that ancient agrarian society—the process of sowing and reaping.
The kind of seed sowed by the farmer determines the type of plant that will eventually grow. An apple seed will yield an apple tree and a kernel of corn will produce corn. What you sow produces its kind.
The farmer planting his one kernel of corn expected to reap a whole ear of corn from that single seed. The seed you sow not only produces its kind but also multiplies.
Sowing the wind ("wind" meant something worthless and foolish in Hosea's mind) would result in reaping exactly what one sows—wind—a storm of consequences. Sowing something foolish and worthless will bring forth its kind and will multiply. Sowing the wind will reap a whirlwind eventually, just as the one kernel of corn multiplies into a whole ear of corn.
Sowing seeds of division will produce its kind and will multiply into a whole ear of division. Sowing seeds of hate will produce its kind and will multiply into a whole ear of hate. Sowing seeds of bigotry will produce a whole bunch of bigotry. Sowing seeds of lies will produce more lies. Sowing seeds of unity will produce its kind and multiply into greater unity. Sowing seeds of love will produce its kind and will multiply into whole communities of caring people. We reap what we sow.
 |
| Grandson Ethan trying to hold it together in Washington DC |
No comments:
Post a Comment