Day 162: The rewards of hard work – Proverbs 10 vs 1 - 5

1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. 2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. 3-4 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,  but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. 5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. Proverbs 10:1-5 English Standard Version

The first nine chapters of this book were about a father teaching and urging his son to choose wisdom rather than foolishness in life. He compared it to invitations from two very different types of women - one was a woman of noble character, the other a woman of loose morals. The book now turns to the many proverbs that Solomon and some other wise men gave to help people make those wise choices. Chapter 1 vs 2-3 told us that the purpose of a proverb is “to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise, to teach them to live disciplined and successful lives, and to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”

Most of the proverbs are set as a contrast of one thing against another - something wise as opposed to something foolish. Sometimes a section of these proverbs overlap and link together, but sometimes the proverb seems to be given for its own sake and doesn't necessarily link to the ones before or after. Do you think there's a general theme in the 5 verses of our reading today, and what would that theme be?

It seems to me that it highlights the rewards of being a hard worker rather than a lazy drop out who has to turn to dishonest ways to get money. What’s the first good thing that being a hard working son (or daughter) does? (vs 1)

It brings joy to parents instead of sorrows. I don't know whether you are someone who had good or bad parents, or if you are a good or bad parent yourself, but I'm sure that we have all seen the heartbreak some parents have gone through because of children who made terrible choices. Jesus once told a story of the tremendous joy of a father when a wild and wayward son came to his senses and returned home.

What’s the other good thing that being a hard worker does? (vs 3-4)

It puts food on the table - and other necessary items in the house. Yes, there are many people who inherited their wealth – but there are countless others who have enough to live on because of hard work and not being idle. When it says “the Lord does not let the righteous go hungry” it doesn't mean God will miraculously put food on the table no matter how lazy they have been. It means that He will provide for righteous people in times of distress (even in amazing ways) - but also that He will also bless their hard work and they will reap the results of their labour.

Jesus sometimes used pictures from the world of farming to illustrate spiritual truths. For example, he told the story of a man sowing seed, and how the different types of ground the seed fell on affected how much crop the seed yielded. And on another occasion we read: “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.'” (Matthew 9:36-38).

Do you think there could be a spiritual lesson too in vs 5 of our reading in Proverbs? Could it apply to what Jesus said about the many confused and helpless people in the world? Is there some way we could be more involved in that harvest work? That's not a 'guilt-trip' question, just an encouragement to do what Jesus urged his disciples to do – to pray to the Lord of the harvest. As we grow older may we not become more idle, but may our prayer times grow more fervent.