Prov and work
A List of Relevant Scriptures
Pro 10:5; 12:11,14,24; 13:11; 14:23; 16:6; 18:9; 21:25; 22:29;
24:27; 28:19; 31:13,17,31.
A Presupposition
The consistent presupposition of the Proverbs on this subject
is that the person being addressed by these pithy sayings is indeed able to
work. This would include most of us by far, but there are certain people who are
unable to work (for whatever reason), and should not feel guilty for not being
able to perform the duty described in the proverb. For them God has another word
of wisdom (cf Pro 3:5,6).
Principles
- Working is essential to living and obtaining the essentials for
life.
- Food is essential to life (Pro 12:11a; Pro 16:26; 28:19a).
- Food in
these verses can really be amplified to include any basic necessity of life
(clothing, money, etc).
Lessons
Lesson 1: Accept work as God's divine design for you
(cf Gen 2:15; 2Th 3:10)! Therefore, it can be said that: (1) People who refuse
to work reveal a lack of common sense in their judgment. (2) Sometimes people
refuse to do the job that they have because they're always looking for a better
one (Pro 12:11b). (3) Refusing to work can lead to death (Pro 21:25).
Lesson 2: Be careful for the "grass is greener on the
other side of the fence" syndrome. But, just determining to see the logic in
working and then setting out to work is not enough. It is obviously the place to
start, but one must also prioritize his work. Do the primary things first; the
things upon which all else depends. After determining which things are primary
and which are secondary, determine also the proper order of the primary and
secondary things (Pro 10:5).
Lesson 3: Do first things first, according to a plan.
Then, once a person has determined to prioritize his work by planning carefully,
he should work hard because... Working hard is better than working in a lazy
manner.
- Hard work brings a profit (Pro
14:23a).
- Work done in a slack manner is as good
as a piece of work which is later destroyed. Both are valueless (Pro
18:9).
- Slack work leads to poverty (Pro
14:23b).
- Diligent work leads to control of one's
situation (Pro 12:24).
Lesson 4: If you're going to work, you might as well
work hard... there are many benefits. In the end, after a person has worked
wisely and hard, he will often times find that his...
- Work can be very rewarding (Pro
12:14).
- We get encouraged when we say nice things
to others.
- There is, likewise, a deep sense of
pleasure as we reflect upon a job well done.
Lesson 5: Enjoy your work -- it's God's plan! As time
passes, a person who has worked wisely and diligently will find himself rewarded
by his labor as well as skilled at what he does with the result that... People
who are skilled at their work are sought out by people (Pro 22:29).
- Skilled people do not only serve before obscure
people...
- But skilled people will also eventually
be called upon to demonstrate their skill to those in positions of authority
(including public arenas).
Lesson 6: If you are good at what you do, do not be
surprised when others want to see you in action. The ideal wife works so well
that she should be honored for her work.
- She has skill and ability at what she does (Pro
31:13).
- She has an obvious plan (Pro
31:15a)
- She works vigorously (Pro
31:17).
- She should be honored by her community
(Pro 31:31).
Lesson 7: Extol your wife and women in general for
their fine work.
Summary
Work is God's idea and therefore excellent for man. Any
attempt to circumvent this process only reveals an inability to perceive the
obvious. However, for those committed to working, they need to know that there
are ways to go about it that lead to enjoyment and reward. And those who are
very skilled at their work often get opportunities to demonstrate that skill
before the public. Finally, when it comes to work, no price can be paid for the
ideal wife who commits herself so wisely and thoroughly to her tasks that she
merits public recognition for her abilities.
