"And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down."
We continue to look at these last 5 verses of chapter 24. They are the visual picture of physcial sloth in a life of a lazy person and how that is also true of our spritiual walk. And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and neeltes had covered the face thereof - the very fact that thorns and nettles are mentioned reveals to us the lack of weeding; The woman makes her statement in Song of Solomon, 'They made me keeper of the vineyard but my own vineyard I did not keep.' It is the testimony and proof of one that labors or not by what grows in a garden or yard. The yard that is kept and mowed and trimmed, reflects effort and labor. The yard grown up, unkept and weedy shows neglect and sloth. The soul, heart and life that 'is all grown over' has not discplines, no rountine, no service unto the Lord. The very soul can be questioned about their love for the Lord. Was they ever truly saved? Again, it is easy for us to make judgments on this, but the Lord knows those that are His'.
There is nothing wrong with asking the person with such an unkept life to say, 'why is it like this?' The problem might be revealed in the answer. Satan uses many devices to stunt, maim and rob the chidlren of God of growth and producitivty. The very fact that thorns and nettles are growing means that no fruit and proper vegetation is going to grow. The tree that cumbereth the ground was commanded to be cut down and thrown into the fire. It is a fine line between lost and sunk in sin. God is able to deliver the soul no matter what their plight or place. What say you of your soul brethren? Are you frutiful and well kept or is there thorns and nettles? I believe it not only simply a fact of neglect to get up and do the work and labors, but to blind the eye from seeing it. We get so used to weeds that it becomes normal; so used to thorns that we don't want to get pricked so we stay away from them. Lift up your eyes and look on your soul, is it kept or not? Go to task with yourself and your disciplines. Cut out the weeds and unsavory things. Groom it, keep it, cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground; for it will only sap your strength and beauty. The very fact that thorns and nettles has grown over the face of it may show signs of abandonment. There has been no one around to trim, to cut back, to remove the brush. Many a soul abandons the ways of the Lord. They forget their commands and they lose their place of intimacy with Him. They have gone off and forsaken the upkeep of their place and removed away to another place.
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