-October 20, 2021-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
“For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.”
(Jeremiah 4:3).
The nation of Israel had been divided into two parts: ten tribes in the north, called Israel, and later named Samaria; and two tribes in the south, called Judah, that included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. This took place during the reign of King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. The Lord brought it about. When Rehoboam attempted to go to war to reunite the nation, God stopped him. 1 Kings 12:24 says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.’ Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and they turned back, according to the word of the Lord.”
The northern kingdom plunged into idolatry and set up their own worship of false gods and idols. The southern kingdom continued to worship the Lord, carry out the sacrifices under the Levites and the priests, many of whom moved south to follow and serve the Lord. There was constant wars between the two kingdoms. Judah continued on well for a while, and the were some godly kings. All the kings of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. Sadly, Judah began to worship idols and false gods also, though they continued to follow the sacrificial system at the same time. No one can serve the Lord and idols, and God had to deal with them. Both the kingdoms were taken into captivity. Jeremiah, called “the weeping prophet,” proclaimed God’s Word of repentance to them. They rejected him, his message, and in particular the Lord.
The message in our verse tells the people of Judah and Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.” The word fallow means untilled. Ground that was left dormant grew thorns and weeds and had to be cleared out so that it could be replanted and once again become fruitful and useful. God is using the agricultural analogy to speak of human hearts. This phrase used here in Jeremiah 4:3 is also found in Hosea 10:12. It serves as a spiritual warning to believers who have backslidden and who need to repent and get right with the Lord.
The Easton Bible Dictionary says, “The expression, ‘Break up your fallow ground means, do not sow your seed among thorns, i.e. break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts of weeds, in in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness. Land was allowed to lie fallow that it might become more fruitful; but when in this condition, it soon became overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the soil was careful to “break up” his fallow ground, i.e., to clear the fields of weeds before sowing seed in it. So says the prophet, ‘Break off your evil ways, repent of your sins, cease to do evil, and then the good seed of the word will have room to grow and bear fruit.”
God wants us to be right with Him and do what is right in His sight. He desires us to be fruitful and more fruitful. Most of us have experienced how hard it is to clear out weeds from our yards. It is painstaking, sweat producing work. It is even more challenging in the spiritual realm. We must clear away the thorns and weeds of bad habits, bitterness, jealousy, envy, strife, division, and other evil things. It is a painful but needed process to prepare our hearts before the Lord. We must all take a self-assessment of our hearts and lives, and then take action.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:31, “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” Judgment always begins at the house of the Lord. Let us all then prepare our own hearts by breaking up the fallow ground, clearing out the weeds, fertilizing the soil through confession and repentance, and sowing the good seed of the Word of God so that we will be fruitful and more fruitful for Jesus.
Have a blessed day breaking up and clearing out anything that is hindering our walk with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.
In His grace,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 