Rev’d Jonathan Gale
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
Think about that: the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations?
Don’t we all want God to cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
Don’t we want to see that in our own lives as well as in our community and even further in our nation?
Righteousness – where everything is right (past, present and future)
Praise – where the lifeblood of our lives is joy because of our active adoration of God
Everything is put right and everything is joyful.
There is in Hebrew poetry a thing called parallelism –that means something is said twice (in parallel) and the one statement sheds light on the other. So what comes before the words, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations ? What is it that sheds light on these words that depict an ideal situation where everything is right, and joyful connection to God courses like lifeblood through us?
Well, here it is: and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up
What springs up? What is sown!! One reaps what one sows.
The word as is the same as the word like
like a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
If we want to reap righteousness and praise we must sew righteousness and praise. Simple as that.
Last week the Rev’d Jay Smith mentioned that he was the senior guidance counsellor at Rangitoto College and that part of his brief is working with students who need to change their behaviour in some way.
I know exactly what he means. In the late 70’s my first teaching position at Alexandra High School in Pietermaritzburg was as head of Biblical Studies (which was examination subject) and Guidance Counselor. We were about half the size of Rangi so it was me half time and someone assisting me half time.
Now what fascinates me was that on Thursday afternoon I was at Vanguard Military School and in conversation with Katene Eruera (whom you all know) and an education consultant who has worked with scores of secondary schools in New Zealand. Allan was hugely impressed with the results we get at Vanguard in turning around the lives of nearly every pupil who comes to us (and many have been expelled from other schools).
It was interesting to hear that Allan believes our success lies in our absolute commitment to intense pastoral care for each and every learner.
He was bewailing the approaches adopted in government secondary schools where that commitment is lacking. In his words, “They wrap it around with a few guidance counsellors and think that if they deal with the occasional trouble-maker they are going to get results. They don’t.”
Now I’m not saying normal schools don’t have good teachers, but what I am saying is that if every single teacher saw guidance counseling as their job, the academic results of learners across the board would sky-rocket.
I was reading Laurens van der Post on Carl Jung recently and he says exactly the same sort of thing.
When expected values are made clear and when constant pastoral care is exercised to every individual on a consistent basis, they flourish. In other words when all teachers sow into the lives of their students the good things they wish to see, what do you think they are going to reap? The good things they have sown, watered, fertilized, kept free of weeds and disease, and expected.
Now here’s the thing: if righteousness and praise are the things we wish to be our reality; if that is what we wish to reap, they are the things we should be sowing in our lives. And not only sowing – but the complete pastoral care package all the time – watered, fertilized, kept free of weeds and disease, and expected.
as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
If we try and deal piecemeal with the odd problem as it manifests in our lives, we miss the ability to steer the entire direction in which our lives are going.
Righteousness and praise.
We are made righteous by the blood of Christ. That is a foundational thing and comes to us when we repent and acknowledge God as Lord
But praise is a lifestyle that brings joy.
Psalm 22: 3 says The Lord inhabits the praises of his people and the prophet Nehemiah tells us, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8: 10)
As Paul tells the Galatians, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6: 7)
I want to end with a cricketing image. When I was at school I opened the bowling. I want to tell you now; it starts long before you let that first ball rip. You sow a few things first. You delay your getting off the bus, just long enough so that when you eventually do, the opposition are talking about you and trying not to be seen doing so. “That’s him now. The one who cracked that Smith bloke’s rib.” A bit later one of your team mates drops a comment to their opening bat. “I hope you’ve got your body armour today because if you’re opening the batting you’re going to need it.”
Then the on-field sledging starts. By the time you run in, the batsman is slightly concerned, especially when your first ball is a bouncer that takes off straight at his head. By now all the seeds you have sown are beginning to bear fruit in his head. If your next ball has a good length, is headed for off stump and swings away slightly towards the slips you stand a good chance of getting him caught behind off a nice thick edge. You are reaping what you have sowed – all the time.
There are no religious magic wands in Christianity.
And so if we are to avoid the ineffective piecemeal dealing with problems in our lives, and develop the ability to steer them where we believe they should go, we need to provide a lifestyle of praise, in other words of a vital connection to God.
It’s that level of constant diligence we need to apply to sowing into our lives the things we want to reap!
God bless you all.
Amen