Sowing and Reaping

Chapter 139.
Sowing and Reaping

1. WHAT does Paul say regarding sowing and reaping?

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Gal. 6:7.

2. How is the same truth expressed by Christ?

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:37,38.

NOTES.-A man's deeds, good or evil, usually return to bless or curse him. A farmer who sold butter to a village storekeeper and took sugar in exchange, complained that he was getting short weight. "Look here," said he to the merchant, "it seems to me you're giving me short weight sugar." "No," replied the storekeeper, "that cannot be, for in measuring out that sugar of yours I always use a pound of your butter as a weight."
"Good and evil come back. . . . God made the universe on the plan of the circle. Isa. 40:22. . . . We ourselves start the circle of good or bad actions, and it will surely come around again to us unless by divine intervention it be hindered. Those bad or good actions may make the circuit of many years; but come back to us they will as certainly as that God sits on the circle of the earth. . . . What a stupendous thought that the good and the evil we start come back to us! Do you know that the judgment-day will be only the point at which the circle joins, the good and the bad we have done coming back to us, unless divine intervention hinders,- coming back to us, welcome of delight or curse of condemnation?"- T. DeWitt Talmage.

3. On what condition does Christ say God will forgive us?

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matt. 6:14,15. See also Matt. 18:23-35.

4. According to what principle does God deal with men?

"With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful; with an upright man Thou wilt show Thyself upright; with the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure; and with the froward Thou wilt show Thyself froward." Ps. 18:25,26.

5. How is the same truth again taught touching the wicked?

"As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him." Ps. 109:17.

6. According to what was judgment called upon Babylon?

"Recompense her according to her works; according to all that she hath done, do unto her." Jer. 50:29.

7. Why did Christ tell Peter to put up his sword?

"Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Matt. 26:52.

8. Why was the Papacy to go into captivity?

"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword." Rev. 13:10. See Lev. 25:10; Jer. 34:17.

9. What is to be the punishment of spiritual Babylon?

"Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works." Rev. 18:6.

10. What does the psalmist say win come to the persecutor?

"His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate." Ps. 7:16.

NOTE.-In his letter addressed to the Jews, dated Nov. 16, 1905, President Roosevelt said: "I feel very strongly that if any people are oppressed anywhere, the wrong inevitably reacts in the end on those who oppress them; for it is an immutable law in the spiritual world that no one can wrong others and yet in the end himself escape unhurt."

11. What befell Haman, who sought to slay all the Jews?

"So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai." Esther 7:10. See Ps. 9:15.

12. If one would have friends, what must he do?

"A man that hath friends must show himself friendly." Prov. 18:24.

Previous Chapter l Table Contents l Next Chapter