Wisdom as God’s First Work
“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.” Proverbs 8:22 (ESV)
Diligence and Work
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4-5 (ESV)
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 13:11 (ESV)
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. Proverbs 10:5 (ESV)
The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. Proverbs 12:24 (ESV)
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23 (ESV)
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:29 (ESV)
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27 (ESV)
Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. Proverbs 24:27 (ESV)
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls. Proverbs 27:23-27 (ESV)
The Sluggard
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 6:6-11 (ESV)
Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. Never send a lazy person, he will always let you down. It will always cause you grief. Proverbs 10:26 (ESV)
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. Proverbs 13:4 (ESV)
The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway. Proverbs 15:19 (ESV)
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Proverbs 19:24 (ESV)
The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. Proverbs 20:4 (ESV)
The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. Proverbs 21:25 (ESV)
The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!" Proverbs 22:13 (ESV)
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 24:30-34 (ESV)
The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!" As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. Proverbs 26:13-16 (ESV)
Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15 (ESV)
Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. Proverbs 20:13 (ESV)
Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys. Proverbs 18:9 (ESV)
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. Proverbs 12:11 (ESV)
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. Proverbs 28:19 (ESV)
Righteousness and Work
My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse"— my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Proverbs 1:10-18 (ESV)
To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong. Proverbs 28:21 (ESV)
People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry. Proverbs 6:30 (ESV)
The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Proverbs 11:18 (ESV)
The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin. Proverbs 10:16 (ESV)
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him. Proverbs 12:14 (ESV)
The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. Proverbs 13:23 (ESV)
A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work. Proverbs 16:11 (ESV)
"Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Proverbs 9:17 (ESV)
Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. Proverbs 20:17 (ESV)
The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. Proverbs 29:24 (ESV)
Satisfaction and Money/Work
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. Proverbs 23:4 (ESV)
God’s Sovereignty and Work
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. Proverbs 14:4 (ESV)