The Biblical Law of Compensation

[Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen]

The most famous biblical Law of Compensation is: We reap what we sow (cf. Hosea 10:12-13 and Galatians 6:7). Just as it is true that if we plant tomatoes, then we will reap tomatoes; and just as it is true that if we plant weeds, then we will reap weeds; thus, it also should come as no surprise that if we plant seeds of love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, holiness, righteousness, and kindness, then we will be loved, shown mercy, shown forgiveness, treated peaceably, shown holiness and righteousness, and treated kindly. But if all we sow is anger and hatred, then all we will reap will be hostility and loathing.

Therefore, when we practice the Golden Rule by treating our neighbors as we want to be treated, we not only will live in harmony with this principle but also will reap the Golden Rule's benefits. In other words, the biblical Law of Compensation (a.k.a., we reap what we sow) is what Ralph Waldo Emerson says: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”


Artwork is "Hosea 10:12 by Amy Deanne