To be honest, the writing today is birthed out of a growing frustration with people in my life or on the periphery of my life. Over the last few years and months and even over the last few weeks I have noticed this growing satisfaction with not working among people who are physically and mentally able to work but have either, turned down multiple job offers because its not “what they think they should be doing” or “the job is below them,” they cannot keep a job due to poor decision making (they don’t show up to work, they lost their license due to drunk driving, or they simply don’t do the job they were hired to do), or they simply don’t see how work in necessary because they are living off the work of someone else! I’ve also seen the flip side, where an individual has a job but thinks they don’t get paid enough, even though the wage is great, so they do as little work as possible and also “charge” extra hours for work they did not actually do, nor where they present for!
As you may have guessed, the Lord has much to say about work. In all actuality, work is a divine institution. This means that God made “work.” He set it up. An institution, according to Merriam-Webster is a significant practice, relationship, or organization in a society or culture. Genesis 2 is where we see the first mention of work. It is here that we see God creating the garden of Eden (God was working). He places Adam in the garden to work it and to take care of it (verses 8 &15). Then God says in verse 18 that Adam shouldn’t be alone and that He needs a suitable helper for the work God had given him to do. So God puts Adam to sleep, takes a rib from his side (representing equality) and forms Eve (God working again), to help Adam accomplish the work that needs to be completed in the garden. It is only in Chapter 3, after Adam and Eve have disobeyed that work becomes burdensome and difficult. So here, we see that work was a vital part of what humanities intended purpose while we are on earth.
Proverbs about work
Proverbs is full of wisdom about the importance of hard work and what happens to those who are lazy in this regards. Below are the majority of proverbs that I have found that deal with working or the lack of.
10:5 A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
10:16 The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.
10:26 Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
12:11 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases after fantasies has no sense.
12:24 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
12:27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game (wild meat) they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.
13:4 Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
13:7 Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.
13:11 Wealth from get rich quick schemes quickly disappears;wealth from hard work grows over time.
14:1 A wise woman builds her home but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
14:23 Works brings profit but mere talk leads to poverty!
15:19 A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers(thorny weeds) but the pathway of the upright is an open highway.
16:3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
16:11 The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.
16:26 It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on.
17:16 It is senseless to pay to educate a fool, since they have no heart for learning.
18:9 A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things.
18:15 Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.
19:3 Foolish people ruin their own lives and then are angry at the Lord.
19:15 Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.
19:24 Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
20:4 Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.
20:13 If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open and their will be plenty to eat.
21:5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
21:17 Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.
21:25 Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.
22:13 The lazy person claims, “There is a lion out there! If I go outside I may be killed!” (They make excuses for their behavior!
22:29 Do you see any competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.
23:4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich, Be wise enough to know when to quit.
24:30-31 I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down.Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
27:18 As workers who attend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interest will be rewarded.
27:23,24 Know the state of your flocks (a representation of income), and put your heart into caring for your herds (protecting and increasing your income) , for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation (if you don’t you may have nothing left to leave behind for your children).
28:19 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.
What Ecclesiastes tells us about work.
8 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.
24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?[a] 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:18-26
The point of Ecclesiastes is to point to the futility or pointlessness of life without God. The over arching message of this seemingly depressing book is that life itself is a gift from God and that any enjoyment you find in life is also a gift from God. Ecclesiastes encourages the reader to find satisfaction in their work. It does not matter what work that is, since many at that time had no choice in what careers they would have, they were simply “born” into one. Being able to enjoy the simple things of life, however, is a blessing from God. Let’s see what other wisdom Ecclesiastes has to share about work.
Ecclesiastes 10:15 Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home.
10:18 Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
What the Gospels tell us about work.
In Matthew 13:55 we find out that Jesus was the “son” of a carpenter. As a son, Jesus was expected to learn his father’s trade. So Jesus learned from a very young age how to take over the family business so to speak and how to be a carpenter. Carpenters work with wood. Wood can be heavy. He didn’t use modern tools like the ones available today. Jesus had to learn how to chop, split, smooth, and shape the wood into whatever was needed to fill orders. Since Jesus did not start his ministry until 30 years old, we can safely assume that he was working as a carpenter while he learning the Old Testament scriptures prior to his ministry.
In fact, there are numerous places were Jesus uses the analogy of work to bring understanding of spiritual truths: the wise and foolish home builders (Matt 7:24-27), the analogy if a great harvest and the need for workers (Mat 9:37-38), the parables of the farmer sowing seed, the wheat and the weeds, the fishing net (Matt 13), Jesus’ teaching on how to become great in His kingdom (Matt 20:20-28),etc.. Jesus uses these analogies regarding working because everyone that he is speaking to understands the concept of work! In John 1, it tells us Jesus was the one that did all the work of making all creation in Genesis 1 and 2 and throughout all four Gospels we see Jesus doing what he calls “the Father’s work” as he heals the sick, teaches about the kingdom of heaven, and shows others what the kingdom of heaven looks like on the earth. I don’t think anyone could ever accuse Jesus of being lazy and not working. On the contrary, he was accused of working to much on more than one occasion (See Matt 12:1-14/Mark 3:1-5, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 14:1-6)!
What the Letters to the churches say.
