Hasty Fruit

scpHappiness

“And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up” (Isaiah 28:4).

A “fat valley” is a valley producing a lot of fruit or a great crop. In this article I am not dealing with “joy” which is a spiritual thing that comes from God through the Holy Spirit; but I’m addressing “happiness”. Happiness comes from the word “happen” when “such and such” happens to someone, which results in “happiness” or “sadness”.

When someone eats a thick steak that is happiness. Happiness is when you kiss your wife. Sadness is when your sister or worse your mother-in-law kisses you. Happiness revolves around the happenings; happenings of life or the events of life!

We sing, “I have joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!” However, that is a gift from God! Happiness is caused by the activities of this life. Happiness is temporal while joy is eternal.

With that in mind may I introduce the phrase from verse four of “hasty fruit”? Everything that is worthwhile is earned and then received. Everything not worthwhile is received and then earned.

Thus, each of us can determine if something is worthwhile or not! Anything that is worthwhile is earned and then received while something not worthwhile the opposite is true!

God gives his reward at the end while Satan gives his reward at the beginning. All of God’s promises are after conditions. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).  

God never said you promise me that you will abide in me for so many years and promise me to let my word abide in you so many years and I will answer your prayers NOW! God does not give things in life on credit! One must pay for it first and then God gives it to you.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season he leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3). 

God never said if you would not do all of these things in this verses and promise to do some of these things that God will give you prosperity NOW!

Prosperity follows the one who meets God’s conditions! God’s promises are not on credit. God says to us you do this first then I will do what I promised; you then I! God never says I’ll give it to you NOW if you will promise me you WILL do it.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). 

God never said if you promise to delight in me then I will give you the desires of your heart NOW! No! God said you delight in him first and then he gives you the desires of your heart.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). 

After God’s people have humbled themselves, prayed, sought God’s face, turned from their wicked ways; THEN will God’s people hear from Heaven with God forgiving their sins and healing their land.

God does not say if my people will promise me that they will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, turn from their wicked ways, THEN God will show NOW forgiveness of sins, and heal their land. Oh no! The healing of the land comes AFTER God’s people have met God’s conditions.

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for: as hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5). 

The fear of the God, wisdom, and knowledge come after one has met God’s conditions! That has always been God’s order. It does not matter what subject matter one picks! If it is education you do not receive a cheap education. It takes time to receive an education and the diploma comes afterwards! In God’s plan the end is the rewarding time! There are two avenues to happiness God gives in life!

  • Achieving
  • Achievement

Another way of phrasing it could be in two other words of “acquiring” and “acquisition”. God also puts them in proper order.

  • Achieving first
  • Achievement last

God is saying earn the money and then buy. There must be acquiring first and then followed by the acquisition. Most every sin committed is someone going against God’s divine order.

Take for example God’s plan of salvation, which has been distorted by the religious world.

  • Salvation
  • Baptism
  • Church membership
  • Lord’s Supper

If one calls the Lord’s Supper a “sacrament” and put it in the place ahead of salvation then that becomes sin! Each of these is a good thing, but in the wrong order they become sin. Sin is the perverting of good!

Take for example God’s divine order concerning marriage and family.

  • Love
  • Marriage
  • Sex
  • Children

God has provided in His Word the proper order for marriage and family. To pervert it is to take each out of its proper order causing that element to become sin.

Another example of God’s divine order can been seen in the economic way God designed the financial world.

  • Work
  • Earn
  • Buy

God’s proper order is acquiring and then acquisition! When man becomes smarter than God he is about to suffer. However, when man obeys God’s Word concerning the issues of life he will reap the benefits of the sowing orderly.