Do you enjoy work? Many people go to work, looking for the clock to tick 5pm so they can go home. Many people go to work on Monday, looking for Friday to come so they can enjoy the weekend. Many people go to work at 16 years old, looking for the time when they can retire at 65. There’s nothing wrong with resting or retiring. It was the Lord who separated the night from the day, so that man could rest from his work at night (John 9:4). It was the Lord who first rested on Saturday, and who later ordained the Sabbath Day (Exodus 20:9-11). It was the Lord who even ordained a retirement age for the priests, and enacted a law for the children to take care of their parents in old age (Numbers 8:24-26; Exodus 20:12; Matthew 15:4-6). Yes, verily, the Lord understands the need for rest and retirement, but the Lord also understands the need for man to work.
In the Garden of Eden, which was in essence Paradise on Earth, God required man to work. God gave man dominion (i.e. rule) over both the animals and the earth (Gen. 1:26). In the small section of Scripture that describes life in the Garden of Eden, we see one example each of man having dominion over the animals and the earth. For the earth, God tasked Adam to “tend and keep” the Garden (Genesis 2:15). For animals, God tasked Adam to name each animal (Genesis 2:19-20). And so, for an unknown amount of time, the first husband and wife worked in Paradise on Earth.
Work became more difficult after the fall of man (Gen. 3:17-19), but that does not change the fact that God coupled work with paradise. Work should be enjoyable. Surely not every second of labor should be enjoyable, but the effort one puts into work should make him happy. As we Americans say, we should “find pride” in our work. Solomon would put it a little differently: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10a). Don’t lackadaisically go to work for 40 years just waiting for 5pm or the weekend or retirement. Enjoy your work, take pride in it, do it with your might. Remember, working is a part of Paradise on Earth!
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