Reap (2325) (therizo from théros = summer, harvest time ~ time of harvests) conveys the picture of cutting ripe grain and gathering the bundles together. To reap, to harvest, harvest, reaping. The immutable law of sowing and reaping dictates that we can be assured that we will reap what we sow, but we can never know exactly how much we reap until the time of the harvest. Therizo - 21x in 17v in the NT. Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Comment: Context is "Why you need not worry (see study of fascinating Greek word = merimna)." Why should we not worry from Mt 6:26 (cp Lk 12:24)? What are we to God? How do you treat those (people, things) in your life who are "valuable"? Matthew 25:24 "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed....(Mt 25:25) Mt 25:26 "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Luke 12:24 "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! Luke 19:21 for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.' Lk 19:22 "He said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? John 4:36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." 1 Corinthians 9:11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 2 Corinthians 9:6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. James 5:4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Revelation 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." Rev 14:16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. Therizo - 24x in 23v in the Septuagint (LXX). -Lev 23:10, 22; Ruth 2:3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 14 (= "reapers" in Ruth); 1Sa 6:13; 8:12; 13:21; 2Kgs 4:18; Ps 126:5 (speaks of spiritual "reaping"- for more see note); Ps 129:7; Pr 22:8 (speaks of spiritual "reaping" which results from sowing the seed of unrighteousness or injustice - for more see note) ; Ec 11:4; Job 4:8 (see note); Job 5:26; 8:12; 24:6; Jer 9:22; 12:13 Ecclesiastes 11:4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Comment: This proverb criticizes those who are overly cautious. The farmer who waits for the most opportune moment to plant when there is no wind to blow away the seed, and to reap when there is no rain to ruin a ripe harvest, will never do anything but sit around waiting for the right moment. (NETBible Ecclesiastes 114) Jeremiah 12:13 "They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns, They have strained themselves to no profit. But be ashamed of your harvest Because of the fierce anger of the LORD." Comment: This passage describes the Babylonian armies living off the land, utilizing all that was of value and destroying what they did not consume. Strictly speaking, the thought is not what a man sows that shall he reap, but what a man sows he shall not reap, that the harvest shall fail and all the labor expended shall be lost. Nevertheless, in a sense this lack of harvest (which was consumed and destroyed by the enemy) is the "fruit" of Judah's sinful sowing of the seeds of idolatry and apostasy which reaped the righteous anger of Jehovah which was manifest by His allowing the enemy to destroy Judah. Beware, dear reader, lest you reap the righteous indignation of Jehovah in your life - make the daily, conscious choice to sow seeds of righteousness, not rebellion! God's ways have not changed. He will allow the "enemy" to wreak havoc and destruction on "your land" (it could be financial disaster, it could be in the area of your health, fathers it could be a dire consequence suffered by one of your children, etc, etc.) But praise God, it is never too late to repent and return to the LORD! cp Hos 6:1, Jer 3:22, Lam 3:40, 41, Acts 3:19, 20. We may reap the consequences of our rebellion, but God is gracious and kind and merciful to those who seek Him in brokenness and humility - Isa 55:7, Lam 3:32, 33. Will reap corruption - Cause and effect. Corruption is the rotten fruit which is harvested! Wiersbe applies the universal truth of sowing and reaping to believers writing... While it is true that the Christian is not under condemnation (Jn 5:24; Ro 8:1), it is also true that he is not free from the harvest of sorrow that comes when we sow to the flesh (Gal. 6:7, 8). When King David committed adultery, he tried to cover his sin, but God chastened him severely. (Read Ps 32:1-2, 3-4, 5, 6-7, 8, 9, 10-11-note; Ps 51:1, 2-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19-note) to see what he lost during those months.) When David confessed his sins, God forgave him; but God could not change the consequences. David reaped what he sowed, and it was a painful experience for him. "But I am one of God's elect!" a Christian may argue. "I belong to Him, and He can never cast me out." Election is not an excuse for sin—it is an encouragement for holiness....God in His grace forgives our sins when we confess them (1 John 1:9), but God in His government allows us to suffer the painful consequences of those sins...God put away David's sin, but warned him that the sword wouldn't depart from his own household, and it didn't (2Sa 12:1-14). What a tragedy it is to reap the consequences of forgiven sin! Corruption - Speaks of decay and degeneration, of going from "better to worse"! Be careful because decay in one's character will inevitably, inexorably produce decay in one's life regardless of whether he is regenerate or unregenerate. For believers to sow to the flesh is "crazy" considering that God has caused us to escape "the corruption which is in the world by lust" (2Pe 1:4-note)! Why do we so easily crawl back into the cesspool of the fetid flesh when we could be experiencing the favor of the Most High God by walking in His Spirit, choosing life rather than death (Things have not changed much since Dt 30:15, 19, Pr 11:19, 12:28, 13:14, 14:27 - May we today be among the remnant who choose the fear of Jehovah and not the converse - Pr 1:29). Jude records that mockers will sow their corrupt seeds of ungodliness... In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. (Jude 1:18) But in Philippians Paul records what ungodly men will "reap" noting that their... end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (Php 3:19) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/galatians_68_commentary.htm#r