00:00
00:00
00:01
Transcript
1/0
Good evening. Have you ever been
amazed by the persistence of an insect or animal? Sometimes
they seem to work on things with unfazed determination. I experienced
this recently. Kayla and I have a wreath on
our front door, and over the past few months, a spider has
persistently created a perfect web right in the center of our
wreath. Whenever Kayla sees it, she asks
me to get rid of it. So I swirl something around in
the web, not really wanting to kill the spider, but just disrupt
the web so it doesn't come back. To mine and Kayla's annoyance,
this little spider is simply doing exactly what God designed
it to do, to spin web and gather food. In fact, all of creation
has its intended purpose given by God. Tonight we continue our
series on work by considering how creation itself is designed
for work. The author of Proverbs 6 uses
the example of an ant to display creation's purposeful design.
Please follow along as I read Proverbs 6, 6 through 11. Go to the ant, oh sluggard. Consider
her ways and be wise. Without having any chief officer
or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food
in harvest. How long will you lie there,
oh sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep,
a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty
will come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man. This
is the word of the Lord. This passage can be divided into
two sections. First, verses 6 through 8 show
us the path of natural work. And second, verses 9 through
11 show us the path of sloth. Each section begins with a direct
address to the reader, followed by an example supporting the
address. With the path of natural work,
the author exhorts the sluggard to observe the diligent work
of an ant. And with the path of sloth, the
author commands the sluggard to wake up and see the danger
in sloth. The main idea of the passage
can be stated this way. We must work within God's created
order or poverty will capture us. We must work within God's
created order or poverty will capture us. As we look closer
to the passage, we will see how this main idea is illustrated
with the path of natural work and the path of sloth. Let us
first consider the path of natural work. The point here is to work
with the grain of creation, not against it. In verse six, our
attention is brought to the ant. from whom we can gain wisdom.
The command here is simply to observe and be wise. Why is the ant helpful for our
understanding of work? Verses seven and eight reveal
that the ant's manner of work and simple act of work provide
a wise example for us. Verse seven describes the manner
of work. which we're called to emulate. Without a chief or overlord,
we should naturally gather what we need to live. Work should
be natural and uncompelled. Providing for your family should
be something that neither the government nor your community
asked you to do. It is something that you should
naturally be doing as a Christian. Verse eight shows that work should
consist in the simple act of gathering and preparing for the
future. It is good to have seasons of
preparation and seasons of gathering for our bodily needs. The wise
person makes sure that all their needs are met. Even a creature
as small as the ant knows that she must prepare for winter and
gather when resources are available. We must do the same so that we're
not caught off guard by life's inevitable hard times. By following
the example of the ant, we diligently prepare for the inevitable hard
times. This is the way God created us to live. We should be working
with the order of creation, not against it. For the second part
of the passage, our attention is brought to the path of sloth.
The point here is to see the danger of laziness. The passage
shifts in verse nine to a more direct warning about the danger
of laziness. For the person rejecting the
created order of work, he is commanded to wake up and see
the danger of this path. Now, it's not always the case
that poverty is the result of laziness. Sometimes people lose
jobs, and sometimes people are born into poverty, and it's not
their fault. But this passage is specifically
addressing the danger of intentional laziness. The reason for this
danger, the reasons are unveiled in verses 10 and 11. With inordinate
rest, which is laziness, you'll find yourself trapped by poverty. This is described with the combative
language of an armed man. Want and poverty will grip and
arrest you, preventing you from living life in its fullness.
I personally have never experienced poverty in the fearful reality
of not having enough food, but I have heard it described as
an all-consuming experience. If you're poor and do not have
enough to eat, your life becomes solely focused on gathering food
and meeting the necessities that you need. Your relationships
with family and friends might suffer as you go to them for
help, and the other enjoyable parts of life become forgotten
in the tunnel vision for necessities. Contrast this experience of poverty
with the ant. The ant is able to rest in the
dry season. The ant does not have to worry
because she has prepared for her future needs. God does not
want us to hunger and feel the assault of poverty. He wants
us to prepare for the future. Unlike the all-consuming drive
for food and shelter that poverty creates, diligent preparation
for the future actually allows for a well-rounded life, a balance
of time spent toward family, hobbies, rest, and church. Healthily working to prepare
for the future is a God-ordained reality of life. As Christians,
we must take seriously the danger and the path of laziness. Having
considered the path of natural work and the path of sloth, the
main point of the passage has hopefully come into greater definition. We must work within God's created
order. Our poverty will capture us.
