Chapter 5: Labor
Labor is another important resource, which is
also called human resource. God’s six-day creation is labor or work (מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ,
mela-kuto, his work, Genesis 2:2, 3),[1]
and God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3). The same Hebrew word, מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ (mela-kuto), is also used in connection with people’s work
(Genesis 39:11; 1 Kings 7:14; 2 Chronicles 16:5; Nehemiah 4:15). The beginning of
the economy of God is God’s blessings on human beings who were created
according to the image and likeness of God.
Beginning of Labor
The Hebrew word for ‘till’ or ‘work’ isעָבַד (abad), which means ‘serve,’
‘labor,’ ‘work,’ or ‘cultivate.’[2]
The wordעָבַד (abad) is used in Genesis 2:5 before God made
(or formed) Adam (Genesis 2:7): “… and there was no man to till (or cultivate)
the ground.” The first record of a human’s labor/work is in Genesis 2:15: “The
LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till (work, NIV) it
and keep it.” Adam’s labor (or service) of cultivating and taking care of the
ground, plants, and trees in the garden of Eden also means serve God as his
steward or servant. Serving or laboring or cultivating the ground, plants, and
trees in the garden of Eden was surely God’s blessing on Adam. He probably
enjoyed his labor. His labor was not hard and burdensome.
Then, Adam and Eve fell as
they ate (the fruit) of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God says to the
woman (Eve) in Genesis 3:16: “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your
husband, and he shall rule over you.” A process of childbirth is called “labor”
as it is very painful. If Adam and Eve had not fallen and thus there had not
been God’s curse, a woman’s childbirth would have been much easier without
pain.
God says to the man (Adam)
in Genesis 3:17-19: “17Because you listened to the voice of your
wife, have eaten of the tree of which I commanded, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days
of your life; 18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; and
you shall eat the plants of the field. 19In the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were
taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Is Labor God’s Blessing or Curse?
M. Douglas Meeks mentions that there are two
opposed views of work or labor – a curse and a blessing.[3]
Is labor God’s blessing or curse? The Hebrew word, עִצָּבוֹן (itstsabon), is a ‘pain,’ ‘toil,’ or ‘painful toil.’[4]
The Hebrew word, עִצָּבוֹן (itstsabon), also means ‘grief,’
that is, ‘hard and continuous work’ or ‘exhausting labor.’ When you compare the
two different words, עָבַד (abad) and עִצָּבוֹן (itstsabon), the first one is your willing labor as God’s
steward whereas the second one is your painful labor to survive. The first one
is God’s blessing as he placed the man to take care of his creation – ground,
trees, and plants whereas the second one is God’s curse as he should labor
painfully in the sweat of his face to eat bread.
God’s Instruction on Labor
God in Exodus 20:9-11 says: “9Six
days you shall labor, and do all your work; 10but the seventh day is
a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your
son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or
the sojourner who is within your gates; 11for in six days the LORD
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh
day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.” So, God’s
creatures – human beings and cattle – shall labor for six days but rest on the
seventh day because God labored for his creation for six days and rested on the
seventh day. The Hebrew word for “labor” here is עָבַד (abad) – the positive
connotation of labor. The Hebrew word עָבַד (abad) may be equivalent to
the Greek word οἰκονομέω (oikonomeo, the verb form of οἰκονομία, oikonomía), that is ‘labor/manage
as a steward/servant of God’s household.’
Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 states:
“18Behold, what I have seen to be good and to be fitting is to eat
and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun
the few days of his life which God has given him, for this is his lot. 19Every
man also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them,
and to accept his lot and find enjoyment in his toil-this is the gift of God.” A
man’s toil/labor may be hard, but God allows him wealth, possessions, and ability
to enjoy them. So, when a man is happy in his labor that may result in wealth
and possessions, his labor that God allows him is God’s gift along with his
wealth and possessions.
Jesus’ Labor on the Sabbath
What is the boundary of labor for Jewish people?
Any small movement of one’s body is considered labor. When you stay at a hotel
in Israel on Friday evening or Saturday, you may notice that an elevator door
is automatically opened and closed on every floor. The orthodox Jews observe the
Sabbath starting Friday evening until Saturday evening. On the Sabbath they do
not labor. They do not even push a button of an elevator thinking that this is
a kind of labor. If an elevator is not being operated automatically and yet a
Jew wants to push a button of the floor that he should get off, he will ask a
person who is not a Jew in the elevator. Even today they try to keep the rules
and regulations for the Sabbath that their ancestors had made long time ago. Should
believers not work at all on a sabbath day even for good-will work? This caused
a debate between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees and the scribes
(and the Sadducees), in the Gospels.
