For more laborious that can be, plow your heart; otherwise you will follow vanities (Part 1).
• “He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread; but he who follows vanities lacks heart.” (Pro 12:11)
What does it mean to follow vanities?
First of all, we need to know what is vanity:
• “You correct a man for iniquity with rebukes, and you make his desires vanish away like a moth. Surely *every man is vanity*. Selah.” (Psa_39:11);
• “Surely the *sons of men are vanity*; the sons of men are a lie; they go up in the scales; they are altogether lighter than vanity.” (Psa_62:9);
• “Therefore he ended their days in vanity* and their years in trouble.” (Psa_78:33);
• “*Man is like vanity*; his days are like a shadow that passes away.” (Psa_144:4);
• “Behold, You have made my days as a handbreadth, and my age is as nothing before You. Surely *every man standing is altogether vanity*. Selah.” (Psa_39:5).
As we can see, the human being is vanity. I know that this can sound queer. But the reason can be seen below:
• “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” (Rom 3:23).
Thereby, only the Creator is good (Mat 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). Only Jesus Christ can preclude in our life what is written below:
• “What then? Do we excel? No, in no way; for we have before charged both Jews and Greeks all with being under sin, as it is written:
o "There is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God."
o "They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one."
o "Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;"
o "their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their way, and the way of peace they did not know."
o "There is no fear of God before their eyes."” (Rom 3:9-18).
Therefore, only Jesus can make possible our permanence in the presence of the Creator:
• “Who shall go up into the hill of Jehovah? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart; *who has not lifted up his soul to vanity*, and has not sworn deceitfully.” (Psa_24:3,4)
So, have a good day tilling your land, namely, your heart, so that you don’t end up following vanities and, obviously, suffering from the hunger prophesied by Amos:
• “Behold, the days come, says the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of Jehovah. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it. In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst.” (Amo 8:11-13).
• “He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread; but he who follows vanities lacks heart.” (Pro 12:11)
What does it mean to follow vanities?
First of all, we need to know what is vanity:
• “You correct a man for iniquity with rebukes, and you make his desires vanish away like a moth. Surely *every man is vanity*. Selah.” (Psa_39:11);
• “Surely the *sons of men are vanity*; the sons of men are a lie; they go up in the scales; they are altogether lighter than vanity.” (Psa_62:9);
• “Therefore he ended their days in vanity* and their years in trouble.” (Psa_78:33);
• “*Man is like vanity*; his days are like a shadow that passes away.” (Psa_144:4);
• “Behold, You have made my days as a handbreadth, and my age is as nothing before You. Surely *every man standing is altogether vanity*. Selah.” (Psa_39:5).
As we can see, the human being is vanity. I know that this can sound queer. But the reason can be seen below:
• “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” (Rom 3:23).
Thereby, only the Creator is good (Mat 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). Only Jesus Christ can preclude in our life what is written below:
• “What then? Do we excel? No, in no way; for we have before charged both Jews and Greeks all with being under sin, as it is written:
o "There is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God."
o "They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one."
o "Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;"
o "their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their way, and the way of peace they did not know."
o "There is no fear of God before their eyes."” (Rom 3:9-18).
Therefore, only Jesus can make possible our permanence in the presence of the Creator:
• “Who shall go up into the hill of Jehovah? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart; *who has not lifted up his soul to vanity*, and has not sworn deceitfully.” (Psa_24:3,4)
So, have a good day tilling your land, namely, your heart, so that you don’t end up following vanities and, obviously, suffering from the hunger prophesied by Amos:
• “Behold, the days come, says the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of Jehovah. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it. In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst.” (Amo 8:11-13).