The Seeds We Plant

“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” — Hosea 10:12 (NIV) 

If you are a gardener, you know there is a lot of work that goes into it before you ever drop those first seeds. Each spring, you have to clear away the old growth and weeds. You need to turn the soil, break the large clumps into finer pieces, and rake the bed level. And when you finally plant — whether in rows or in hills — you place what you want to grow. If you want potatoes, you don’t plant turnips.

In today’s verse, Hosea uses that same kind of imagery. But right after he calls the people to “sow righteousness” and “break up their unplowed ground,” he tells them what they’ve actually been planting. In verse 13, Hosea, not one to mince words, says, “But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception.” 

Their spiritual soil has gone hard, and their planting has gone wrong. And just as any gardener knows, you cannot expect a good harvest from bad seed. So, Hosea calls them — and us — to begin again: to turn the soil, to clear away what chokes life, and to plant what God desires to grow. 

And the key is this: the seed Hosea tells us to plant is righteousness. Righteousness is broader than love. It includes justice, mercy, faithfulness, and right relationship — the whole pattern of life that reflects God’s character. When we sow righteousness, we’re planting the kind of seed God Himself, in His grace, has already given us. 

But this raises a question: how can we plant righteousness if God is its source? It’s not a chicken‑or‑egg riddle. Hosea isn’t asking us to solve a paradox — he’s inviting us into a partnership. God provides the seed — His character, His Spirit, His right‑making work in our lives. But we choose what to do with it. We choose whether to leave the soil untouched or to break it open. We choose whether to plant what aligns with God’s heart or to scatter the wrong seed. God gives righteousness, but we sow it. God empowers the life of faith, but we practice it. God sends the rain, but we prepare the field. 

And what grows from that seed? Love — God’s steadfast, covenant love. Love is the fruit of a life aligned with God’s character. We don’t manufacture it; we make room for it. We sow righteousness, and God brings forth love. We break up the unplowed ground, and God showers righteousness upon us.

Lord, break open the hard places in me. Clear away what chokes life and keeps Your seed from taking root. Plant Your righteousness in my heart and teach me to sow what aligns with Your character — justice, mercy, faithfulness, and right relationship. Let Your steadfast love be the harvest You bring forth in my life. And shower Your righteousness upon me, until my life bears the fruit of Your grace. Amen.

Grace & Peace, Pastor Tim