Reverend Martin Adhikary

Biblical theology is a vital part of Christian theology, and it is a very popular subject in the realm of ‘Practical theology’. It is also one of the significant themes in the Bible. The very first verse in the Bible speaks of work - God’s work of creation, God created Man for work. Work gives meaning to the life of Man. Work was ordained for man right after man’s creation. It came before man’s fall in God’s perfect world. Therefore, work was a part of God’s good creation. However, the fall made work harder! God gave man work or job to do. In some instances, work is regarded as worship. Noah believed in God and worked for years to build the ark before the deluge. He trusted in God and his words that rain would come. Similarly, Moses, Nehemiah and many other Biblical heroes prayed for strength to carry out their God-given tasks, preserving in obedience to fulfil divine purposes. Even Jesus himself prayed to God and did his work for accomplishing God’s mission in his life for the salvation of mankind from the bondage of sin.

From the book of Genesis (Chapter 1-2), we learn that God worked for five consecutive days to create everything in the universe. On the sixth day, God created man and gave him stewardship over the world. On the seventh day, God rested from his work. But God does not need rest! Man needs it, so do any living beings. As there is a Bengali rhyme saying “Bishram kajer aungo ek sathey gatha, Nayoner aungsho jamon nayoner pata’, rest is a vital part of work. Because rest renews energy and strength. God gave a model before man for this for man’s benefit. This rest is also for enjoying and having satisfaction from the work done so far and as such praising God for the holistic refreshment of the human body, mind and soul. In the other books the Bible enjoined people for having rest for land, animals and freedom from slavery of slaves as Jubilees, etc. God commanded Adam to do his work: tilling the land and keeping or harnessing it for fruitfulness and productivity for the good of man. All human progress, innovation, discoveries, art, culture, health and happiness are resulted from man’s work.

Human civilization itself rests upon work and labour in all its forms. God has given man physical strength, mental power, intellect, imagination, spiritual gifts and so on and so forth. Man is likened to God as his “co-worker” (1Corinthians 3:9). The Psalmist sang, like in other places in the Bible, about God’s creative activities in the universe in Psalm 104: 10-3: “He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains… When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works”. Psalm 19 speaks of God’s work in and throughout the entire creation. God continues his work as he sustains his creation. Jesus made a remarkable statement when he said in John 5:17: “My father is working and I am also working.”

Proverbs 6:6 admonishes the lazy while praising diligence even in an ant, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest”. The same book has this sarcasm about lazy people, “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!” (19:24). Again, the wise say, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (14:23). The value of labour is expressed in very clear terms also in these adages 10:4; 12:11, 24; 13: 4.

Ecclesiastes has also given great emphasis on diligent labour as a divine gift to man. He said, “Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possession, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20). In the New Testament Paul spoke highly about honest labour. He said, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This rightly goes with the well-known English proverb “An idle brain is a devil’s workshop” as well as “Alosh mostishko sataner karkhana” in Bengali.

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The writer is a Christian Theology teacher and Church leader