Rewards of hard work; consequences of laziness

Proverbs 28:19 (NLT)

Hard workers have plenty of food, playing around brings poverty.

Proverbs 13:4 (NLT)

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied.

Proverbs 21:5 (NLT)

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

When I was a college student I attended a lecture presented by a high level executive of a major company.  All I remember from his presentation was his emphasis on working as hard as possible.  He did not necessarily emphasize working smarter or working any other way, just working hard.  Working hard by this man’s definition meant working long hours and not focusing on anything else in your life, just focus all the time on your job.  Was this man being biblical in his emphasis on working hard?   

While all these verses from the New Living Translation Bible use the phrase “work hard” or “hard work”, the original Hebrew has different meanings.  In Proverbs 28:19 and 21:5 “hard workers” or “work hard” actually mean in the Hebrew to till the land, to serve another, or to labor.  In Proverbs 13:4 the phrase “work hard” in the Hebrew actually means to be diligent or sharp.   So hard work, biblically, does not mean long hours or becoming a “workaholic”.  It means to work diligently, to optimize your time as you work, and that your hard work serves others.  

Each of these verses teaches the benefits of hard work and the adverse consequences of laziness and irresponsibility.   Benefits of hard work (and good planning) include having plenty of food, prosperity and satisfaction.  Adverse consequences of laziness and irresponsibility are poverty and, by logical conclusion, lack of food and lack of a prosperous and satisfied life.  

Sometimes you think that it works the other way around in today’s world.  You see lazy or incompetent people making plenty of money while people who work hard lose their jobs. You see people trying to make “the quick buck”, e.g. either offering or accepting scams.  You see people seemingly better off living off welfare than getting a job.  However, be certain that the Bible is true and it says that lazy and irresponsible people will not have lives that are prosperous and satisfying.  They will not have peace of heart and mind regardless of how much they seem to have.  Psalm 73 is a good psalm to read and ponder when you see situations where the wicked seem to prosper. 

You might be out of a job as you are reading this.  Be assured that if you are doing all you can to find work that these Proverbs are not referring to you.  Yes, without being able to work, you are suffering and may indeed be hungry.  However, do not give up trying to find work.  The Lord promises never to leave nor forsake you (Heb 13:5).  When I have been out of work verses like Psalm 18:6, Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 14:6 have given me renewed hope each day while working for work.  If you truly desire to work hard, He will help you find such work.  You are fulfilling the definition of working hard if you are working full time trying to find work.  You may need to find ways to increase/change your skills, you need to do all the networking you can, you must be as diligent as possible in finding work as contrasted with others who hope work comes to them.

May the Aesop’s Fable, “The Ant and the Grasshopper” be a good reminder for you of the truths from Proverbs contrasting hard work and laziness: “An ant and grasshopper lived in a grassy meadow.  All day long during the summer the ant would work hard, scurrying back and forth from a field, collecting grains of wheat and storing them in her larder.  The grasshopper kept laughing at the ant for working so hard and called her names.  The ant just ignored the grasshopper and kept working hard.  Summer faded into autumn and then winter came.  The grasshopper became cold and hungry. Then he remembered the ant and went to her house.  The ant listened to the grasshopper’s tales of woe, then replied, “All summer long you laughed and made fun of me for working so hard while you did nothing.  You should have thought ahead and planned for winter.  Go away grasshopper.  And the ant shut the door in the grasshopper’s face.”