Work
-tfIn the Ten Commandments there are 25 things forbidden, but only 3 commanded: 1 of those 3 is in the Fourth.
Exodus 20:9 "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. . . ."
Perspective:
Ecclesiastes 1:3 "What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?"
2:10-11 "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought . . . and there was no profit under the sun."
vs. 17-22 "For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured. . . ?"
(ANSWER: Nothing, if his life is not hid in Jesus Christ! His life is shallow, hollow, unfulfilled, and pointless.)
In The Beginning: Work
Genesis 2:15 "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
After The Fall: Work
Genesis 3:19 "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground. . . ."
(The whole world has a problem with this.)
Ephesians 4:28 "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
Proverbs 6:6-11 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. . . ."
(30:24-28 "There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; the conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; the locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; the spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.")
10:4-5 "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame."
2nd Thessalonians 3:7-12 ". . . this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
v. 26 "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him."
12:9 "He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread."
(Psalm 37:25 "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.") (That’s God’s opinion, in case you don’t like what you just read!)
v. 11 (same as 28:19) "He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread. . . ."
v. 24 "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute."
(I’m sorry if you don’t like it, this is just the way it is.)
v. 27 "The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious."
(Eat everything you put on your plate. Don’t waste anything. What? you think these aren’t related?)
18:9 "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster."
13:4 "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."
v. 11 "Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase."
v. 23 "Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment."
(For "the poor", see: Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.")
[If you’re "rich" don’t act "rich" or think "rich". Be "poor in spirit".]
14:4 "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox."
v. 23 "In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury."
15:19 "The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain."
19:15 "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger."
20:4 "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing."
(22:13 "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.")
[In other words: "No, I better not go to work today."]
(26:13 "The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.")
[Yea, a guy has to watch out for those lions. I better stay home today.]
(Ecclesiastes 11:4 "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.")
v. 13 "Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread."
21:25-26 "The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour."
1st Thessalonians 4:10-12 "And that ye . . . do your own business, and . . . work with your own hands. . . ."
23:21 "For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."
26:14 "As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed."
27:23-27 "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."
22:29 "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."
Romans 12:6-11 "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. . . ."
31:10-27 "a virtuous woman"
Ecclesiastes 5:12 "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." (This verse compares the value of labor with the value of wealth!)
9:10 (see v. 12) "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
10:18 "By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through."
1st Timothy 5:8 "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
v. 16 "If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed." [This is the way it used to be in America, before the welfare state.]
Ezekiel 16:49 "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."
1st Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
Hebrews 6:10-12 "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love. . . ."
Colossians 3:23-24 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."
Deuteronomy 23:14 "For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."