Blessing Those Who Bless
An expose’ of Galatians 6:6-10
Galatians 6:6
But let him that is taught in the word share with him that teaches him all good things.
These five verses deal with blessing those who bless us with teaching us the word of YHWH. Contained within this is the principle of sowing and reaping. Those who bless us should be blessed by those they are blessing. In this manner then, we also shall receive a blessing in return. This is the law of sowing and reaping in action. Conversely, if a person simply takes without giving in return, then this is what he shall receive in his life as well.
There are many preachers and teachers who abuse this truth by manipulating their constituents into giving to them with a promise of the giver getting something in return. This mindset is all wrong. One cannot manipulate the law of sowing and reaping. Attempting to do so, one will eventually reap something he really did not want to reap, namely, being alone. Attempting to manipulate the law of sowing and reaping is truly a selfish act.
What Scripture teaches is for a person to give from a heart filled with His love and bounty. We give because He gave to us first. We are to give from a heart filled with gratitude. Giving with wrong motives will only yield a harvest of more wrong. Let us consider these few verses carefully and prayerfully.
The words “taught” and “teaches” from the above verse are both a derivative of the word שמע - “shama” which means “to hear and obey.” For the word “taught,” it is in the “qal” form and simply means “those who hear and obey the truth which is taught to them.” In the case of “teaches,” it is quite literally “who causes one to hear and obey.” It is the “hiph’il” form of the word. So what Shaul is teaching in this passage, is that those who are taught the word of righteousness, are to share with those who are teaching them YHWH’s word of righteousness, the Torah.
This principle comes from the following passage in Torah.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:4
“You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.”
While a man is working his ox he is not to restrain the animal from eating, even if the ox is working to help produce food for the owner of that animal. In like manner, while a person of YHWH is working to produce a study for His people, he is to eat of that which YHWH teaches him. In part, what this means is that the person so eating is to internalize that which he is taught before he is to teach others, that is, it becomes a part of his everyday life. In this way, he never becomes a hypocrite.
In addition to this, a person who teaches His people the path of righteousness is to be given sustenance by those who receive by means of his teachings. YHWH has already fed him spiritual food, now those whom he in turn feeds spiritual food are to feed him with physical food. In this way, the body and the soul (as well as the spirit) are fed good nutrition. However, if those eating the spiritual food never physically feed those who feed them spiritually, then the structure of YHWH's society breaks down.
Sowing and Reaping
Galatiym (Galatians) 6:7
Be not deceived; the Elohim is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
Here is the question YHWH our Elohim would like to ask each and every one of us this day. What is it that you are sowing? To answer this question is going to take some very honest evaluation on our parts. It is not going to be easy to answer this question. Furthermore, it is not going to be pleasant in some cases to embrace the truth of what we have been sowing in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.
Here is reality. Every single word we speak, the manner, the tone, and demeanor in which we speak it, is sowing something. Is it sowing to righteousness? Or, is it sowing to unrighteousness? Every single action that we do is also sowing something. Are our actions sowing righteousness? Or, are our actions sowing unrighteousness?
Here are a few verses for us to prayerfully consider.
Ovadyah (Obadiah) 1:3
“The pride of your heart has deceived you, you that dwells in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that says in his heart, ‘Who shall bring me down to the ground?’”
If one has the attitude that he is secure in this life and needs nothing, then he is sowing vanity. Our trust should only be in YHWH and in Him alone! If we put our trust in anything else, it is idolatry; and what a person will reap is something that does not lead to eternal life.
Therefore, one should ask himself, where is he placing his trust? This is not simply by his words alone, but especially with his actions as well?
Iyov (Job) 4:8
According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,
And sow trouble, reap the same.
Do we walk according to the flesh? Or, do we walk according to the Spirit? Determining the answer to that question may not be so easy. The flesh of man likes to masquerade as something it is not, namely, as being more than it is. The flesh of man has the ability to put up a façade of appearing to be quite spiritual. One's flesh will even attempt to deceive one’s own mind. Only the Spirit of YHWH will be able to discern this reality. It is up to each one of us to listen to His Voice in this matter.
Mishle (Proverbs) 6:14-19
14 In whose heart is perverseness,
Who devises evil continually,
Who sows discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly;
On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
16 There are six things which YHWH hates;
Yea, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood;
18 A heart that devises wicked purposes,
Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that utters lies,
And he that sows discord among brethren.
Brothers and sisters in Mashiach, it is a serious matter before us today. Do we believe an evil report about another brother or sister without going to that brother or sister and checking it out? Or worse still, do we repeat the evil report to others? To what end do we do this? Know this, YHWH keeps a record of all that we say and do. We will reap exactly what we have sown.
Mishle (Proverbs) 1:31
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be filled with their own devices.
Always look for fruit. It will indicate what is truly inside a person. What is the person seeking after? A person cannot help but to be filled with what he seeks. If a person seeks after monetary gain, then he will be filled with the evil eye.[1] If a person seeks His kingdom, then he will be filled with the fruit of His kingdom.
Mishle (Proverbs) 11:18
The wicked earns deceitful wages;
But he that sows righteousness has a sure reward.
We cannot have it both ways. A person may want to have eternal life, but if he lives a life of wickedness, then he will not receive eternal life! One simply reaps what he is sowing!
If a person is not happy with what he is receiving in this life, then perhaps it is time for him to get on his face before YHWH our Elohim and do some serious searching and listening to His Voice. Listen to what He says. Yield to Him in all things, great and small. Only then will a person be at peace with YHWH and what is going on around him in this world, regardless of what the circumstances may be.
