by Mike Bennett

The Bible often speaks of spiritual growth in agricultural terms. If we plant right actions, we can harvest God’s mercy. If we plow up our hard hearts, He can rain His life-giving righteousness on us, converting us from the inside.

This is contrasted with our natural tendency to cultivate destructive things. Verse 13 says, “You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.”

For more about growing in righteousness, see our section on “Christian Conversion.” See also our article “What Is the Breastplate of Righteousness?”