The Book of Proverbs
Study #8: Productivity
August 15, 2004
Jim Bordwine, ThD
Introduction

One of the fundamental teachings of Scripture has to do with productivity. Another term for this is work. The Bible teaches that we are to use the time, resources and opportunities God provides in a manner that pleases Him. The foundation for this aspect of our lives before God was provided at the time of the creation of our first parents, Adam and Eve. In Gen. 1, we read:

26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

At this point, a significant truth is revealed about the human race: we are to be characterized by labor. This is implied by the purpose voiced by the LORD regarding man and by the Creator's direct command to Adam and Eve. The term "rule over" (radah) means "to have dominion over, to dominate, to subjugate, to reign." It is man's nature to control God's creation and controlling God's creation requires effort, as this passage suggests. You'll recall that even after the fall, the mandate to subdue the earth is restated (cf. Gen. 3:17 ff.). The difference between the pre-fall command and the post-fall command is that, due to Adam's transgression, the creation is now going to resist his efforts to rule and subdue. But the mandate remains in place. \

This tells me that we are to be characterized by productivity and that productivity can take various forms. We are not, however, to be characterized by idleness. Idleness is not commended in Scripture; instead, we are urged to be busy about our calling, whatever it happens to be. Laziness, idleness or a lack of productivity in our lives is, therefore, a direct contradiction to what God intends for us. So, in the Bible, as indicated, the subject of work, or the subject of being productive wherever God has placed you, is treated seriously and at length. Solomon, as we might expect, gives us much insight regarding this matter.

In summary, the man who is diligent in regard to being productive is the man who is blessed by the LORD; but the man who is lazy or irresponsible displeases the LORD and creates an unpleasant life for himself and those who depend on him.

Our Memory Verse

He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys.

(Pro. 18:9)

I chose this verse as our memory verse and as the first one we would consider because it presents a principle that we must have in mind and the principle has to do with the difference between diligence and laziness or irresponsibility. We must understand that this principle is at the heart of what the Proverbs tell us about productivity. In his comments on productivity, as we will see, Solomon draws a clear distinction between one kind of man and another kind of man. The distinction is grounded in each man's approach to the issue of productivity. One behaves in a manner consistent with what God revealed about man's calling to be productive and the other does not behave in a manner consistent with the information.

This verse is a good starting point for us. Solomon concentrates on the man who is not productive. He speaks of a man who is "slack in his work..." The word "slack" (raphah) means "to let drop, to be disheartened, to relax, to abandon, to forsake." Right away, you can see that there are two elements revealed in this word--one is what the man does and the other is how the man thinks. This word speaks of both action and attitude. The kind of man described here is the man who not only fails to be diligent in his work, but also has a wrongly informed view of work. He doesn't count work or productivity as all that necessary or desirable, so naturally such an attitude is going to show up in a lack of productivity. This is a man who does not value work and so he does not work well. He is not being productive. He is the opposite of the kind of man implied by the Creator's words in Gen. 1: "... let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth..."

Just knowing what the word "slack" means gives us plenty of information about the kind of man Solomon has in mind. He is certainly not a man to be imitated; he is the kind of man who cannot be counted on (and this is another principle brought out in Solomon's comments on work at other places). He is a man who won't achieve a whole lot in life because achievement, by definition, comes by effort and this kind of man makes little effort to work because, as I said, he doesn't value being productive.

But Solomon says more: this kind of man "is brother to him who destroys." We might think that the worst thing to be said about the man who is "slack in his work" is that he doesn't accomplish much and cannot be relied on, but that's only part of what Solomon teaches. He compares this kind of man to one who destroys. So the man who is slack in his work has the character of the man who destroys things. Solomon may even mean that this man not only fails to build anything worthwhile, he also tears down what others have built. The word translated "destroy" (shachath) means "to corrupt, to mar, to spoil, to cause decay." This word implies that the thing that is corrupted or marred or spoiled previously existed. So, Solomon describes this man was like the man who comes along and ruins or spoils something previously existing.