Harvest
Galatiym (Galatians) 6:8
For he that sows to his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.
A person is to live his life in the here and now to please our heavenly Father. One is to deny himself and do His will rather than seeking to do his own pleasures.
Romans 6:13
Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to Elohim, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to Elohim.
Keeping in mind the verse immediately above, now also notice what this next passage teaches!
Kepha Bet (2nd Peter) 2:18-19
18 For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;
19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.
There is a growing movement in our world today to seek to please the fleshly desires of the flesh in the area of sexual gratification. What is alarming is the number of people who claim to walk according to Torah and Scripture who teach this walking after the flesh. Please note in the above passage that, while these men of error are promising liberty to those who would listen to them, they are themselves a slave of the very corruption they are teaching.
Brethren, we are living in a time in which, if we do not guard our gates well, we will surely not be able to stand in His presence. As we saw back in Galatians 6:7, YHWH our Elohim will not be mocked! What one sows, he will reap. If a person sows to the flesh, he will reap corruption. One cannot sow to the flesh and reap spiritual rewards or life. YHWH will not allow it! It is simply impossible to do that!
Hoshea 8:7
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; he has no standing grain; the blade shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up.
What this verse teaches is a very important principle of sowing and reaping that one does not want to miss. When one sows a little bit of seed, he reaps an increase of that same seed. Having grown up on a farm and in rural America, this principle is quite familiar to me. But to many who have not actually witnessed this principle in action, it may be easily overlooked.
For each seed planted the increase is manifold.
Matithyah (Matthew) 13:8
“and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Notice that the small end of the scale of return of sowing and reaping is thirty fold. This should be a very sobering realization! No wonder the Scripture says that the wind is sown, but a whirlwind is reaped!
When a person sows to the flesh, how is it possible to reap according to the Spirit? It is not possible! When a person sows to the flesh, then it will be a manifold reaping to the flesh. And this reaping equals nothing other than corruption. The sooner that one comes to understand this truth and applies it in his own life, the better off he will be spiritually!
So, if a person wants eternal life, then he had better get very serious about walking in His Spirit and put to death the deeds of the flesh!
Walking the Path of Righteousness
Galatiym (Galatians) 6:9
And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Here is one part of the principle of reaping and sowing that is quite often overlooked. It is the principle of time. When a farmer goes out into his field to plant a crop, he does not expect to turn right around and harvest that same field immediately. The seed must first sprout, grow into a plant, and then produce fruit. The fruit must then ripen to its fullness. Only then is it ready to be harvested (reaped). This whole process of growing takes time.
Likewise, when a person sows good things according to His Spirit, it takes time before a reaping is ready to transpire. In the above passage, His people are being admonished not to give up, because the reaping of all those good things they have done will come if they wait for the proper season.
It is easy to be weary of walking in righteousness, particularly when His people are so scattered and many are living for Him in an isolated situation; and in many cases, in a family situation in which the family itself is divided with some doing their best to serve YHWH and others who have no desire to serve Him. None of these situations is easy to be in the midst of. However, YHWH still wants each person to be tenderhearted towards Him, hearing and obeying His Voice. When a person does that, then He molds him into the image of His Son, Yeshua our Mashiach.
Matithyah (Matthew) 6:33
“But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
Let each person always seek to walk in His Spirit, seeking to do His will, seeking to please Him, seeking to build His kingdom; then when the time is right, he will reap eternal life.
Good toward All
Galatiym (Galatians) 6:10
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.
The person who has chosen to follow Mashiach Yeshua needs to make sure that he is a blessing to others. He needs to bless all those around him at all times. This is especially true of those who are his brothers and sisters in the faith. Please consider the parable of the Good Samaritan.
A man who was a lawyer came to Yeshua one day and asked Him who His neighbor was. I have witnessed this same discussion many times in believing assemblies, that is, many today are asking this same question. “Who is my neighbor?” They seem to do this in order to know how to treat those of the faith as well as to know how to treat those not of the faith. However, I would like to point out that the answer that Yeshua gave to this lawyer of the Torah that day pointed in a completely different direction. Let's see what Yeshua said.
Luqa (Luke) 10:30-37
30 Yeshua answered and said, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance a certain priest was going down that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion,
34 and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow he took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatsoever you spend more, I, when I come back again, will repay you.’
36 Which of these three, do you think proved to be a neighbor to him that fell among the robbers?”
37 And he said, “He that showed mercy on him.” And Yeshua said to him, “You go and do likewise.”
Notice in verse 31 and 32 that neither the priest nor the Levite considered this man a neighbor. For whatever reason, these two men felt completely justified in not helping this man in dire need. But notice what the Samaritan did: he helped this man and took care of him.
Yeshua was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” But, He turned it around and taught that one is not to try to figure out who is one’s neighbor, but rather He taught that one is to be a neighbor to those around him, regardless of who they are and what their need may be. The priest and the Levite had made the attempt to try to figure out who their neighbor was. As a result, they simply walked by a man in need. However, the Samaritan man made no such effort; he simply acted as a neighbor to the man in need. Yeshua commanded His followers to go and do likewise.
How are you at being a neighbor?
ABBA YHWH, fill us with Your Spirit of compassion that we might be a neighbor to all those around us at all times; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach. Amein.
[1]For more detailed information on the evil eye consisting of the pursuit of riches, please see the study “The Evil Eye”
Zerubbabel Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
torah@onetorahforall.com