The Law of Pain and Pleasure

UV 1408/10,000 The Law of Pain and Pleasure
They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
Jeremiah 12 v 13

The law of nature as of the law of the supernatural is that as one sows so one reaps. If one sows wheat, he should reap wheat and wheat in plenty. If one takes pain-staking effort, it should end in gain. If one has plenty of income, it should be a source of comfort, security and confidence. Yet, if one breaks the law of God, when one sows wheat he reaps thorns or troubles that prick and pain him rather than a crop that satisfies his need and the need of his family. The very fact that adultery and bribe-taking happens in secret shows that the doer knows he or she is doing the wrong thing by God’s law as well as man’s law. He cannot reap joy or peace but will reap a harvest of strife and misery that will induce greatest pain. Illegitimate pleasure leads to legitimate pain and legitimate pain leads to legitimate pleasure.


The moral and spiritual laws apart from being explicit in scripture is present in human consciousness. A carnivore like a tiger or a lion never agonizes having killed a fellow creature. When a human being also does so, he becomes no better than a beast. Though there is a certain genetic propulsion towards either good or bad, each of us need to take a decision to be righteous before God and our own conscience. Ill-gotten wealth affects and afflicts the health and peace of mind of the possessor. It even affects succeeding generations of the heirs. The abundant revenues will make them feel ashamed. But those who have enough to meet their needs will eat and enjoy to their satisfaction. This is the reason the wise man prays as it is written in the book of Proverbs, “ Lord do not make me so rich that I forget You or so poor that I curse my life and wish to die.”

We should take care not to be caught in the eye of the whirlwind of God’s anger that is unleashed against mindless wickedness, immorality, greed and lust. Then when we sow wheat, we shall reap wheat. Our efforts will be blessed, our harvest multiplied, our lives blessed. Each uni-verse is a seed of God’s grace and greatness. When we sow it in our hearts and minds, it will bring forth the glory of God in due season. We shall not have cause to be ashamed in the day of harvest. Our business will not be in vain but it will bring more than due profit. In fact, many of the secrets of flourishing business and the good life are hidden in the Word. If only people knew that following the Kingdom principles rather than the principles of the world would lead to increased productivity and profitability, to better health and less disease, to greater peace and less conflict and disorder, then even the worldly-minded would make Scripture study and application a major obsession. By labelling and stereotyping Scripture as other-worldly, unreal and religious a large part of humanity and human enterprise are subjecting themselves to the cycle of apparent prosperity and recurring misery.
Prateep V Philip