When the king mows

1 Peter 1:24 (LU84)

24 For “all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass has withered and the flower has fallen;

What does God want to tell us with this Bible text? We are not so familiar with the fact that our flesh is compared to grass. But he is saying that all flesh is like grass. So when the flesh grows, it will also blossom, and it will find its glory in the flower. The flesh or carnality is described in the Bible as a nature of man in which he lives. We cannot put off the flesh, but we can put off carnality. 

Grass is a wonderful thing, it adorns our landscape and our gardens. Especially in spring, it is wonderful when the weather changes and we can experience beautiful days again. But in spring the grass also grows again and on a beautiful spring day we realize that it urgently needs to be mowed again. It is important that the grass is mowed, otherwise it quickly becomes wild. It becomes hard and rough and starts to become uncontrollable. However, if the grass is mowed, it can become denser and makes for a neat and beautiful landscape. 

The characteristics of the grass and its growth are equated in this biblical passage with the characteristics of the flesh. However, the Bible clearly warns us against the flesh and tells us that we must keep it under control because otherwise it will grow over our heads and everything will get out of control. In Galatians 5, it speaks of the works of the flesh, but also of the fruit of the Spirit. 

But what does that mean? It means that the flesh must be brought under control. Not under our control, but under the control of the Holy Spirit, under the rule of the King. It must be mowed down, because if it grows too much, it becomes difficult to deal with, and it begins to flourish in the glory of the flesh. 

But let not the flesh flourish; for when it flourishes, the works of the flesh come to light, and these are, according to Galatians 5:19 ... Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, envy, murder, drunkenness, gluttony...”.

This is the fruit of the flesh and, of course, the opposite of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23

What does this comparison of flesh and spirit tell us?

The clearest sign of an abandoned house is often overgrown grass. If the grass is neglected, it quickly becomes visible. 

It is the same with our flesh and our carnality. That is why we must allow the Holy Spirit to work on us.

Amos 7:1 (ELB 2006)

1 And the Lord, the Lord, let me see: Behold, a man who made locusts when the late grass began to grow, - and behold, the late grass comes after the king's mowing.

The king must mow the grass to make it usable. It must be mowed, and it must be kept at cutting height, otherwise the mower can no longer cut it effortlessly.

God has to work on our flesh to make it usable and useful. Just as the grass must be cut, so must our flesh be cut, otherwise it grows to His glory, and God does not share His glory with others.

But it must be cut early enough, because if it is too late, it will be difficult to regain the desired state. 

When grass is cut, there is a cutting edge, a breaking point. It is worked, cut, broken, injured, it may bleed, but it creates beauty, balance, uniformity. When you see a beautiful lawn, it is that way because it has been cut, because it has bled a little to show you that beauty. 

If the Holy Spirit is not allowed to cut into our lives, the flesh will take over. Sometimes it seems unfair to us. Why do we go through difficult times and why do we experience injustice in our lives? God can say, “I'm just trying to mow you down, I see things in your grass, things in your flesh that need to be cut away,” and He tries to do it early because if you let it grow too far, there will be a harvest, and so it's better that He cuts us when we're still on the cutting edge than when it's too late and we've already reaped from the glory of the flesh. 

When the king mows!