The Book of Proverbs is a practical book. It gives concrete advice about how to live wisely, which in the end means to live well. And one of the areas where we most need advice about living wisely and well is work.
We might begin our study of work by asking a simple question: Why work? Proverbs 16:26 provides an answer:
The laborer’s appetite works for him;
his hunger drives him on.
We work to acquire food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities of life. This is the most basic reason why we work, although there are others, of course. In addition to meeting life’s necessities, we work as an outlet for our creativity, gifts, and talents; for the feelings of self-respect and self-reliance work engenders in us; to provide for our family and friends; and of course to glorify God through the abilities he has given us. But at the bottom of it all, we work to eat.
Of course, one can work hard or hardly, ethically or unethically. Sometimes, the people who hardly work, but unethically when they do, seem to get ahead in life. Proverbs makes it quite clear, however, that in the long run, hard, honest work is best.
Consider the following proverbs:
Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death (10:2).
The wicked man earns deceptive wages,
but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward (11:18).
Dishonest money dwindles away,
but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow (13:11).
All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty (14:23).
A greedy man brings trouble to his family,
but he who hates bribes will live (15:27).
The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty (21:5).
He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who looks after his master will be honored (27:18).
A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment,
but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life (28:16).
According to these verses, the rewards of hard, honest work are life, profit, financial independence, and honor. By contrast, hardly working and working unethically result in death, poverty, and trouble. No doubt we could provide specific examples of hard workers who are poor or dishonest workers who are rich. But these are exceptions to the rule. The rule is that hard, honest work pays, but lazy dishonesty doesn’t.
If hard, honest work pays, then obviously an employer should hire only hard, honest workers.
Like an archer who wounds at random
is he who hires a fool or any passer-by (26:10).
But all this talk of hard, honest work leading to wealth might make us forget that there are more important things in life than money. Proverbs 16:8 makes sure we keep our priorities straight.
Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice
Do you want to be wealthy? Then work hard and honestly. But always remember that integrity is the real bottom line.
GeorgePWood.com 