PROVERBS 27: 23-27
THE GOOD RETURN FOR A DILIGENT LIFE
These five verses are a brief lesson on life in an agricultural society. We read of flocks and herds, of hay and tender grass, of mountain herbs, lambs and goats. This cluster represents everyday industry and life in Palestine. We are given a picture of the pre-occupations of life, the advantages of diligence and our responsibility to our given work.
Proverbs 27:23-27 portrays the wondrous interplay of diligent work on our part and faithful watch-care [or providence] as God's part. God has placed return in our work but has given man the responsibility to be diligent in order to extract it. Because God's provision in life is sufficient, opportunity for gain is there but man must work to gain it (CIT).
When God puts work into your life, He expects you to put life into your work. Whatever your job, do it diligently and gratefully. Through it you will find satisfaction and experience God's blessing.
I. MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY, 23-25.
II. GOD'S PROVISION, 26-27.
Verse 23 advises us to diligent attention to our work and substance. "Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds;"
The passage begins with emphatic imperatives "be diligent to know" [lit., "knowing, know," repetition of the verb root gives the command intensity] and give attention [lit., "direct your heart/mind"] to the well being of your flocks and herds. Goats and sheep are animals that played a large role in the life of Israel. Our good God continuously gives substance to man through the reproductiveness of nature. He requires though that man diligently look after His blessings to preserve them so that God might continue to multiply them according to His goodness
[No one exemplifies this better than our Good Shepherd, who meets our every need (Psalm 23:1) and calls us by name (John 10:3). The Good Shepherd cares for us throughout our life and never losses even one of His sheep (John 10:28-31).]
Several years ago in the South African territory of Kwa-Zulu, the government dug IRRIGATION DITCHES on both sides of a river. This allowed the rich land to be farmed. The Christian Zulus on one side of the river produced lush crops and prospered. The traditional animist worshipers on the other side continued to live in abject poverty, producing almost nothing on the same kind of soil.
Why? The Christians believed they were responsible before God to work hard and live soberly. Their pagan neighbors, on the other hand, viewed work as the women's responsibility, while the men spent their time drinking and fighting.
The Bible urges us to work with our hands so that we can provide for ourselves and others (Eph. 4:28; 1 Thes. 4:11). Work, when performed with the right attitude, can be enjoyable and rewarding.
An application for us today is that diligence is always necessary in financial matters, especially now, when the world has become so complex we must watch over even the small expenditure.
Verse 24 indicates the reason for due diligence and responsible stewardship. "For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations."
The motivation for verse 23 and what follows is realistic, riches do not last. If a farmer continues to care for his flocks and herds they will be there even if his other riches are lost in an uncertain economy. Flocks and herds will continue to multiply through their off spring but money when it is spent is spent.
Even if you're a king or have a crown. That does not even guarantee your position forever. Position and riches will not return to you what you truly need. Depend on your stewardship of God's blessings and give diligence to take care of them. Honest industry secures a more certain maintenance of life than riches since they are from God's natural stewardship of life. Every man ought to have work and not neglect the practical ever day duties of life no matter the riches they may have acquired.
Even under his reign of prosperity, Solomon knew that both riches and his crown were transitory. Life demands that we give it due diligence continually, even though it may seem that we live in a land or time of prosperity, for it does not last without stewardship of what we've been blessed with.
Verse 25 continues to teach the diligent to be aware of the changing landscape and opportunities of life. "When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,"
If you are not responsible to your task you will not observe the time when life, or as here, when nature has made the necessary preparations for us to make use of its potential or opportunities, as illustrated in the [free range] feeding of animals and the gathering in of wild berries. For by God's provision that which was consumed is now renewing itself and ready to be taken advantage of again. Even the mountains are yielding their bounty to those who will gather it in.
How many and marvelous are God's provisions for His stewards in this world! God's supplies are equal to all our needs. But man is a steward and must use the resources God provides according to God's timing and directions. God will do His part and provide and expects us to do our part and work [or gather].
II. GOD'S PROVISION
The wonder of God's amazing world is highlighted again for those who benefit from agriculture in verses 26 & 27. "The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats will bring the price of a field."
God's replenished hay (which is cheap) and rain-prompted grass (which is free) provides food for the livestock. The miracle of metabolism in turn supplies people's needs for clothing (by lambs producing wool) and money (from selling goats) that can be used to expand the diligent worker's stewardship.
The lasting worth of well-kept flocks and fields is again displayed in verse 27. "And there will be goat's milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens."
The cared for flocks and herds will provide milk and food for one's family and workers. We and others are sustained through the bounty of God and our diligent stewardship of His goodness.
In other words don't let the pressures of urbane activities and the lure of get-rich-quick schemes seduce attention from the enduring and indispensable tasks of feeding and clothing one's household and providing "nourishment" (lit., "life" or "livelihood") for one's helpers. If you attend to your responsibilities you will find the joy of providing for yourself and even producing surpluses with which you can sustain other or sell. [Hubbard, David. The Preacher's Commentary Series, Vol 15: Proverbs. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989, S. 429]
CONCLUSION
Since life is short and our fortunes transitory and uncertain, we should be all the more diligent in appraising and taking care for our responsibilities in life. We should act with fore-thought, giving responsible attention to our families and careers. It is important to care for one's resources, to work hard, and to recognize God's provision throughout our life. Thinking ahead and thinking practically about life and then acting responsibly upon your plan are not options but a duties for God's people.
Yet even when things seem to go from bad to worse for us I hope you can say with Habakkuk: ""Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will exult in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."(Habakkuk 3:17 &18 ["The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet makes me walk on my high places."].