We will now look at two ways that we can apply this passage. First, understand that work is
a part of God's design, not a necessary evil. Instead of trying to work
against the grain of creation by living idly or by cutting
corners, we should value our work hours each day as a God-ordained
reality of life. Redeemed work in this life means
living like the ant. We may not always feel like we're
doing something special or significant. However, when we diligently prepare
for the future, we're living according to God's design, which
is living worship. Our daily work continues the
creational design of keeping God's garden. This passage instructs
the way we view our work by showing us that we enjoy alignment with
God's created order when we prepare for our future needs. Yet in
our North American context, we run the risk of overvaluing our
work and making it an idol. Our passage also provides guidance
for this temptation to idolize work. Because work is a reality
established by God and redeemed by Christ, we know that the pattern
of work is ultimately a God-ordained reality, and it's not man-made. This means that we're not the
authority of our work life. We do not create the fundamental
reason for our work. God has already given pattern
and meaning to it, with a time for rest and a time for gathering. Having this biblical view of
work also builds trust in God. Just as God provides for the
birds, the ants, the spiders, surely God will also provide
for his children. We should not live with anxiety
about possible future hardships. Rather, we should acknowledge
that God will provide for our needs, and this provision happens
most commonly through the created order of work. One of the questions
and answers in the Heidelberg Catechism is particularly insightful
in this point. Explaining the Lord's Prayer,
specifically the fourth request for daily bread, the authors
write, what does the fourth request mean? Do take care of all our
physical needs so that we come to know that you are the only
source of everything good and that neither our work and worry
nor your gifts can do us any good without your blessing. And
so help us to give up our trust in creatures and to put trust
in you alone. This first point of application
is all about having a biblical view of work, which impacts how
we live. The catechism reminds us that
God is the source of all good things, and that work is one
of the means through which God blesses us. Work is not our attempt
to provide for ourselves completely independent of God, And God's
provision usually does not happen miraculously. Rather, our work
is a kind of creational conduit of God's provision for our needs.
When we view our work as designed by God, we gain deeper trust
in God, a resistance against idolizing work, and a mindset
of diligent preparation. Our second point of application
is this. We must affirm the goodness in all jobs. Obviously, there
are some jobs based on sinful practices, and these would be
excluded from this point of application. But for jobs that are oriented
toward the common good, we must acknowledge that no matter the
prestige that society gives it, all work is valuable when completed
to the Lord. This is especially counter-cultural.
Farmers, plumbers, and janitors glorify God in their work just
as much as pastors, lawyers, or doctors. Affirming the goodness
in all jobs should provide assurance to the laborers that they are
able to honor God in their work. Conversely, people who are working
in a more socially prestigious job should feel a barrier to
pride. God calls each person indiscriminately
to fulfill the creational mandate of work. Applying this passage to our
lives means that we worshipfully join the pattern of creation
and affirm the goodness in all varieties of work. With the ant
as our model, we should leave tonight feeling thankful for
God's path of provision and aware of the danger of laziness. Will
you pray with me? Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, thank
you for this evening. Thank you for your word. Lord,
we pray that we will live like the ant, that we will prepare
for our future needs and trust in you, that we'll live thankfully
for the way that you've ordered creation in our lives. It's in
Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Proverbs 6:6-11
Series Work and Vocation
| Sermon ID | 1172415023355 |
| Duration | 14:30 |
| Date | |
| Category | Devotional |
| Bible Text | Proverbs 6:6-11 |
| Language | English |
Documents
Add a Comment
Comments
No Comments
© Copyright
2026 SermonAudio.