Isaiah 3:1-15

“Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” (Isaiah 3:10–11, NKJV)

God has created the universe with certain physical laws. Because there are laws of aerodynamics, we can be reasonably certain that if we step into a plane it will fly and not crash. Because of the law of gravity, we know that if we step off the top of a skyscraper we will fall. Because of laws of motion and force, we assume that if we are driving at 70 miles per hour and crash into a concrete overpass we probably won’t walk away.

God has also established spiritual laws in creation. Perhaps the chief of these is the law of sowing and reaping.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:7–8, NKJV)

For a long time the people of Judah had ignored the spiritual laws. They practiced insolence, immorality, indulgence and idolatry as if they were exempt from the rules. It’s as though they thought they could step off a building and fly rather than fall. But God is not mocked; we reap what we sow.

Therefore, Isaiah warned the people. If they lived righteously by keeping God’s laws, then it would go well with them, and they would eat the fruit of their doings. But if they violated God’s laws, and deceived themselves into thinking that they could sin with impunity, then it would go ill with them, and they would suffer corruption and misery.

The seeds we are sowing today determine the crop we will reap tomorrow. The question we must each ask ourselves is, “Am I disregarding the spiritual laws and sowing to the flesh, or am I regarding them and sowing to the Spirit?”