Considering Proverbs 12:11
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding (Proverbs 12:11).
Life is hard work, and God said it would be so. When Adam and Even disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, God said to Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” To Eve God said, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” See Genesis Chapter 3.
It takes a lot of work to provide for oneself and for a family, and it takes a lot of work to raise children and to maintain a healthy marriage. There is no way around it. However, mankind makes many empty and futile attempts at getting around God’s words—and there is no way to do so without disobeying God.
This disobedience can take many forms. For some, this means scamming people with “get-rich-quick” ploys. For others, it’s misuse of social welfare programs or the creation of unjust governments. Many people also fail to take up responsibilities in general, thereby neglecting themselves and their families while leaving others to hold up their end of things. Society also degrades the roles of women and men, and motherhood is not only undervalued, but attacked. Children suffer as a result, and society collapses.
When we try to live in this world without submitting to God, we are going to run into trouble. We will find that our lives are empty and meaningless, and we might turn to all kinds of harmful distractions that only make matters worse.
It is better to accept the work that we are given to do. If we accept that life is work, and we do our best in all things, then we can find purpose. We can have healthy relationships and find ways to make life a little easier for everyone.
For example, through hard work, mankind has come up with many useful inventions. We have all kinds of things that make the daily grind easier, many of which we take for granted. Still, no matter how much we innovate, we should never think that we are going to undo the word of God that was stated so long ago.
In a world that is technologically advanced and continues to advance, I wonder what futile attempts are in store. For example, we see many industries being affected by AI. Maybe there is some usefulness to this technology, but for the most part this seems to be another example of man trying to circumvent God’s word, even if they do not realize it.
Whether we are talking about social systems of economics and governments that lean communist or socialist, degrading of families and marriage, or innovations that promise easy answers and solutions to all our problems—there is no way that these vain attempts of evading God’s will can work out for our good.
In this fallen world, it is good for us to work, not just physically but also spiritually. This isn’t just some harsh punishment of a God who wants us to suffer. All things that God does are for our benefit because He loves us.
For example, working hard to sustain our lives, our families, and our society in general requires us to serve other people instead of serving ourselves. Because of the fall, we are selfish and in our vain ambitions we do a lot of harm to others and to our souls. Serving others brings us closer to God, while serving self is what it means to serve Satan.
Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” If we are busy with work, then we have less time to get wrapped up in things that destructive. Hard work also keeps us humble, and humility makes it possible for us to seek God and grow in Him. Pride, on the other hand, makes us blind to our destructive natures and our need for the Savior.
These are just some ideas that come to mind about why the justice of God rendered in Eden is for our good, but I’m sure much more can be said.
On another note, I want to mention that while working in this world, we should strive to do so in Christ. Jesus mentions in the Parable of the Sower that there is a hazard associated with the “cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.” We don’t want to get so consumed with daily cares that we don’t seek God.
Thankfully, in Christ, we can live in this fallen world without losing sight of what matters most: pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven. If we put God first, then He will provide us with all things. This does not mean that we do not work—but if we work in Him, then we will have what we need, not just materially, but spiritually which is far more important.
There is a balance here, it seems. We accept the state of this fallen world. When follow vain ideas to the contrary, we are only going to get into trouble. On the other hand, Christ provides the remedy for the fallen state of mankind. So, we labor in Christ, and in Him, we find rest for our souls. It’s challenging to live in this world, but He gives us the guidance and strength that we need to find meaning in it all—and in the end, life everlasting.
So, we can either labor in the ways of man which are vain and only lead to the death that was pronounced for mankind in the Garden of Eden, or we can labor in Jesus and find life. In this present world, it means finding contentment with the basics without becoming greedy or overly consumed with cares. It also means discipline of body and spirit that brings us closer to God.
It is only through the Son of God that we can find real rest, and it is only through Him that we can evade the curse of mankind. Any attempt to the contrary is antichrist, and following these vanities is a sure path toward our destruction.
This article is part of a bible study series, Considering the Proverbs. The purpose is to consider present-day events from a Christian perspective and to offer practical lessons that we can apply to ourselves as followers of Jesus Christ.
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