In Matthew 12:1-8 (also Mark
2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5) Jesus and his disciples went through the grain fields
on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and
ate. The Pharisees saw this and criticized Jesus and his disciples due to their
‘labor’ (plucked heads of grain). On the Sabbath, God’s people are supposed to
do honor/worship God while they take a rest. The Jewish leaders made many rules
and regulations of how they should observe the Sabbath, which God did not
instruct them to do. The Jewish leaders defined what kind of labor is
prohibited on the Sabbath. So, according to their rules and regulations, even
minor labor was not supposed to do (like Jesus’ disciples plucking heads of
grains). According to the Pharisees' interpretation of the Law, nobody can
labor on the Sabbath. Everybody should take a rest. Jesus’ interpretation of
‘keep the Sabbath holy’ does not reject his disciples’ small labor (of
plucking) to solve the hunger problem. Then, Jesus claimed that “For the Son of
man is lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). God gave his people the Sabbath to
take a rest from their labor and honor/worship God. The Sabbath is for his
people not his people for the Sabbath. Worshiping God includes
not only ritual worship but also spiritual worship, that is, glorifying God by
saving other person's life or helping other people who are desperately in need.
Jesus always emphasized the intent of the Law, the meaning behind the letter.
The Pharisees were so concerned about religious rituals that they missed the whole
purpose of the Temple.
In Matthew 12:9-14 (also Mark 3:1-6 and Luke
6:6-11) Jesus met a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus in
Matthew 12:10: “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?” Jesus answered them in
Matthew 12:11-12: “11What man of you, if he has one sheep and it
falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12Of
how much more value is a man than a sheep! So, it is lawful to do good (work)
on the Sabbath.” Then, Jesus healed the man with a withered hand. Jesus
sometimes intentionally healed the people who came to him on the Sabbath.
His intention was to make people know the true meaning of the Sabbath. God told his people through Moses in Exodus 20:8 (and in Deuteronomy 5:12): “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” On the Sabbath day or now on Sunday, God’s people worship God with their whole heart, whole soul, and whole strength. Believers take a rest without labor, giving thanks to God by remembering his creation, protection, and salvation of us. Yet, if there is someone who needs your help, you may labor to help the person. Jesus tells us in Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” What is the spirit of the Sabbath? On Sunday which is the Christians' Sabbath, we worship and glorify God remembering his creation of us and salvation of us. At the same time, we may do good by following the example of Jesus.
His intention was to make people know the true meaning of the Sabbath. God told his people through Moses in Exodus 20:8 (and in Deuteronomy 5:12): “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” On the Sabbath day or now on Sunday, God’s people worship God with their whole heart, whole soul, and whole strength. Believers take a rest without labor, giving thanks to God by remembering his creation, protection, and salvation of us. Yet, if there is someone who needs your help, you may labor to help the person. Jesus tells us in Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” What is the spirit of the Sabbath? On Sunday which is the Christians' Sabbath, we worship and glorify God remembering his creation of us and salvation of us. At the same time, we may do good by following the example of Jesus.
Although Jewish people kept
the Sabbath, it did not give them joy, happiness, comfort, and restoration of
soul but more burden, discomfort, and tiredness. Jesus emphasized that he is
the Lord of the Sabbath and that doing good (labor) is lawful on the Sabbath.
That is, Jesus wants to teach his disciples the true meaning and spirit of the
Sabbath. God set us free
from all the bondages. We have freedom to choose whatever we want to do even on
Sundays within the Christian boundary. Although we do whatever we want, our
conduct should be according to God's will to please him.
Labor as God’s Blessing
Although God announced a curse to the woman
(Genesis 3:16) and the man (Genesis 3:17-19), labor itself is not a curse from
God. Rather, any kind of work for God’s household is God’s blessings. Especially
when you can enjoy your work with all your heart and mind, it is a true blessing
from God.
Paul was a tent-maker while
he spread the gospel although he was a student or scholar under the prominent
Jewish law teacher, Gamaliel (Acts 5:34-39). He was from a rich family.[5]
But, Paul took the labor of tent-making to travel around Asia Minor, Macedonia,
and other Greek towns/cities. Paul met Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18), who were
also tent-makers. Paul, and Priscilla and Aquila rejoiced in their labor,
spread the gospel, together.
Paul in Colossians 3:23
states: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for human masters.” What Paul means here is that although your daily
work is for your earthly master, consider that you work for the Lord your God as
the one who allowed you to work in this world is God himself.
Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10
states: “For even when we were with you, we gave this command: If anyone will
not work, let him not eat.” The Bible teaches us that labor/work itself is
neutral, but when you labor with all your heart as if you work for the Lord,
pleasing him with your labor, your labor even for your earthly employer (let
alone your labor for the Lord) is holy and blessed by God.
[1]
Strong’s
Hebrew Concordance, “4399. melakah,” BibleHub.
Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4399.htm
[3]
M. D. Meeks, God The Economist. Fortress Press, 1989
(1946), 128-130.
[4]
Strong’s Hebrew Concordance,
“6093. itstsabon,” BibleHub.
Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6093.htm
[5]
K. P. Choi, Paul’s Life, Epistles, and the Central
Themes of His Theology (in Korean). Seoul, Korea: Qumran Publishing House,
2013, 21-23.
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