Go not empty
So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to Me void. But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
Labor without reward signifies going empty. The Hebrew word for empty or void is "Reqam". In Genesis 31:42, Jacob confronted his father-in-law Laban who mistreated him financially and if God was not with him, Laban would send Jacob away empty-handed (Reqam).
“Going empty” is definitely not an attribute of God and God commands us not to send people away “empty handed”. He instructed Israelites in Deuteronomy 15:13 not to send the bondservant away empty-handed. Additionally, God didn't let the Israelites go empty handed when they left Egypt, saying, "I will give this people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians...when you go, you shall not go empty.” God will not let His people go empty-handed or unjustly treated.
It is God's specialty to create something out of nothing, just as He created the universe out of nothing, as well as our circumstances. As Naomi cried out,
"I went out full, and the LORD brought me home empty (Reqam)." Ruth 1:21, and Boaz was like Christ, redeeming Noami's life, and he rewarded Ruth with six measures of barley and explicitly told her, "Go not empty to your mother in law." Ruth 3:17.
Our God will never let His children go empty. Occasionally, we feel frustrated that God doesn't reward our good works. However, I want to assure you that God is a faithful rewarder, and His reward may not seem to be circumstantial provision but we have the blessing of true satisfaction that comes from within, such as a sanctified heart in which God has washed away our impure motives with total transformation.
Furthermore, the key verse today states that God's word will not return empty handed. Just as rain and snow fall from the heavens, when He speaks, it cannot be returned, and it shall come to pass. God sees our affliction and fills our empty hands with His mercy just as He saw Naomi's affliction.
In Hebrew, "Racham" means a love beyond love, and it is a homonym of Reqam. Homonyms are words with similar pronunciation, but completely different meanings. The wordplay expresses God's perfect love "racham" will fill the emptiness of "reqam". Thus, love is God's formula for not letting His word and children go empty!
Blessing prayer: May we not go empty physically or spiritually. We are filled with your word since it is settled in heaven and never wasted on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen
