In this series on what the Bible has to say about our work, we began considering God’s own work from Psalm 65. We saw the 3 classical works of God: Creation, Providence and Redemption (or New Creation). In particular, thinking about God’sProvidence, we examined the doctrine that how God works to uphold and sustain everything He has made. He does not watch distantly from afar but labors intimately with great fatherly care to provide for all that He has made.
We then looked at human work’s good design and how, now we experience the distortion of that good design. We considered Jesus’ earthly workand how Jesus dignified work and brought together the secular and sacred. Jesus, God’s Saviour was not a philosopher and scholar, but a carpenter. He worked in anonymity for 30 years before spending 3 years in itinerant public teaching ministry. Thus He dignifies work with His hands reminding us that all work, regardless of blue or white collar, can be used to serve our neighbor and do him good. Jesus also spoke about doing His Father’s work in achieving salvation for us as He declared good news, healed the sick and proclaimed the Kingdom.
We examined what it means for the Christian to have a new self to bring to work. Colossians 3 speaks of us putting off the old self of sin and corruption and putting on the new in righteousness and new life. Thus through Christ, we have the ability to redeem our work, and think about what we do in a Genesis 1 sense of God’s good design.
From Nehemiah, one of 3 Old Testament important characters used by God to save and serve Israel who was neither a priest, king nor a prophet (the other two being Esther and Ezra). Instead, as a civil servant, Nehemiah was in charge of a construction project and overcame obstacles to achieving his goals. But there was a sacred significance to his secular work of restoring Jerusalem and leading God’s people.
With this ground work laid, we turn now to study what God’s wisdom has to say about work and we turn to Proverbs.
In short, Proverbs will teach us to work diligently, humbly before God and purposefully.
(A) WORK DILIGENTLY
Many of the Proverbs are written in pairs by way of poetic parallelism, i.e. the proverbs will say the same thing in at least two ways. Let’s first consider Proverbs 10:4-5: “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”
The “hand of the diligent”, belonging tothe “prudent son”, is contrasted with the “slack hand” of the “son who brings shame”. One prudent son gathers in summer and is made rich, while the other sleeps in harvest and receives poverty.
How should we understand this? Wisdom shows us two ways to live, and the differentiating choice to be made. Now, this doesn’t mean that this is always true in every instance. Wisdom literature, of which the Proverbs are a part, is not prophetic in the sense that God is foretelling what will happen to every person who applies this to every context, but they are generally and principially true. Proverbs are broad principles that are generally true of life in a fallen world. We cannot read the proverbs as law to be followed in obedience and righteousness, nor as prophecy about the mysteries of God. Wisdom is best described as “skilled living in a fallen world”.
Proverbs 1:1-7 helps us understand how to read this book. David’s own son, Solomon, authors the book and we are told that it is for imparting wisdom and instruction. It is written so that the young will be skilled to understand with insight how life in a fallen world works, and respond appropriately or with prudence. This is for the “youth” (Prov 1:4) or most likely a document for the training of young princes of noble or respectable backgrounds. For the Christianit is a textbook to understand skilled living in a fallen world. We would profit so much by spending more time understanding God’s wisdom for real life.
Proverbs 1:8, 2:1-2, 3:1-2, 4:1-9 echo with the repeated theme of fatherly wisdom to the beloved son, which is the backbone for the book of Proverbs. In it, we learn the value of young people being humble to receive wisdom from our forebears.
Proverbs then, is a family manual for living wisely, passed on from father to son, from one generation to another. In it we see the responsibilities of godly men teach their children wisdom. Friends, are we working so hard that we have neglected these familial duties? Even for those of us without children, this is something worth committing yourself to before children come or even before marriage comes. Godly menshould know God’s wise Word and able to teach God’s words as Solomon does. Christian women too, should hold their brothers to these high standards and not dodo the job of fathering in instruction for them. The men should be encouraged and challenged to live up to the responsibilities God’s Word adjures them to.
One way for all of us to prepare to receive and pass on wisdom is to become better Bible readers who have learnt how to read Proverbs on our own. Read Proverbs and make your own set of notes or a “cheat sheet” to categorise the proverbs by topic – like on money, the tongue, relationships, on work, on parenting, et cetera. Highlight and read the proverbs regularly, picking one a day or three a week. Make Proverbs your close friend, whom you’re committed to know better year on year.
Proverbs 10:4-5 in particular calls us to approach work with diligence. What does this look like and why should we? The proverb describes being industrious and intentional, responsible, thorough, and using resources well to produce excellent work. But notice that the proverb also recognises that we are unable to control final outcomes. The diligent worker works with an awareness of the timing and season that are out of his hands. He is at the mercy of nature, with which he cooperates.
Notice also that the proverb doesn’t just say that the worker’s actions guarantee riches or poverty. The workers here are sons who serve under the authority of their father, the master. The sons work for someone and part of the reward for diligence is in the relationship of being a prudent son. Thus, diligent work does not just pursue riches as the reward for work. Diligence also leads to a number of natural, relational, positive outcomes. Thus beyond just financial incentives, diligence is its own reward.
Proverbs 6:6-11 offers a complementary view: “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
From these verses, diligent work is performed in season and when appropriate. Proverbs 6:8 calls us to work at the right time - not all the time! Diligence corresponds to the appropriateness of the time. There is a time to work and there is a time to rest. That’s precisely why the sluggard is so frustrating – it’s time to work, not sleep!
Moreover we see that the sluggard is called to look to the example of the ant (Prov 6:6). Wisdom drawn not from special revelation but from general revelation is what we see here. From this, we can see that there is a nature quality to diligence – which does not mean that it is automatic, but that industry is part of our design. Diligence is not just for the gifted. Rather it comes with effort, but there is something right and good about being diligent. Christian work must be diligent because we recognise that it is good and fitting to work in the right manner.
The same language of Proverbs 6:10-11 is also picked up in Proverbs 24:33-34. From Proverbs 24we seem to see what the life of the sluggard has led to in the end. What do we see in the final analysis? That same field is now overgrown with thorns, the ground covered with nettles and its stone wall, broken down (Prov 24:31). The ground is unproductive with no security. Thus, slackness that leads to poverty has led to full disaster. Fruitlessness, waste and insecurity are the results. The writer in Proverbs 24 pauses and reflects by the field and recalls the teachings of his father: the fruit of diligence and slackness, left unchanged, will be shown over time. Just wait. You’ll see it.
Proverbs warns us against the slackness of spirit that becomes a habit, which grows over time. Now, we are not talking about structural poverty or one that arises from broader injustice in this world. Instead we’re talking about the habits of the individual here and the choices one keeps making to sleep instead of work, to refrain from diligence. Whereas working diligently is natural and right, and will keep us from ruin, the failure to be diligent leads to ruin. Would you say you are diligent at work? What habits are present in your work?
From this proverb we also learn the lesson of reflection. Young people do not have the benefit of hindsight and may struggle with the ability to look at themselves with insight. Seeking out older friends who can speak into your life and give you feedback about how you live could help with this. You might want to ask an older saint about their life, what it looks like to follow God and what has been the fruit of the choices they’ve made. Like the sluggard or the diligent worker, our lives are the sum of the decisions we’ve made. Ask senior saints what the secret to spiritual fruitfulness is, how they’ve cultivated diligence, and what is it like to follow God.
Like the writer of Proverbs 6 and 24, we can learn much about the spiritual life as we constantly think on God’s truth and observe the natural world around us. After all, he drew these lessons from observing nature. The wisdom of God that came to Solomon allowed him to draw many lessons from nature (c.f. 1 Kings 4:29-34). As you are going about your life, are you blind to the wonder of the world around you? Think about the things you can learn from nature if you’re constantly thinking on God’s Word dayand night? Consider things that grow — plants, babies, etc even the ant. These are reminders that time is passing by and is limited. Friends, we should see gospel truths everywhere we go! What lives in your heart? What Scripture comes to mind as you go around? Let us diligent in both our work, and also in our faith!
(B) WORK HUMBLY BEFORE GOD
While working diligently we may be led to think that everything about our lives now depends on us, and the quality of our initiative or planning. But Proverbs 16:1-5 corrects us: “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished.”
