Practical Education (1)
Six days you may work and on the seventh day you shall rest. Exodus 34:21
You May Work – Do you want to embrace God’s educational model? Are you ready to be talmidim (disciples) of the One True Lord? If you are, you can start with the most practical of all educational applications – your work. Quite frankly, if you don’t learn (that means hear and obey) this fundamental lesson about the nature of the created universe, everything else that you do will be against the grain.
Notice the structure in this bit of instruction. Six days you are to be involved in the activities of service and performance. That means work. The verb here is imperfect. That means it is an on-going process. There is no retirement clause here. What you do in the course of your entire life is built around a “six day-one day” pattern. Six days you are to be involved in the thoughts and actions that comprise the general category of work. God doesn’t tell you precisely what those thoughts and actions are. He doesn’t provide career counseling. I am quite sure He knows that you can figure it out for yourself. He simply says that when you do those things that you know are part of the six-day plan, do them for six days at a time. Then STOP!
Before we look at the implications of “rest,” we should notice a few things about the Hebrew word avad (work). First, of course, this is the same word used for serve, and consequently, it has religious and sacred overtones. Work is not separate from worship. If I am working in alignment with God’s character, then my work is a form of worship. It’s not the same as deliberate ritual and formal worship, but it is to have the same character and objective, namely, to please God, bless others and delight myself. When work does not accomplish these three things, something is wrong.
Secondly, we must see that God expects us to work. There is no instruction to take a vacation or to plan for retirement or to be lazy. Work is part of what God designed us to do. Those who refuse to work are acting outside of the design plan and are insulting the designer. Unfortunately, we have a lot of people like that today. They were designed to please God, bless others and delight themselves by doing things. When they don’t do them, they displease God, burden others and are miserable. Paul tells us not to put up with these people, but we don’t listen to God or Paul on this subject. We believe in entitlement, a euphemism for laziness.
Finally, we see that avad is about life, all of life not just my work life. It is not only my action but also my attitude. I was made in God’s image and He is a creative, working being. When I choose to serve Him, I choose to work alongside Him in whatever capacity He desires for me. And I never quit working for Him as long as I am alive. The Hebrew word for life-long slave comes from this same root. It is ‘eved – the one who works. But it is not sakir, the one who is a wage-earner or day-laborer. To do God’s work as God’s slave (avad and ‘eved) is to serve Him always and forever. How do I best do that? Look at Psalm 119:23. ‘eved is the one who keeps God’s instructions.
So, you can start your practical education right now by reconsidering God’s view of your work. 6-1.
Topical Index: Work
