“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
For decades, a television game show known as “Truth Or Consequences” served as a staple of American daytime TV. During the course of the game, the host would challenge each contestant by asking a question with an answer that no average person would likely know. Not surprisingly, most contestants got the answers wrong and suffered the consequences. Those “consequences” usually involved doing something ridiculous for the entertainment of the audience.
While these game show contestants were engaged in a bit of harmless fun, the “choices and consequences” expressed in Galatians 6:7 are much more serious. For instance, the familiar old expression, “You reap what you sow” has its origin in the passage quoted above. This imagery recalls the picture of a farmer who plants (or “sows”) the seed that he or she will harvest (or “reap”) later.
Of course, a farmer who plants one type of seed would not normally expect to harvest a different crop later on. Instead, he or she would expect to reap the same crop that was planted earlier. Galatians 6:7 tells us this idea can be applied spiritually as well. In the context of this verse, the word “mocked” means “to sneer at” or treat with contempt. Yet this definition may seem puzzling because people are often heard to mock God in various ways with no apparent repercussions.
For instance, we can see this sort of attitude expressed whenever someone uses Jesus’ name as a swear word or an exclamation. We can find a similar example whenever someone uses God’s name in a trivial or frivolous manner such as in “ohmigod” or OMG. To speak of God in such a flippant, superficial manner demonstrates scorn or contempt for Him because it indicates that God’s name is not worthy to be taken seriously.
In light of this, we might then ask why Galatians 6:7 says that God cannot be mocked when many seem to do so regularly. Well, the answer is not that it is impossible to mock God; this passage tells us that we can’t mock God and get away with it. It means that those who act disrespectfully towards God will eventually face the consequences or “reap what they sow,” so to speak. Those who choose to ignore this tenet should not lose sight of an important reality: just because God has not acted to discipline those who mock Him doesn’t mean He can’t or won’t act.
We’ll see how this principle was expressed in the life of a well-known Biblical personality next.
Screen capture: Classic Truth or Consequences Starring Bob Barker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgDx_N7bUWo