No Work Means No Harvest
December 1, 2019
Commentary
A wise woman will lead her household in the right way while the foolish brings grief to her offspring by her unholy influence (v. 1). The foolish woman through her wild behavior and bad instruction brings sorrow for herself and grief to her children by her unholy way of living. A person’s attitude toward the Lord shows up in his behavior (v. 2). The man who fears the Lord will walk in a straight path while the man who despises the Lord will walk in a crocked way. Proud fools are punished for their stupid talk, but sensible talk can save your life (v. 3).
Meaningful results of any kind require time, money and work. In Bible times oxen were very important to the harvest. Where there was no oxen there was no harvest. Of course where there was no oxen there was no chores, no feeding, no manure to haul and no yokes to repair. Twenty four hours a day you could have a clean barn since there was no reason for it to get dirty (v. 4).
Where there are no oxen there will be no harvest. No harvest means no money and no money means no food. A Christian who is starving spiritually often looks at the hard work in the barn (so to speak) and fails to see the harvest down the road. Digging into Scripture, spending time in prayer and spending time in sharing in the lives of others are the “oxen” that make for a fruitful and productive life. A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will tell lies (v. 5).
Application
“If any would not work, neither should he eat” (1 Thessalonians 3:10). We know this is true in the physical realm. I need to ask my family how they think this applies in the spiritual realm. How can I experience a spiritual harvest without work?
Proverbs 14:1– 5 (NET)
1 Every wise woman has built her household, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
2 The one who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but the one who is perverted in his ways despises him.
3 In the speech of a fool is a rod for his back, but the words of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean, but an abundant harvest is produced by strong oxen.
5 A truthful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.
Illustration: Urgency In Rescuing the Perishing
Whatever we may believe about election, the fact remains that men without Christ are lost and going to hell. “Except ye repent,” said our Lord to the crowd, “ye shall all perish.” And we who are Christ’s are sent to tell them of the only one– who can save them from perishing. Is not their need urgent? Does that not make evangelism a matter of urgency for us? (J.I. Packer by George Sweeting)