We read of 2 characters spoken of here — man and God. Man’s plans are of the heart — the hidden seat of desire unseen — which contrasts with the LORD’s answer of the tongue — that which is spoken and revealed to all. Man’s ways are pure in his own subjective eyes while the LORD weighs the spirit by His own objective standard of omniscience. Man is told to commit his work to the Lordbecause he is unable to guarantee the certainty of outcomes which only God can do. On the other hand the LORD who is in sovereign controlhas made everything for its purpose. The man who is arrogant of heart is an abomination to the LORD, and He will punish.
These verse compare and contrast man with God. They teach us that there are some things about ourselves that we are free to do or want. We may even think that our motives are pure. But in reality, we have no power to effect outcomes. And because we think our motives our right doesn’t make them so.
These are powerful reminders of what we, as mortal men, are responsible for and what we are not responsible for. We ought to be humble before God when we talk about the work of our hands and the certainty of outcomes. Similarly, we cannot claim that deep down inside, our motives are pure either.
Our responsibility is not to make sure that everything in life pans out. We are to commit our work to the LORD. We are to do it, conscious that there is a sovereign God who is in control, and that He knows our plans. Work in the light of Him, remembering what He is like and how we have to give an account to Him. Is this how you think about work? Do you believe that your work for your secular employer is also accountable to God? If you’re a slacker at work and shortchanging your employer, you will have to give an account to God for that!
God sees all our work! And He has an opinion about our work. Working humbly means that we are mindful of a sovereign God.
Proverbs 28:22 is a warning to us about presumption, “A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.” The “stingy man” is one who is unpleasant, disagreeable or unkind. Moreover, this person chases after wealth diligently, but is woefully unaware that poverty will come upon him. Yet he hastens in presumption, thinking that he will be rewarded for his labours. The proverbs reiterates what Proverbs 6 has already said — we cannot control final outcomes. We may pursue wealth and find that what we get is the exact opposite. We don’t have any idea about what is going to happen.
Are we working in ways that are too proud and presumptuous? Are we working and trying to tell God that we are in control? Do we really think that we control the outcomes of our work? Friends, we could work very diligently, as atheists, too.
And ultimately, do we believe that God is sovereign? Peter’s words in Acts 2:22-23 help us to understand the compatibilist nature of the sovereignty of God. Peter states that Jesus was delivered up according to the “definite plan and foreknowledge of God”. At the same time, he also states that He was crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Jesus’ death was thus the result of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.
The same idea of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is also fleshed out in how Paul talks about the Christianlife in Philippians 2:12-13. As Paul encourages Christians to live faithfully, he calls them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in them to will and to work for His good pleasure. Both God and the Christian are at work in the growth of the Christian.
To put it all together, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility sit together side by side. Our work before a sovereign God, must thus be humble, surrendered fully to Him and thoroughly aware of our limitations.
(C) WORK PURPOSEFULLY
Proverbs 12:14 says, “From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.”
From here we can learn where satisfaction in work comes from. Notice that the proverb does not call us to be satisfied in the riches that result. Rather, it draws attention to the natural outcome of work. “Fruit” here doesn’t mean an engineered or transactional outcome. Rather it speaks of the natural outcome of cooperative work between a diligent human worker and the sovereign God of the seasons and elements. Thus, it calls us to be purposeful in our work – purposeful to seek growth in and through the natural goodness of our labours. We ought to be aware about what our work yields! Another way of saying this is to look for the value created in our work, and not just measure work by its cost, which would be far more transactional. Christian workers should aim to create value, to pursue fruit. Do you meditate upon the fruit of your labours? What is the good and natural outcome of your work? Perhaps, the more we reflect on it, the more we will be better at our work.
On the other hand, many Christians struggle because they feel their work is fruitless. This could arise because they expect monetary rewards, or they have unrealistic expectations about the satisfaction that work brings. Perhaps you need a renewed perspective of your work! Ask yourself: what good are you delivering? What value are you bringing? What service are you providing? What fruit are you bearing? As we remember that work was to exist before the Fall, and look for the fruit that is the satisfying result of your work.
As we conclude, here are some questions for consideration:
What is God saying to you today about the things that you do?
Are you a diligent worker? Describe the motives for your diligence at work.
What are challenges to working humbly before God?
What is the purpose of your work? How would you describe what gives you satisfaction?