Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai
INTRODUCTION
From today and to the end of this year’s Bible Study, themed “A Closer walk with God.” We will be studying the various benefits we get from walking with the Father. There are several of these benefits such as God’s Divine Faithfulness which we will consider for this month under various sub topics, starting with the sub topic, “Law of the Harvest”. Our God is a faithful God. Psalm 100:5 tells us that His faithfulness continues through all generations, and part of the faithfulness of God is demonstrated in the fulfilment of the law of the harvest.
Today’s study will be divided into two parts. Part 1 will look at the Faithfulness of God and Part 2 will look at the Law of the Harvest and its relationship with God’s faithfulness.
PART 1
One of the core characteristics of God is that He is faithful. This is one aspect of Him that He has never showed the opposite of to date, despite our response to it. Others are His righteousness and His holiness.
2 Timothy 2:13 says: “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
A Few Scriptures that testify of His Faithfulness
• Psalm 36:5: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”
• Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
• Revelation 19:11: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.”
• Matthew 5:45: “so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. AMP
It is because God is consistently faithful that we can come to Him in prayers.
• Isaiah 45:19 says: “I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright". AMP
• Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
God is faithful to:
1. His Promises: God's promises are certain and reliable. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" See also 1 John 1:9 (Forgiveness of sin), Psalm 91:4 (Protection)
2. His Covenant: The Bible records God's covenant with His people, showcasing His steadfastness. Deut. 7:9 says, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments".
PART 2
The law of the harvest was established in Genesis 8:22 after Noah’s flood.
“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
The Bible tells us in Genesis 12:1 that Isaac sowed in that land (where there was famine) and reaped in the same year a hundredfold.
Scriptures that validate the Law of Harvest
• Galatians 6:7-8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”
• 2 Corinthians 9:6: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
However, a very important point to note is that the faithfulness of the Lord implies that both the positive and negative outcomes are an assurance when it comes to reaping the harvest of the type of seed sown.
1. Seedtime and Harvest – For He that Soweth to his flesh.
To sow to the flesh means cultivating and developing our sinful desires, it is to do evil or participate in any form of wickedness.
• Proverbs 22:8 “Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.”
• Job 4:8 “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”
• Hosea 8:7a “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”
There are several examples of people who sowed to the flesh and reaped corruption. But we will look at only two.
a) David and Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11-12.
David commits adultery with Bathsheba and arranges the death of her husband Uriah. The child born from the affair dies, and David's family faces turmoil and rebellion.
2 Samuel 12:10 “'Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'
b) Gehazi 2Kings 5
Gehazi goes after Naaman in response to the desires of his flesh (greed). The outcome was leprosy for him and his generation.
Verse 27 says: “27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.”
• Discussion: Give other examples – Biblical and present day
2. Seedtime and Harvest – But he that soweth to the Spirit.
To sow to the Spirit is to obey God’s Words, setting our “minds on things above, not on earthly things”
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
a) Jonathan, Saul’s Son. 2 Samuel 9:1-13
The seed Jonathan sowed, was reaped by his unfortunate son.
In his covenant with Jonathan, David had promised to show loyalty to Jonathan’s family (1 Sam.18:3).
In this story, David shows kindness to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. Verse 13 says: “So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table.”
b) Dorcas raised from the dead. Acts 9:36-42
The good seed Dorcas sowed was instrumental to her being brought back from the dead. Dorcas was known for her good works and acts of charity, particularly for making clothing for widows and the poor. She fell sick and died but was raised from the dead by Peter. In verse 39 we are told that all the widows stood near him, weeping and showing him tunics and garments— all-that Dorcas was making while being with them.
• Discussion: Give other examples – Biblical and present day
CONCLUSION
God's divine faithfulness is one of the cornerstones of a Believer’s faith, it offers us confidence in His unchanging nature and unwavering commitment to His word. Throughout the Bible, God's faithfulness is portrayed as a fundamental aspect of His relationship with humanity, providing assurance and hope in His eternal and dependable love. So we can bank on His faithfulness but be very aware that in relationship to the law of harvest, He is also unwavering to ensure that it is whatever we sow, that we will reap.
However, with the law of the harvest, there is a multiplier effect, what you reap is usually more than what you sow! Whether positive or negative. Isaac reaped one hundred times what he sowed, the Bible tells us that when we give, the return is good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. Gehazi’s entire generation became cursed with leprosy. And the Bible also tells us that those who sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind.
As we walk with the Almighty God, we must heed Galatians 6:9 that tells us not to be weary in well doing, because such faithfulness is one way to guarantee His faithfulness. Psalm 18:25a says: “To the faithful you show yourself faithful”.
