Manual Labor a Blessing.
By Seth Smith
"Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." Ex. 20: 9, 10. THIS is a part of the fourth commandment and contains a positive permission to labor six days in the week, which leaves only one day for rest, and that is enough, of course. Nothing is said about the number of hours we are to labor each day, but the man who is in harmony with the commandment, and therefore that much in harmony with God, will not be so very particular about the number of hours, so that he puts in hours enough. It being God's plan that man should labor, it is therefore honorable and beneficial. But to get the benefit that God wants us to have, we must be reconciled to it, and receive it cheerfully as from the Lord; then honest labor may become a pleasure and recreation. It being God's will that man should be occupied in honest labor which is surely good for him, it naturally follows that Satan, who is in opposition to all of God's plans, labors to keep men in idleness. He suggests that manual labor is unbecoming for a gentleman; it is degrading and dreadfully slavish. And where he can not make that idea work, then he makes men believe that a few hours will do, the fewer the better. Then is not the no-work idea Satanic, and therefore, of course, anti-christian? The divine decree is, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground," and is it not likely that those who shun the sweating process now may have an extra amount of it to undergo by and by? Surely, "God is not mocked." "The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much." Eccl. 5: 12. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Eccl. 9: 10. "Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labor shall increase." Prov. 13: 11. "The labor of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin." Prov. 10: 16. The fruit of the wicked is idleness, one of the conditions that prevailed in Sodom. "The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor." Prov. 21: 25. The Lord wants His people to take pleasure in labor. "Ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto." Deut. 12: 7. "But rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Eph. 4: 28. Without labor there would be no wealth produced, there would be no conveniences, no one would have anything to distribute to those in need, for all would be in need and destitute. Surely, labor is a necessity and honorable, but who shall say, "You shall labor, but I will not"? "Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to7work with your own hands, as we commanded you." 1 Thess. 4: 11. It is plain from this that the Lord wants us to attend quietly to our own business and labor with our hands. If people would get the idea of doing their own work they would be more independent. For those who depend entirely upon servants to do their work frequently have much trouble regarding the servants. The apostle Paul was in favor of earning his own bread and of having others do likewise, and thus be a burden to no one. "For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat any man's bread for naught; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread." 2 Thess. 3: 7-12. In the last verse quoted the apostle commands us by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then it is the Lord Jesus Christ who commands us to work quietly and earn our own living. Most likely the apostles all worked with their hands to some extent at least for their own support, tho at one time they seem to have gotten the idea that they must do nothing but preach. But did it not soon develop that one who could serve in another capacity could also preach as well if not better than any of the rest? Read Acts 6. Manual labor is no bar to good preaching. As for myself I thank the Lord for the willingness and power to work.