Broadcast
Watering the Earth - Part 2
Isaiah 55:10-11
02/06/2024
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to
the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall
accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed
in the thing for which I sent it. (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah wrote:
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and
do not return there but water the earth, making it
bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and
bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out
from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it
shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall
succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Who better knows the importance of rain and snow than we who
live in the rural parts of the country. Our livelihood is
affected by the weather much more than those who live and work in
the cities. When we don't have enough rain, or when we have too
much, the crops don't grow and people go hungry. Only when we
are blessed with the proper amount of moisture can we produce
that which feeds this nation with the bounty of God's rich
blessings.
The law of God is like that drought or flood which shows us
that we are helpless in the face of God's power. God's law does
not only curb bad behavior as we fear punishment, but it acts as
a mirror to show us that we are condemned because we have broken
the law. The law causes us to cry to God for relief, that God
relent in His condemnation, that He provides the help we need to
overcome sin and eternal death.
Preaching the law returns the benefit of preparing people to
hear the Gospel, that Jesus Christ bore the guilt of our sin.
Through His death and resurrection, we are offered the
forgiveness of our sin and receive everlasting life.
May our Lord grant that we hear the preaching of the law so
that we may hear the good news of the Gospel. Amen.