Justice in Daily Work

GOLDEN TEXT: “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” —Colossians 3:23

EXODUS 20:9,10; ECCLESIASTES 9:10

WE READ in Genesis 2:15 that “the Lord God took man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” This suggests that the Creator designed that man, in his perfection, was to do a certain amount of work. His life was not to be one of idleness. Right thinking men and women today recognize that honest, healthful work contributes to happiness, and that too much idleness can lead to sin and debauchery.

When Adam transgressed the divine law and was sentenced to death, he was also sentenced to hard labor while in the dying process. Instead of merely dressing and keeping the garden, the Lord said to Adam, “cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 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.”—Gen. 3:17-19

The expression cursed “is” the ground “for thy sake” should be noticed. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Gen. 2:8) This implies that the earth’s surface outside of this specially planted garden was “in the rough,” as it were, unprepared as yet for human habitation. It was not that God placed a special curse upon the land after Adam sinned. He merely left the earth in this unfinished state, thus providing the necessity for man to eke out a living by the sweat of his face.

But this situation called for regulatory action on God’s part insofar as his own people were concerned. It is this that we find in the commandment, “Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work.” (Exod. 20:9,10) The word “sabbath simply means rest; and the spirit of the commandment is that every seventh day should be one of rest.

The admonition of Ecclesiastes 9:10 is appropriate for every servant of God in view of the brevity of the present life span. We should faithfully and zealously use every opportunity we have to serve the Lord. There is no opportunity to work, and there is complete unconsciousness in the grave “whither thou goest,” writes the prophet. It is the Hebrew word sheol—the Old Testament hell—which is here translated “grave.”

EPHESIANS 4:28; COLOSSIANS 3:22 – 4:1

PAUL wrote, “Let him that stole steal no more.” In the days of the Early Church, and throughout the age, all sorts of people have been drawn to the Lord, even thieves. In I Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul lists various types of sinners, including thieves, then adds, “And such were some of you.” It is not important what a Christian has been, but how well he has turned from his past and is now devoting himself to the service of the Lord, being made acceptable through the atoning blood of Christ. Paul implies that thieves lived without working. To turn from this life of sin meant to go to work and earn a living justly, and thus to be able, if possible, to help those in need.

Probably most of the “servants” referred to in our lesson (Col. 3:22) were in reality slaves. At that time slavery was a recognized element of human society. Paul knew that the Lord had set aside an entire thousand years in his plan during which all the injustices of human society would be rectified, and he knew that he was not called by God to be a crusader against the wrongs of this “present evil world.”

Paul’s admonition to Christians was to make the best of the conditions in which they lived. “Servants” he encouraged to obey their masters, in recognition of the fact that their service would be accepted by God as though it were rendered directly to him. Thus, as our Golden Text states, all was to be done “heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

“Masters,” or Christians who were slave owners, were admonished by Paul to give to their servants that which was “just and equal.” Masters were to be ever mindful that they were bond slaves to Jesus Christ from whom they were assured bountiful treatment if faithful.

QUESTIONS

Was man created to be a creature of Idleness?

What is meant by the statement, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake”?

Explain the practical benefits of the Fourth Commandment.

To whom does Ecclesiastes 9:10 apply?

What is the proper relationship between “servants” and “masters”?

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