Wisdom for the Worker

The book of Proverbs has much to say about learning to live well. In Proverbs, two paths are contrasted. The path of wisdom follows what is righteous according to God’s norm, and it leads to life in all of its dimensions. By contrast, the path of folly diverges from what God requires, and it leads to death, with all of its disasters. The signpost that leads to wisdom and life is the fear of the Lord, reverence for the Lord that causes us to obey what he says, to value what he loves and to imitate his example. The life that Proverbs describes parallels what Jesus says in John 10:10: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’

In Proverbs, we learn that the life God gives touches every area of our experience.There is no part of our lives that is merely secular and therefore unrelated to the Lord; rather all of life connects to the Lord and it all matters greatly to him. This includes even our work, that part of our lives from Monday through Saturday that often seems so far removed from our worship on Sunday. The wisdom of Proverbs teaches us how to work in a way that honours the Lord. Although we tend to equate work with paid employment, with having a job, work is actually much broader than that.

When Proverbs speaks of work, it actually encompasses how we make use of our time and opportunities, and that applies to everyone, not just to those who labour in what we typically consider the workforce. In addition to those who have paid employment, Proverbs speaks to children, to students, to homemakers, to the unemployed and to those who have retired from their careers. So, when Proverbs talks about wisdom in work, it is talking to all of us, no matter how our time is allocated. In the New Testament, Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 5:10, ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.’ Because we all will have to answer to God for what we do in our work, it is crucial for us to learn what Proverbs teaches about wisdom in work, and then to live in the light of what we learn.

Proverbs 6:6–11 speaks of wisdom in work by contrasting the ant (6–8) with the sluggard (9–11). In this pair of vignettes, the ant pictures diligence in work, which leads one on the path of wisdom to life. On the other hand, the sluggard embodies laziness that avoids work, and this leads one on the path of folly to death. The approach to wisdom in Proverbs is also found in the teachings of Jesus, who in Matthew 6:28–30 counters worry by pointing to what observation of God’s world of nature can teach:

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?

Proverbs 3:19 states that ‘By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations’, which suggests that in his world he hardwired aspects of his wisdom that can be observed by the attentive human eye. Wisdom is skill in living according to this moral order that the Lord embedded in his world, but folly departs from his moral order. The two imperatives in Proverbs 6:6 are directed specifically to the sluggard, but they also speak more generally to the youth to whom
the whole book of Proverbs is addressed (cf. 1:4). The sluggard through laziness tries to defy the created order of the Lord. However, by observing the ways of the ant, the sluggard can become wise. This is not a fable, but rather observation of the actual habits of ants, comparable to the approach taken in Job 12:7; Isaiah 1:3; and Jeremiah 8:7. In this passage the ant is ‘a model of wisdom in its foresight and activity in securing its food supply for the winter’ and ‘it acts on its own initiative and without the need for supervision’.

The Lord’s wisdom is discernible in how the ant functions, and the sluggard needs to see and to learn from this small creature in the Lord’s created world. Proverbs 6:7–8 present the pattern of behaviour that is observed in the ant. In contrast to the sluggard (9–11), the ant is diligent. The ant does not need supervision, but is able to work on its own. If ants can work without supervision, then certainly human beings should be able to do so. Although it is not stated in this verse, it may suggest as well that ants know how to work within the context of a group, which the sluggard also needs to learn. Continuing the thought into verse 8, the ant demonstrates industry and foresight. Rather than waiting for an easier or more convenient time, the ant grasps the present opportunity. Even in the intense heat of the summer (cf. Ps. 32:4; Prov. 30:25) the ant is working ahead, not taking a siesta, as the sluggard is prone to do. Unlike many people who are prone to procrastination, the ant does not wait until the last desperate moment to impel it to work, but it looks ahead, plans ahead and works ahead. That is a picture of diligence and prudence (cf. Prov. 10:5).

What careful observation of the ant evidences is diligence, which is a key component of wisdom in work. Although the word ‘diligence’ is not used specifically in Proverbs 6:6–8, it does appear numerous times in the book of Proverbs and is implied in this wisdom teaching drawn from the activity of the ant. There are three Hebrew terms used for ‘diligence’ in Proverbs, and each of these words suggests an important principle for wisdom in our work.

Perhaps the Lord is inviting you to consider how you work - whether your work is paid employment or something else - and how to show his Wisdom where you are. As well as The Message of Wisdom, you may find the following resources helpful in thinking through how our discipleship can be seen in our work.