Break Up Your Fallow Ground

May 5, 2024

               The prophet Hosea delivered strong words to the backslidden nation of Israel. Starting in verse one of chapter ten, God speaks through Hosea and rebukes Israel, calling it “an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself.” In verse two, we learn that Israel’s idol worship had “divided their heart.” Because of their persistent refusal to listen, God will now destroy their images and altars. Their sins included idolatry, breaking covenant, lying, and continual disobedience to the commandments of the LORD. God will use the Assyrian nation to judge these wicked people, who call themselves children of the Most-High God. God is impartial and does not show favoritism. God judges other nations for these sins; will He not judge His own people for committing the same evil?

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed in wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men. Therefore, shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness; in a morning shall the King of Israel utterly be cut off.” Hosea 10:12-15, emphasis added.

Final destruction will come suddenly, “in a morning shall the King of Israel utterly be cut off.” Despite the ample warnings from the prophets of God over the years, the Jews refused to reconsider their selfish ways and to conform to the ‘ancient paths of God.’ All of the things that they trusted in, such as their mighty men, their fortresses, and their gods, will be utterly destroyed along with many of them.

In this message of doom, there is also a message of hope. Hosea tells them precisely what they must do to avert this judgment from God. He tells them that they must “sow to righteousness, reap in mercy and break up their fallow ground.” The choice was up to them. They had no excuse for not obeying God.

Fallow ground is once tilled soil that has become hard because of neglect. That makes growing crops difficult and crop yields very poor. The rain runs off the fallow ground, and seeds lie on the surface of the hard ground. Seeds are eaten by the birds or blown away by the wind. Israel was an agrarian economy. It was a nation of farmers. The prophet speaks to them in terms they understand very well. Their life and health depended on a good crop yield.

Many of us today know what it is like to plant a garden (however small that may be) and how vital the dirt is to grow good plants such as fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We also know that ground preparation and regular maintenance of the garden are essential. The lack of water, weeds, and predators can overtake and spoil our crops. We, too, can understand what the prophet Hosea is saying.

Hosea is not giving them a lesson on farming. They knew farming but didn’t appreciate its application to their fallow spiritual and backslidden state. He uses this analogy to remind them that their spiritual ground is very much like actual ground. Their neglect of their spiritual soil has brought them to the brink of destruction and God’s condemnation. It is now time to break up the fallow ground of their hard hearts and hard minds, while there is yet time. They have wandered from the will of God and have hardened their hearts, which is now fallow ground.

How do we break up the fallow ground of our mind and heart? The process can’t begin until we comply with the following conditions, as painful and difficult as they may be.

• A willingness to examine ourselves objectively and honestly
• A willingness and strong desire to hear from God, no matter how difficult and challenging
• A willingness to admit we have fallow ground that must be broken up and repented of
• A firm commitment to start doing whatever God requires of us to get right with and stay right with Him
• A strong commitment to stop doing whatever offends God

If we refuse any of these conditions, we waste our time chasing after the wind. We deceive ourselves, and we will not hear from God. Our last state will be worse than our first state.

Shall we begin? How do our lives match up with God’s will?

The first and most important commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. From the decalogue, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me.” The second commandment is “Thou shalt not make any graven image or likeness of anything above the earth, on the earth, or below.”

          Hoses tells the nation of Israel that they have continually violated these two commandments by worshipping images and idols in their groves.

Our idols today are usually not images or likenesses.[i]  Today, our idols are such things as fame, fortune, pleasure, amusement, sex, power, and sensuality. If we seek after any of these things more than we seek after God’s approval and pleasure, we are violating the first commandment.

To be more specific and personal, if you love yourself more than you love God, you are the idol. If you love your family more than you love God, your family is the idol. If you love your job or career more than you love God, your career is your idol.

What do you spend your time and money on? These things indicate who and what you love supremely. If you spend most of your free time and money on gratifying your fleshly desires, especially if in doing so you violate the laws of God, you love yourself supremely. Is that not true?

If your most important goal or purpose in life is to please yourself, self-gratification is your idol. Many so-called Christians are in this category. They want to do as little as possible for God and still make it to heaven. They mistakenly believe that lukewarmness towards God is acceptable.

How much of your time and money (actually, your time and money belong to God if you are a born-again Christian) is spent on satisfying your desire for adventure, travel, entertainment, fame, pleasure, comfort, or fortune? Is your primary purpose in life to do the will of God, or your own will? Do you believe the truth, that as a child of God, you are no longer your own, but have been bought with a price?