This is, of course, quite an indictment of the man who is slack in his work. And Solomon's comparison of this man to the man who destroys should be more than sufficient to convince us that this matter of productivity is a most serious issue. It is not an issue we can ignore without facing negative consequences.

Additional Verses

The hand of the diligent will rule,

but the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

(Pro. 12:24)

Solomon sometimes makes his point about the value of being productive with some sweeping comparisons. This verse is an example of this technique. A simple reading of this verse gives us two extremes--ruling or being ruled. Solomon puts before us two positions, one desirable and one not desirable, one most men would welcome and the one most men would not welcome. He writes of having a position of authority or being under the authority of another. Now, what needs to be noticed is that which makes the difference. What is it? What is the difference between ruling or being ruled, between having authority or being under authority? The difference is diligence.

Being in a position to rule is directly connected to displaying diligence. The opposite position, the position of being ruled over, is also connected to the display of diligence. This is a general summary of what Solomon says. But we need to look more closely at this verse. For example, if the hand of the diligent will rule, we will want to understand what the word "diligent" means--after all, it is, as I noted, that which makes the difference between ruling and being ruled.

That word (charuts) means "sharp-pointed." When used figuratively, as it is here, the term refers to the characteristic of precision or carefulness. Solomon says the "hand" of the one characterized by precision or caution "will rule." We can discern that he is talking about strictness in work or attentiveness to work because of the second phrase. The one who has a "slack hand" ends up working for others in less than ideal circumstances. Here, the "slack hand" (ramiyah) refers to a man who is characterized by slothfulness and idleness.

What is most important here is the principle Solomon is illustrating. He isn't saying that every diligent man will be a king or that every lazy man will be a slave. He is using a sweeping comparison as I noted and he speaks with hyperbole--that is, he exaggerates for the purpose of making his point. The principle here is that diligence in work or careful attention given to being productive will serve a man by putting him in positions where he may direct his own life. The opposite of this is the man who has "the slack hand," the man who is lazy and idle. If you live like this, you will be forever subject to the desires and purposes of others. Others will end up directing your life because you won't have the resources to live as you please or the luxury of choosing how your life unfolds. The man who is a hard worker will have such options. The slothful man will not.

The wise woman builds her house,

but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

(Pro. 14:1; cf. all of chapter 31)

This study is about productivity; it's not simply about getting a paying job. Our calling as God's creatures is to be productive wherever we are. I've included this verse to illustrate that Solomon's teaching on productivity is not limited to what we normally think of as work--which is a place we go and activities in which we engage and a paycheck. Solomon commends diligence, hard work, productivity for everyone and here we have a reference to that primary place where a woman fulfills her calling--the home. Solomon commends diligence in the home. He compares two kinds of woman, one who builds her house and one who tears down her house.

As usual, we learn exactly what Solomon means by paying attention to the vocabulary. The word "builds" (banah) means "to set up, to establish, to cause to continue" and in some contexts "to have children." This is an interesting and informative term. Notice that is had the meaning of bringing something into existence and then maintaining that which has been created. The woman who creates a household and then works at keeping that household operating rightly is a wise woman Solomon writes. Productivity is clearly implied in what he says here.

The woman who "tears down" her household is the fool. In this case, the word rendered "tear down" (harac) refers to the very opposite of what is implied in the first phrase. This kind of woman does not work at keeping the household operating rightly and chooses not to provide the attention necessary to maintain it. Solomon implies that a household must be maintain; households do not remain orderly if neglected. So, again, we're talking about the hard and unique work that, under normal circumstances, belongs to women. And here I would point to the whole of chapter 31 of Proverbs as an extended explanation of what Solomon has in mind in this verse.