Colossians 3:22-24 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.[a] 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
Though there are no longer “slaves” and “masters,” there are employees and employers. Here Paul is encouraging believers to work hard at their jobs regardless of whether or not they are being immediately supervised. Their motive for their work should be to view working for an earthly employer as if their boss is God and they are working for Him. Paul also encourages them saying that their hard work will be rewarded by God but that the wrong they do will also be dealt with as well. The next verse also encourages “masters” or employers to treat their “slaves’ or employees justly and with fairness because they also have a master in heaven (Col. 4:1).
Let’s turn to another passage of scripture that deals with working. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. 7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.
14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 15 Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.
If you read 2 Thessalonians as a whole, you discover that the Church in Thessalonica had received some erroneous teaching about the second coming of Jesus; specifically that Christ had already returned (2 Thess. 2:2). Paul is writing to correct that false teaching, to encourage the believers during persuctions (2 Thess 1), to encourage them to stick to what they have been taught by the Apostles (2 Thess 2:15), to personally ask for prayer (2 Thess 3:1,2), and to address the way believers are expected to be living (2 Thess 3:6-15).
Paul tells the believers to stay away from other believers who live idle lives in 3:6 and 3:14. In 3:14, the words “stay away from” is translated from the Greek mē synanamignysthai which means “not to mix up together” or “not to associate with.” The word that is translated as “idle” is the Greek ataktōs which means “irregular” or “in a disorderly manner.” Paul encourages the believers to imitate him and the other Apostles and further explains what he means by not living “in a disorderly manner” in verses 7-9. He even reminds them that while he was staying with them his motto was “those who don’t work, do not eat (verse 10)” and He, himself, also lived by this motto while he was living among them. For those of you who don’t know, Paul’s trade profession was tent making or someone who worked with leather (Acts 18:3).
Paul says that his example to them was to show them how not to be burdens to one another. The word “burden” is translated from the Greek epibarēsai which means “to put a burden on,” “to be burdensome,” formed from the words meaning “to be heavy upon,” or “to be expensive to.” While the word “work” is translated from the Greek ergazomenoi meaning “to work, trade, perform, do practice, commit, or to acquire by labor.” If we only had this passage alone that talked of the importance of working, that would be enough to encourage all believers to be working. I’m not just talking about work that you get “paid” for. Being a stay at home parent is legitimate work, homeschooling your kids is work, taking care of your aged parents is work, but on the flip side their has to be some sort of income coming in.
1 Timothy 5:8 says “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” I think that’s a pretty strong statement. You have denied the true faith, if you don’t help care for your own household and relatives who are no longer able to care for themselves.
This verse is tucked in a passage that is dealing with how to treat other people and how widows should be supported. First the responsibility of providing for widows (Housing, food, clothing, etc..) is placed on the family. How is one suppose to provide these things? There are a variety of ways this can be done but none of these ways can be accomplished without money. How does one get money? They work for it! Paul also tells Timothy that only widows who have no family, have lived faithfully to the Lord, and are over 60 years old should be put on the list for the Church to provide for and that any widow who is younger, should not be cared for by the church because it will ultimately lead to laziness, gossip, meddling, and talking about things they shouldn’t. Also, they may want to remarry and would ultimately break their vow of singleness to God if they did remarry. Paul also encourages young widows to remarry, to have children, and to take care there own house so that the enemy would not be able to “say anything against them” ( 1 Timothy 5). Women, were able to work outside of the home during this time period.
Just a side note, according to Roman law a girl could be married legally as young as 12 years old and a boy as young as 14. The typical age of marriage for girls in both Jewish culture and Roman culture at the time of Jesus was between 12 and 18 years old and a 5 year difference in age was normal between spouses.
It is clear that Paul expected each believer to be working in some capacity, so that they could provide for themselves and not be a burden on the whole community unless they were aged and could not provide for themselves. But the reason for working is much deeper than that. It’s not just about providing for your self and your family. It’s not just about making money. It’s about glorifying God with your life and advancing the Gospel.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 says So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Christ is honored by the way we live. When those who are not Christ followers look at you, a Christ follower, what do they see about God? What testimony does your life speak about who God is, His character, His power, and His grace? Our lives are to mirror Him. If I was an unbeliever and I examine your life and see that: you have no job, you live at home with mom and dad, and you haven’t been able to sustain a healthy lasting relationship with the opposite gender. What am I to think? Is the God you serve even able to provide a job, a place of your own, a stable relationship? Is the God you serve able to bless you so that you are a blessing to others, not a leech? What kind of name have you given God by your lifestyle choices? What kind of honor does a king receive, if all his subjects are penniless and are not working? Not only that but because work is a divine institution (meaning He set it up) those who refuse to work are ultimately rebelling against God. Is your life a testimony that propels people towards Jesus, does your life show that following Christ not only brings spiritual blessings but physical blessings as well? Are you a walking, talking, living, breathing example of the power of the Gospel?
The motive to work, to achieve, to build wealth is not about ourselves, it is about bringing glory and honor to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It is about positioning your self to be able to propel the Gospel. It’s about being a blessing to others.If God is the hardest working, most diligent and faithful being; not to mention most wealthy being in the universe His people are to reflect Him.
For more on Paul’s working life, click here for further study.
The Ruby Blossom 