He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. (Proverbs 12:11)

The Purpose Of Work

Living in the Garden of Eden was a life of paradise, but it still required work. God placed the man and woman in the garden and told them to tend and keep it. What tending and maintaining the garden entailed is not mentioned, but the Lord created man to be a productive and busy creation. After the fall of man, the provisions of paradise were removed, and man had to work by the sweat of his brow. Part of the penalty for disobedience was for Adam to labor over a cursed ground with thorns and thistles. To eat bread, Adam would have to work in the heat of the day and produce the good ground to grow crops and then harvest them. In the Garden of Eden, everything was provided. After the fall of man, the world would labor until the day of death to produce a bounty to live by.

Moses describes some of the early pioneers of the workforce. Jabal was the father of those who lived in tents and had livestock. Jubal, his brother, created musical instruments like the harp and flute. Tubal-Cain became an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. Learning to work in metallurgy was a dangerous profession showing the earliest men in history used iron for tools and other implements. Work has always been the plight of man to receive anything. The days of God providing everything were taken away when Adam and Eve rebelled against the word of God. A man left to himself who refuses to labor for his food will die.

The wisdom of labor is seen when a hard-working farmer has fields of harvest compared to a man who will daydream about the good things and do nothing. When a man works his land, he will have plenty of bread. The man who follows worthless pursuits and frivolity is, in the words of the Hebrew text, stupid or foolish. God created the human body as a machine to carry out the work required to care for the body’s needs. Two arms and two legs serve well to go into the field and work the land to grow crops and feed the family. A lazy man is an affront to the purpose God created man. Adam and Eve were told to tend and keep the garden because God wanted them to find worth in how they cared for it.

Laziness goes against the will of God. The slothful man is not pleasing to the will of the Father. There is much work to be done at any age. The human spirit’s character relies on working with the hands to provide for the family. Hard work teaches a character of godliness in such a manner to show dependence on God, thankfulness for the blessings of God, and the joy of sharing with others who are in need. The apostle Paul wrote that one of the reasons the Christian labors with his hands is to provide for the family and share with others in need. Sharing the bounty of labor is one of the gifts of the spiritual family of God. Later, James will show that faith without works is dead. He explained how those who have been blessed should share with those who are unfortunate. If a man refuses to help others, his faith is dead. Sharing comes from working.

The Christian stands out in the world as a diligent and faithful worker. In a sense, the child of God should get the employee of the year every year. They work not for the glory of men but for the glory of God. The example of a faithful employee or employer letting the light of Christ shine in their lives will go a long way to bring others to Christ. A man who works diligently to please God will show others the character of labor, faithfulness, and industry to do a job well done. Do not allow a lazy spirit to characterize the heart. Work for the night is coming when no man will work.