While reading through Noah’s study, this one verse caught my eye. Since we are just coming out of Labor Day weekend, it seemed very appropriate.
KJV: Genesis Chapter 5:28-29 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
I didn’t realize Noah’s name was born out of a frustration with “work”. It goes back to this promise:
KJV: Genesis Chapter 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
So, that “Monday Morning Syndrome” (or, for this week, the Tuesday Morning Syndrome) is really all due to our sin. The whole reason “work” has that bad connotation is because our Adam’s sin, or our sin nature.
What’s the good side? One day, when this life is over, sin will be gone. I think we can look forward going to work one day and loving it. Will it still be called “work” in heaven?
Until then, we need to count our blessings when we enjoy our work here on Earth. When we are successful in finding pleasure in earning a living, we are enjoying a blessing from God.
Still, that verse deserves one more thought (or maybe question). Was work before the flood worse than now? Did Noah somehow bring some sort of relief from the toil that they were experiencing before the flood? In that perfect environment, maybe weeds could grow even better than they do now. Of course, with technology, we do have more tools to make farming work easier. We can till the weeds under with tractors, and we have chemicals that can make weed control easier. I am not sure how to find the answer; maybe I’ll have to ask when I get to heaven.
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