WORK IS PART OF GOD'S ORIGINAL DESIGN

Ladies and gentlemen, the vacation is over. It’s time to get back to work, brothers and sisters! Many of us see work as a burden to overcome. Perhaps if we really had a choice not to work, we wouldn’t even show up anymore! Many of us probably just dream of being the child of a CEO so we could avoid all the hard work. Many believers think that work, like many hardships of life, is part of the result of the Fall. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, then maybe we would still be relaxing in the garden, just listening to the birds sing. But a careful understanding of the creation story leads us to this truth: work is part of God’s original design.

Created to Work

Even before humans arrived, the Lord had already created the plants of the earth (Gen 1:11–12), but He did not finish everything. It is said that, “Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground” (Gen 2:5). He prepared everything, yet He still left things to grow when humans arrived—“to work the ground.” When humanity entered the scene, man was immediately placed in the garden “to work it and take care of it” (v. 15). He was not placed there simply to go on vacation and watch the sunset—he was placed there to work. It is fascinating to note that even before the Fall, when creation was still in its perfect state, God intentionally left some tasks unfinished so that humanity could be productive. Because we were created in God’s image, we were given the responsibility to govern creation on God’s behalf (Gen 1:27–28). From the very beginning, God made human beings for a purpose—that is, to work.

Cursed to Work?

Many believe that work is the outcome of the Fall. They use Genesis 3:19 as their basis: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food.” Humans sinned, so now they supposedly have to exert effort just to eat. But if we think about it, even before humanity sinned, there was already work in the garden. In other words, people had always labored for what they ate! It would not make sense if “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food” meant that eating through hard work was merely a consequence of sin. Scholars explain that “the sweat of your brow” was an idiom for fear in ancient times, not a reference to hard labor. Because of sin, humanity would now eat with fear and uncertainty. Why? Because the ground was cursed and could now produce thorns and thistles (vv. 17–18). One’s efforts to work for food could end up in vain.

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Work is not only a blessing from God but also a purpose God wants all of us to fulfill. There is nothing wrong with resting and enjoying life, but God also designed us to be productive and to exert effort. He wants us to have meaningful engagement in the world and not merely exist as consumers of oxygen. Because work is something God desires for us, any work (as long as it is legal and honorable, obviously) can be offered to God. Work can also be our worship! “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Col 3:23). Stay Curious.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀:

Davidson, G., and Turner, K. (2021). “Work is Good.” In 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘖𝘯𝘦: 𝘈 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘓𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩. (pp. 44-45). Kregel Academic.
Fleming, D. E. (1994). “By the sweat of your brow: Adam, Anat, Athirat, Ashurbanipal.” In G. J. Brooke, A. Curtis, & J. F. Healey (Eds.), 𝘜𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 (pp. 93-100). Münster, Germany: Ugarit-Verlag.