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,

but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

(Pro. 14:4)

This is one of my favorite verses on the topic of productivity. There is a fundamental principle found in this verse: gain requires effort. It's that simple. If you want a clean barn, don't put animals in it. But if you want a productive farm, you're going to have to have animals in your barn--in which case, the barn is going to get messy. We could expand Solomon's image here by saying that seeds don't plant themselves and fields don't plow themselves and crops don't harvest themselves. So, if you want food to eat and food to sale, you have to do the work. If you want a house in which to live, you have to work and sometimes you have to work hard; if you want clothes to wear, you have to work and sometimes you have to work where you'd rather not work; if you want a car to drive, you have to work and sometimes you have to work when you'd rather play.

That's the nature of gain--it requires effort and the effort required is not always convenient or ideal. The wise man, then, recognizes this and disciplines himself to be a hard worker and a man who can work hard even if the job is not his favorite or the hours are inconvenient. This kind of man has decided that his goal is productivity; and the circumstances of that productivity are secondary. This is a lesson young men, in particular, need to learn early.

In all labor there is profit,

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

(Pro. 14:23)

This verse nicely complements the previous one. This is one of Solomon's blanket statements regarding work. Simply put: work is good. It is good to work because all legitimate work brings a profit--that is, it brings something of value, something useful to us. The person who works and works diligently, as Solomon has described, is the person who will have what is needed. And then, in an example of antithetical parallelism, Solomon warns that "mere talk leads only to poverty." So, labor is contrasted to talk and profit is contrasted to poverty. Again, the formula is: work is good, not working is not good. Laboring brings what talking cannot--and that is a return, which in our case is normally money. With money we avoid poverty. Work is the surest method by which poverty is avoided.

By the way, the word "poverty" (machcor) means "need." This bit of information helps us understand Solomon's point. If you want to avoid being in need, then you should work. If you don't work, you will be in need. Depending on where you are in life, there may be others who can take up the slack for you and take care of some of that need, but this is not the way a Godly man wants to live.

He who gives to the poor will never want,

but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

(Pro. 28:27)

At first, you may wonder what this verse has to do with a study on productivity. Briefly, I'll point out the obvious--you can't give to the poor if you have nothing to give. I include this verse, then, to remind us that there are benefits to work that go beyond our own needs and wants, and in some ways these other benefits are among the most important. God wants us to be generous people; He wants us to be merciful people. And the Scripture teaches that mercy is not expressed simply in words. But if we are not productive people, if we are not hard-working people, we'll have nothing to give to those in need except our words. And in most cases, as the Bible teaches, that will be nearly worthless.

As we think on this matter of productivity, therefore, and as we train children to be productive and hard working, let's not leave out this important aspect of what productivity and hard work allow us to do--they allow us to help those in need and this is something that greatly pleases our heavenly Father. Don't forget what Solomon said in another place: "One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed." (19:17) Lots of concerns may motivate us to be diligent in our labors, but one of the most essential concerns should be our desire to help the poor and needy.

The remainder of verses on the list I supplied to the congregation can be studied at your convenience:

Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully. (Pro. 10:4, 5)

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat. (Pro. 13:4)

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it. (Pro. 13:11)

Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food. (Pro. 20:13)

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, for his hands refuse to work; all day long he is craving, while the righteous gives and does not hold back. (Pro. 21:25, 26)

I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest," then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man. (Pro. 24:30-34)

Practical Responses

It seems that every topic we've considered in this series could be called extremely important or fundamental. That's certain true with this issue of productivity. It's another basic concept that God's people need to understand. As Solomon's words demonstrated, our view of work is going to have significant ramifications. There are so many blessings associated with being productive and so many undesirable consequences associated with being slothful or idle. I suppose there are two responses we need to make. One, we need to realize the value of teaching our children to work and doing so at a very young age. We can be certain that, given our fallen natures, a work ethic is going to have to be taught and required in most cases. Two, we need to pray that God would make us all diligent in our callings. There's nothing more practically beneficial than hard work and dedication to our calling, whatever and wherever it might be.