As we continue to consider God’s Pattern for Christian Manhood I would like to think through the idea of vocation as a calling rather than merely a job. As we do that it is important to remember that work was given before the fall. God has always intended that we should have something profitable to do. Genesis 2:5 and 2:15 speak of tilling, tending and keeping before sin entered the world. After the fall work was to become toil and sweat would be the norm as we labor to get enough to eat and support ourselves. Also after the fall, things began to decay and wear out. That means there would be continued work to restore, maintain and rebuild.
God is opposed to laziness and sloth. I was interested to see that Psalm 104:23 speaks of man going out to his work for the day when the sun comes up and returning home when the sun is going down. Where were the unions then? And then in Exodus 20:9 God tells the people that they were to do all their work and labor in six days and rest on the seventh. It is a blessing of grace that God commands that we set aside one day a week for rest and worship. But from His point of view He’s thinking that we will be working and laboring the other six.
Consider these passages from Proverbs
10:4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
18:9 He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer
20:4 The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
26:16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
It seems obvious to me that God is telling us that work is a good thing and we should be engaged in it regularly and faithfully.
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