 Have you never learned, or have you forgotten, that it is all or nothing with Jesus Christ? Christ is LORD and Savior both or He is neither one. Many pastors and theologians will tell you that “Lordship salvation” is false, but they are blind guides. They mistakenly think that God will accept a lame, blind, and impaired sacrifice or a partial sacrifice of yourself. We are to present ourselves, in total, a living sacrifice to God, Romans 12. We can’t give Him just a foot or an occasional hand. He deserves and requires our entire body, mind, and spirit to be used in service to Him. Are you consciously aware that this is true in your life?

          We are commanded not to have any God before the LORD. That means that we are to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (I use the word “you” in the following, but include myself in all of it. As I write, I am asking God to reveal my shortcomings.)

• Think of those times when you were half-hearted about serving God and drawing near to Him. Ask God to reveal to you the truth about your past and present state.
• Think of all the times when you have neglected reading the Word of God, which is the bread of spiritual life? Has it been days, weeks, months, or years? What would your spouse or family think if you neglected them for such long periods of time? Could you not find even a few minutes each day for God and His Word?
• Think of those times that you not only neglected His word but also half-heartedly read His word and got nothing from it.
• Have you neglected praise and prayer to God?
• Do you ever concern yourself with the future of the lost and pray for them? Do you ever try to talk with them about the danger they are in and about the truth? Measure your desire for saving the lost and the hopeless by the amount of self-denial (time, effort, and money) you practice.
• Repent of those times of failure that God brings to your mind one by one.
• Having no other God before Him means we trust Him and His word. Unbelief has no part in our relationship with God. Think of those instances where you virtually called God a liar when you did not believe His written or providential word to you? For example, the angel announced the birth of Jesus, stating that He came to save us from our sins. Most Christians refuse to believe that truth and prefer to believe that He came to save us in our sins, not from them. Also, think of those times when you have not believed His promises to you?
• We must worship God alone. That means we believe truth, for God is truth. Do you believe His word or do you change His word to fit your wishes and desires? For example, God says homosexuality is a sin and there is no gay marriage. Many ‘Christians’ today choose to believe that homosexuality is not a sin and gay marriage is acceptable to God. God says He made us male and female. Do you believe Him or do you think that we can pick our gender at will? If you change His word and will to fit your desire, you worship not God but your own deceived mind.
• Christians should be grateful people, not whiners and complainers. Think of all the times when you have been unthankful for all His many blessings that you did not deserve.
• Think of those times when you whined and complained? As you do, it will bring to mind other instances where you were complaining. Repent of each instance you can recall.

The third commandment is that we shall not take the name of the LORD God in vain. Besides using His name as a curse word, the deeper meaning of this commandment is most important. Taking His name in vain means that, if we claim to be a Christian but do not live like a Christian should live, our profession of faith is empty or futile.

• Think of those instances when you were a hypocrite, pretending to be what you are not.
• Think of those instances when you dishonored God by your worldly living and your sin. How many other people were driven away from  God because of your worldliness?
• Do you call yourself a man or woman of God (a Christian) but make excuses for your sins and hypocrisy?
• Christians, do you pray with and for your family? Do your children know that you are really a man or woman of God by how you act and what you do (not by what you say only)?
• Christians, do you know the basics of the Christian faith? Could you lead someone to the LORD Jesus Christ?
• Are you salt and light at home, in the office, and in the community?
• Do you pretend to be a Christian but live in unconfessed and unrepentant sin? Do you even care?

If we habitually neglect any of these things, we are hypocrites and are taking the name of the LORD in vain with every breath.

Many ‘Christians’ are more interested in earthly things than they are heavenly things. And their family, friends, and associates know it. They will not even deny themselves the hurtful things in life (alcohol, drugs, tobacco, unfiltered movies and TV, and so on) to help the poor, the needy, and the lost. Many so-called Christians are proud of their worldly attainments and success. They are more interested in their reputation and appearance than they are in their moral character. They are more interested in the approval of man than they are in the approval of God. Ask God to show you where you have sought the approval of man over the approval of God.

With respect to the fourth commandment, the sabbath commandment. Do you think it is acceptable to ‘honor and obey God’ one day a week and dishonor and disobey Him the other six days? Is He LORD just one day a week, but Savior all seven days? If you profess to follow and love Him, but only make Him LORD one day a week, do you not violate the third commandment continuously, by taking the name of the LORD in vain?

