Sowing & Reaping
6/15/26 Bible Thought (Nahum 3)
Main Idea: The wicked will reap what they have sown.
A Look at the Text:
The final chapter of Nahum opens with an indictment against the Assyrians for their sins (Nah. 3:1). They were a bloody city, full of lies, plunder, and prey. In response, they would one day reap what they had sown. In return for their many sins, the Lord was against them (Nah. 3:5). Their destruction was certain.
Just as the Assyrians besieged the great city of Thebes in Egypt, destroyed their children, and carried them captive (Nah. 3:8-10), so they also would be exiled. They would seek refuge without a place to hide.
God was against them; there would be no turning Him away. None could ease their hurt, and all would rejoice at their downfall (Nah. 3:19). While God had extended grace in the days of Jonah, now the time had come for judgment.
Bringing it Home:
The concept of sowing and reaping is a consistent theme in the Bible. The apostle Paul once put it in these terms:
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8).
One day we will have to give an account for how we lived our lives before God, and the books will be opened (Rev. 20:11-15). That is a fearful thing for those who are outside of Christ. Yet, for those in Christ, we needn’t fear (1 John 4:19), for Christ has already borne the consequences of our rebellion upon Calvary. One day, all sin will be paid for, either through the blood of Christ or by the sinner themselves bearing the penalty.
That final day of reaping will come, even if it seems a long way off. While the wicked might prosper in the present, God will not be mocked. He will act justly. Even more, while those who faithfully serve God might suffer in the present, God will not be mocked. There is a day of reaping to come.
If people have rejected Him for their entire lives, one day they will own up to that rejection just as the Ninevites did. Yet for those who have found their refuge in Him, it is a day of deliverance and a day of hope.
Challenge:
How does looking to the future change my outlook on today’s sowing?