You Reap What You Sow!?

Job 4

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Is not this thy fear, thy confidence,

Thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?

Or where were the righteous cut off?

8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,

And sow wickedness, reap the same.

Job 4:6-8

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"You reap what you sow!" This has got to be a true statement, correct? I mean, after all, Paul said it, right? You may be thinking right now, "Are you seriously questioning a teaching of Paul?" No, I am not. What I am going to put into question is Eliphaz's application of this idea.

Let me begin by saying that Eliphaz did not learn this concept from the ministry of Paul. Job is believed to be the first recorded book of the Bible, and to have taken place historically somewhere during the time of Genesis 16-50. I don't want to try to get any more specific than that. He is believed to have lived during the patriarchal period of the Old Testament. So, long before the events of the New Testament happened, or was recorded.

Also, before we talk about this ideal, I want to be sure you understand what just transpired in this chapter. Job has just poured out his heart about how he wishes he had never been born. Now Eliphaz, his friend, decides it is time to rebuke and correct Job. This is a terrible idea, but one that plays out all too often.

Now, to this idea of "you reap what you sow". Let's boil this down just as simple as we can. Eliphaz just told Job, you deserved everything that just happened to you. The implication is that Job, despite having appeared to live a Godly life, has some terrible hidden sin that has now germinated into the complete destruction of his life. Can you believe that? Without any evidence, an accusation like this is made; to a friend!

This whole thought process was rooted in the idea of karma. I'm not saying that these men were Hindu. But they idea of karma has been around, apparently, since almost the beginning of time. The idea is that, if you have a good life, it is because you are a good person. If you have a bad life, it is because you are a bad person. However, we know that is not always the case. So, was Paul wrong?

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Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

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If you have ever tried to plant a garden, or a flower bed, you understand exactly what this verse is saying. You do not plant a tomato seed and expect a lily to pop up. You do not plant an acorn and expect cucumbers. If you plant corn, you get corn. If you plant an acorn, you get an oak tree. It is that simple. So, if you do evil, then the fruit of you labor will be evil. If you do good, you will reap a harvest of good.

I'm sure your mind is protesting this idea. "I have done good and got nothing in return for it". Or perhaps, "I know people who have lived horrible lives and they only seem to prosper". If we read a little farther in Galatians, Paul clears this up.

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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. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 6:8-10

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What Paul said was that our harvest is in eternity. Those who live wicked lives will reap the reward of their actions in hell. I know that is not perfectly spelled out, but it is the gist of what Paul was getting at. It is more clear for those who live righteous lives. The reward for living a righteous life is "life everlasting". This makes it clear that our harvest is in eternity. Paul is encouraging the church at Galatia to keep planting those good seeds. Keep doing good, especially to other Christians!

Now, lets get back to Eliphaz and the garden idea. Again, if you have ever done any kind of gardening, you know that you do not only produce plants that you put seed in the ground for. Most of the time, these evil things called weeds pop up in our gardens. You do not plant them, yet there they are. They also seem to grow better than what you planted. Is that not also true for our lives? While we may try to live as Godly of a life as we can, bad things happen. Sometimes, just like weeds, those bad things seem to overtake our lives. Is it because we planted the weeds? No, they just pop up.

While Eliphaz made a true statement about our reaping what we sow (8 "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, And sow wickedness, reap the same."), his application was wrong. Everything that happens in our lives is not a result of our actions. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Weeds in our gardens and in our lives are a result of sin, period. Not necessarily our sins, but sin period.

Think about how ridiculous this idea really is. Did the baby who was molested do something so terrible that he/she deserved to be molested? What horrible sin did the little baby commit that was thrown into a dumpster to die of starvation or the elements? We would all agree that none of that was the baby's fault. So, why do we think that everything that happens in our lives, or someone else's life is always their fault? The concept of reaping what we sow is true, but it does not apply to everything that pops up in our gardens, or our lives.

Father, help me to not judge people unfairly. While we do reap what we sow, help me to not try to figure out what others have sown in their lives. That is your job. Help me to love people, especially during their suffering, and to be an encouragement. May I build people up, not tear them down.