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Sowing and Reaping

Words of Faith Final

Sowing and Reaping
Words of Faith 8-22-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 49
Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
[2] "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
[3] "Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor,
excelling in power.
[4] Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father's bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.
[5] "Simeon and Levi are brothers--
their swords are weapons of violence.
[6] Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
[7] Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

Jacob gathered all of his sons to pronounce a blessing upon each one. These "blessings" included a promise for the future but also some harsh words of judgment. The pronouncements given here predicted the nature of future leadership of the tribes and the consequence of disobedience. Here we have the first three.
The word for the firstborn Reuben began with praise but quickly shifted. Jacob announced his heartbreak that Reuben had defiled his father's couch, clearly a reference to Reuben's adultery with Jacob's concubine Bilhah. By custom, Reuben was entitled to leadership and a double inheritance, but because he had failed govern the impulses of the flesh, he was characterized as "boiling water", literally "turbulent as the waters". He would fail in leadership. In the time of the Judges, the tribe of Reuben was characterized by indecision and irresolution.
Simeon and Levi were described as men of anarchy (violence), not justice. Why? They were men of uncontrolled anger and fury with disregard for men and animals. This was a moral judgment because of their slaughter of the Shechemites. We can see clearly that God distinguishes holy war from vengeance. Both tribes were later scattered. The tribe of Simeon was largely disintegrated and absorbed inside that of Judah. Levi was afforded an honorable dispersion because it was the priestly tribe.
As we read these words it is difficult not to be reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). The betrayal and violence sown by these oldest of the brothers carried on into the generations that were yet to come.
As we read these passages, the question comes to mind: "What is my legacy?" What am I sowing? What am I planning in this world? What am I investing into the lives of my children and family? What am I sowing into the soil of my tribe? What am I sewing into the fabric of my descendants?
We really do have some choices. It is not so much about forcing or shaping a future generation by our will as it is about how we live our own lives! If we respond to the Lord in faith, we will sow faithfulness into future generations. If we allow the Lord to shape us by the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will be evident and sown for the future. Think about it.

Father God, I surrender to You. May I be found to be faithful and true. May I be found to be shaped by the Spirit. Forgive me for my sins and missteps, my errors and shortfalls. Make this a new day of sowing for the future. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.