The next commandment, the fifth commandment, is that you should honor your father and mother. Praise God that there are some great parents out there, and it makes it easier to honor them. However, some parents are awful, making this commandment difficult. Nonetheless, God expects you to honor them. In kindness and gentleness, do you tell them the truth? Do you assist them as you are able? If you live with your parents, do you obey them? Do you tell them the truth, or do you lie to them? If you lie to them, you dishonor them with every lie.

The sixth commandment is you shall not kill. You shall not murder. If you are a supporter of abortion, in any way, including political party affiliation, you are enabling baby killing and are complicit in the murder of innocent babies. You violate this commandment of God. You can’t continue to support this evil and be right with God and abide in eternal life. In 1 John, it is written that hating a brother is tantamount to murder and that no murderer has eternal life abiding in them.

The seventh commandment is that you shall not commit adultery. Jesus said that if you lust after a woman in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her.

• Do you call yourself a Christ follower but engage in sexual sins such as adultery, fornication, and homosexuality?
• Do you engage in any sexual immorality at all?
• Are you looking at and lusting after pornography? Imagine a pastor of a church who is hooked on pornography. I understand that it is way too familiar. He should not be in the pulpit. Those who sit in the pews and engage in pornography should be at the altar repenting of their sin, not sitting in the pew pretending to be ‘worshipping God’.

The eighth commandment is you shall not steal. Anything you come by dishonestly is theft, whether it is from the government, a store, an insurance company, a business, another person, your employer, or your neighbor.  

• Real Christians make restitution for that which they have stolen? Have you done that personally and to the extent possible?
• The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, and that includes those who steal from man or God.
• Have you committed fraud, swindled anyone, or used extortion to gain a dishonest advantage?
• If you do not give God the worship and obedience that is due Him, you are a thief.

The ninth commandment is You shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

• Do you claim to be a Christian yet slander, lie, flatter, and gossip about your neighbor?
• Do you make peace or stir up trouble needlessly or selfishly?
• Are you praying for your neighbor? Are you trying to save your neighbor from hell? Are you doing anything? How about starting with a prayer for them?

The tenth commandment is you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, house, or possessions.

• Think of those times that you were envious, jealous, and mean-spirited about someone who has more than you.
• Think of any lies or gossip you have used to hurt them or their reputation.
• Think of those times when you used flattery to deceive your neighbor.
• Think of the times when you should have defended them and you did not. You are to love your neighbor as yourself. That is what you want if someone is lying about you. Is that not correct?

Other sinful practices that must be considered, not already mentioned above, are:

• Are you involved in the sins of drunkenness, drug addiction (legal or illegal), carousing and partying, where drugs flow freely and all manner of sexual temptation is excessive?
•  Are you involved in sins of sorcery, witchcraft, or astrology? Do you practice any Eastern religion? These things might be placed under breaking the first commandment, as all of them reflect a divided heart.
• Do you exhibit outbursts of anger? This lack of self-control must be confessed and repented of to God and the people you have abused.
• Do you swear and use filthy language? Do you tell dirty jokes? These things say to the world that you are not any different from they are. You dishonor a holy God when you do these things.
• Do you do things that are questionable and where you doubt that they are acceptable to God? To him who thinks it is sin, and does it anyway, it is sin.

If we obey these commandments, we are loving our neighbor as ourselves, and we are loving God with all our heart. If not, we are in constant violation of these commands and the will of God. Our hearts are still hardened and fallow. To break up that ground, we must confess and repent of each and every violation as God brings them to mind. (Personally, I have been through this process more than just a few times. Every time I do, I think of areas in my life that I need to work on.)

In the New Testament, we are told to test ourselves, to see if we are in the faith. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, we read, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

This is the New Testament version of breaking up the fallow ground of your mind and heart. We are told to look at our lives and see if our life actually reveals what we profess to love the most. If we profess to love God but live like we love ourselves or the devil more, we are hypocrites and are deceived. If we never examine ourselves, we are like a field that is not tilled or weeded. Soon enough, the weeds and bugs will destroy the entire crop.

 Christians need to break up their fallow ground from time to time, just like a farmer needs to work with the ground to prepare it to receive seed. Then the farmer needs to water and keep the weeds out. Don’t let your life be fallow, unproductive ground.

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