Today I keep hearing the phrase can you dig it. Can you take the sharp word of God and dig up your fallow ground?
Oh sweet season and time to plow, Teshuvah is my favorite season and it is now. Excerpt from tomorrows poem 🙂
- see below
God will supply everything
That you need
He’ll give you a harvest if
You’ll plant the seed
The seed may be large, or
The seed may be small,
What is sown in the spring
May be reaped in the fall
Whatever you sow is
What you shall reap
Each seed has a life and a law
It must keep
So target with care the seeds
That you sow
Your life will be known by
The crops that you grow
disclaimer* I did not write this poem, the author is unknown to me, If you know the author of this poem please share with me. Greg saw this on a plaque last year and shared it with me. I thought it was fitting for todays writing so I added it.
“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12) Read Hosea chapter 10.
If you will return, O Israel, return to Me. Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem….” (Jeremiah 4:1, 3)
The above scriptures have a common phrase, “Break up your fallow or unplowed ground.” Just what does it mean for me and you to do that? If we read and apply these scriptures we understand that we are to the work of breaking up the fallow ground.
Strong’s Concordance nir or nir. 5215a, 5215b. nir or nir. 5216. Tillable, untilled, or fallow
ground. Transliteration: nir or nir Short Definition: ground. …
Till you the untilled ground (figurative of unaccustomed moral action); construct only רָבאֹֿכֶל נִיר רָאשִׁים
The phrase “unplowed ground” (NIV) or “fallow ground” (KJV, NRSV) is the Hebrew noun nîr, “the tillable, and the untilled, or fallow ground.” It is land that could be productive, but for whatever reason is neglected, untended or unplowed. This is a description of a field that is not tilled, plowed, and prepared for planting. In these scriptures we are privileged to have a front row seat and to hear the prophets and we witness their speaking the Word of the Lord. The prophets are not merely suggesting, or sort of instructing, no they are commanding the people to break up that land — spiritually! The people are commanded to get to work and to plow the plow able land that they have.
Each prophet observes two things about fallow ground: Fallow ground, unplowed, unprepared soil is unusable for any serious crop. God speaks to us that we must “break up” our fallow ground so that it is usable.
Fallow Ground definition in Strong’s Concordance is ground that is unusable due to neglect, and ground that is unused!
Fallow ground is unused ground. You may have many areas of your life surrendered to God and under cultivation for a crop of righteousness and the fruit of the Spirit. But perhaps we should look a little deeper and check to see if there is a parcel of ground, or a part of our life — that we haven’t surrendered to The Lord. Are there some areas that you never got around to cultivating, to planting, and therefore never had to worry about harvesting? It’s there but it’s unusable due to neglect. Perhaps you’ve put off plowing this particular piece of land (area) because it’s too difficult or too painful. Perhaps you can’t imagine that The Lord is calling you to be a fruit bearer and grower, and can’t imagine the fruit and grain that can grow there so you’ve never bothered. Where there is no vision the people cast off restraint, the people perish, A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order. (Proverbs 29:18) (NIV, GNT, KJV)
Do you believe you are disqualified because of past sin? Maybe you do not realize the Lord wants your heart. The Lord does not want to hold your sins against you. He made a way through The Cross of Christ that we can repent and be born again. You have to allow the plow of His word and truth to enter your heart and turn under (reprove) that old stuff.
The word of God is alive and sharp and will break up the fallow ground of your heart. See Hebrews 4:12, the word divides, digs deep. Can you visualize the disc’s of a large plow digging into and cutting deep into the ground? Yes the plow of truth may be painful at first but oh when harvest time comes, and we bear the fruit of righteousness…… when righteousness rains down, how sweet it is. When you decide to work till the ground, your heart then becomes good ground, usable ground, and fruitful ground for the kingdom of God. Ground that by following His commandments He can shower righteousness down on.
This is exactly what this season of Teshuvah and the season of our repentance are for. It is an appointed time for us to work our ground. It is a time and a season to repent and agree with the word of God and no longer have areas of your lives untended or uncultivated. The parable of the Sower we talked about yesterday, Jesus instructs us what unusable ground looks like. You cannot be shallow or allow the cares of the world to choke out the words of Jesus and His ways and expect to handle the responsibility of the harvest.
But God is the great Vinedresser. If you’ll break up the additional fallow ground in your life, he will extend and enlarge your fruitfulness. I do not want to have any fallow ground in my heart. How about you?
Elul is fast drawing to an end and the Hebrew month of Tishri is right around the corner. This is the beginning of the “Days of Awe.” Tishri is the beginning of a new year in Jewish agricultural terms. I am going to allow The Sower to sow good seed and I am going to watch so that the wicked one does not deceive me.
“The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.” (Proverbs 12:11)
Let us pray
Dear Heavenly Father. I have neglected my field and my ground. I have reserved an area and kept it hidden away. I thought it would go unnoticed, I now realize You want all of my heart. It is with my whole heart I am to return to You. I have areas that are not plowed up and turned under. Lord I need Your grace and Your help to break up my fallow ground. I know Your are calling me to address and plow all of field. Your desire is made know at the level ground of the Cross. You and I are only joined at the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross is the place where all of my sins can be forgiven. I know the Cross of Jesus Christ is level ground, there is no sin too small nor is the a sin too large. I know that my sin (s) is not what is disqualifying me, it is my refusal to identify my actions as sin and then bring them before You. It doesn’t matter what the world allows and says is alright I have Your truth written in my mind and I know this is sin. It is what disqualifies me from receiving the kingdom of God in my heart. Today I repent and bring before You_______________. I do not want to drag this around another season in my life. Oh Lord Jesus shower me, shower down righteousness on me. I long to be fruitful ground. Amen
God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you Shalom.
Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Laurette
Through All Seasons 