Fallow Ground and the Rain of Righteousness

"And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh" (Jude 22–23). 

It was almost 60 years ago, but I remember it well. On June 13, 1963, my grandparents embarked on a 6,300 mile road trip in barge-sized maroon Pontiac Catalina with two bickering grandsons, Jim (age 12) and Bob (that was me—age 9 at the time) in the back seat.

The goal was to visit relatives. My grandparents had Canadian roots. We visited kin in St. Paul, Minnesota; Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba; Saskatoon and Swift Current, Saskatchewan; Walla Walla, Washington; and Portland, Oregon.

We visited my mother’s birthplace, a tiny prairie homestead amid wheatfields and caragana hedges near Conquest, Saskatchewan. My grandfather and his older brother, Wes, were discussing farms and farming. They pointed at fields where nothing was growing. They said, “That’s summer fallow.”

I took their word for it. But what was “summer fallow,” I wondered? “Fallow” basically means unused or undeveloped. In the Great Plains of the US and Canada, there is not enough moisture to grow wheat every year. So they allow fields to lie idle every other year. This rests the soil and allows moisture to build. After an idle year, the fields grow more abundant crops.

“Fallow” can describe the human heart. Our hearts should be productive. We should bear the fruit that God’s word plants in us. James urges, “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). God’s Word can take root and grow, changing our lives and bringing him honor through our devotion and service.

But our hearts may underperform. Twice the Bible (ESV) speaks of “fallow” hearts. The great (and some think greatest) prophet Jeremiah wrote, “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns’” (4:3). That means let God’s Word penetrate your hard hearts. Quit devoting yourself to barren pursuits. Turn to the LORD!

Jeremiah preached and wrote ca. 600 BC. Much earlier, in the eighth century BC, Hosea also likened the hearts of God’s people to fallow ground (Hosea 10:12): “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”

Hosea saw that before God’s righteousness can reign, he must “rain righteousness upon” us. But fallow hearts are hard hearts. Even if rain falls, it can run off without sinking in. So he says, “Break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come.”

This is a word for our time too. Jesus spoke of dark days when “because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). We see lawlessness on every hand, sometimes including our own. It is tempting to grow callous—hard-hearted. Why not? Everyone else is!

But as Hosea put it, if we “sow … righteousness,” we will “reap steadfast love.” Our righteousness comes from the steadfast love of Christ who died, rose, and reigns. He makes our hearts fertile, not fallow, as the rain of his gospel falls. It breaks up our heart by softening it, yet paradoxically toughening it too.

But what difference does it make? You are just a single person. One person can’t do that much. Really?

Tell that to the dozens of kids and teachers who are alive today because of Jacob Albarado. He was getting a haircut one morning back in May in Uvalde, Texas. His cell phone pinged. His wife, a teacher, texted: There’s an active shooter in the hallway! Robb Elementary School was just a few blocks from the barbershop.

James Alvarado borrowed a shotgun from the barber. He ran to the nearby school. He stood guard while locked-down classrooms crammed with children escaped the shooter.

Eventually, putting his own life on the line, he used the force required to restore order. Jacob Albarado’s heart was not fallow but courageous, soft out of alarm and compassion, but tough with brave determination. He was zealous for his wife and many innocent children, one of whom was his own daughter.

In these distressing times, God wants to break up our fallow hearts so he can rescue us, grace us with his daily presence, and use us to rescue others.