SOWING AND REAPING
A. M. Davidson
Galatians 6: 7, 8; Genesis 26: 12–22; Philippians 4: 4–8
I thought, beloved brethren, that we might together look at the matter of what we are sowing to. We are to ask ourselves whether we are sowing to the flesh in our lives or whether we are sowing to the Spirit.
If we are sowing to the flesh it means that we are more and more being led to corruption.
Think of the corruption that men go on with in their activities. We would do well to be free and apart from this. It says in the first scripture that whatsoever a man sows will come out in what he reaps. If he sows to, and nurtures, what caters for the flesh and fleshly gratification what will be reaped will be corruption from the workings of the same flesh.
If we sow to the Spirit we shall be led to the enjoyment of eternal life in what we reap. The great thing is to reap in this sense and thereby get into an out-of-the-world and heavenly order and condition of things which is available to be enjoyed by all who belong to the assembly. It necessitates inward formation by the work of the Spirit in us that we might enjoy such a life in our inward beings, with the result being seen outwardly in our lives. All must work out from what we are inwardly if such a life is outwardly to mark us.
Philistines, as referred to in the second scripture read, would point to those who have no
inwardness at all in the sense of what we have been talking about. They are always on the line of outward religious show and display. It refers to a form of outward religion that was seen in the scribes and Pharisees when the Lord was here. That is just what the Philistines were—big men, with what is of man in evidence instead of what is of Christ.
Isaac typifies a heavenly man and as he sowed in that land he became greater and greater spiritually—this being typical of the growth of the work of God in us as we make way for the Spirit’s work within us. In his case it says that he became “very great”. He came to have great substance, and we are similarly to acquire spiritual substantiality, with that giving colour to, and marking, us, rather than what we are after the flesh. If we sow to the flesh the fruits of the flesh will more and more come into expression in our lives.
There are spiritual wells, energising truths that have come down to us in the recovery of the truth and we need to make room for the Spirit that we might come into the living enjoyment of such truths by sowing to Him, instead of to our own fleshly comfort and gratification. The great thing is to get to know the Spirit so as to get into the enjoyment of what was enjoyed in the days of our fathers in the testimony. In these last days this has been largely blocked through the way that Philistines have hindered the working of the Spirit. The Philistine line hinders the activities of the Spirit through the bringing in of what is of man who is merely of the dust (1 Corinthians 15: 47). If we resist the Philistines they finally go away from us, but the great thing is to persist in sowing to the Spirit. Evidently Isaac did that and he more and more came into the
enjoyment of what had been earlier lost. That is what we need to do, getting into the substantiality of the things that have come out in the recovery of the truth, at the same time verifying what their names are and calling them by the same names. Isaac typically came into the great substance that has been made available to us.
It says here that Isaac’s servants found a well of springing water. It is like what is referred to in John 4 where the Lord says that “the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life”. We thus need to become persons who have plenty of heavenly spring, such a well as is referred to here being a necessity to give it to us.
When you meet persons in the street who have this spring you speak to them as to the things of Christ and this spring comes out in them as having been provoked by what you say, making their faces shine. Philistines could not do this. If you spoke to them at all you would only learn about the affairs of this life, or the pleasures and gratifications of this life. We, however, are to be those who bring in something of another kind of life altogether—eternal life. So, in spite of opposition, we are to go on in our souls to Rehoboth, where the Lord makes room for us in our assembly activities and we become fruitful.
That is why I read the last scripture, which refers to how we are to be always rejoicing in the Lord. It is a great thing to have this about us, our gentleness being known of all men at the same time. We get to be known as those who are near to the Lord, who are careful about nothing, as being continually in prayer and supplication. Paul refers here to “the peace of God, which surpasses every understanding”. Do we know anything about this peace, in the midst of the turmoil of this life? We were talking about peace in our recent
meetings, and this is a heavenly peace that surpasses all natural understanding. It is among the things in 1 Corinthians 2 that the natural ear, eye and heart can never discern. Our hearts and thoughts are to be guarded by this peace by Christ Jesus. We need to pursue the things that are true, noble, just, pure, amiable and of good report. To think continuously on these is the life of the heavenly man, the life of a heavenly Philippian. The effect of that will mark us in our lives, coming out in all circumstances. It is clear that we thus belong to another order of things. According to Colossians 3, when Christ finally appears it will then be manifested where our lives have really been. Persons might say to us, ‘Whatever kind of life do you live?’, but when the Christ is manifested, who is our life, then we shall also be manifested with Him in glory.
Word in meeting for ministry, Melbourne
19 June 1984