Work - Blessing

Deuteronomy 14:29 and 15:10, 15:18 and others

The Mosaic covenant between God and Israel was about Land, Law and Priestliness (mediation between God and people). God wanted to bless his people, and he had a covenant with them to show them how to live in order to receive his blessings. But the blessings aren't just "money rains down from heaven" blessings. These two verses (and many others besides) show that God used people's work to bless them. I chose these verses because they make it clear - do a thing (tithe, give to the poor, free your slaves eventually) and God will bless "the work of your hands" or "everything you do".

Now I am hesitant to draw the same Do Stuff = Blessings lessons from God's OT promises. But the principle that God blesses people through the work they are doing, I am keen to uphold here at the moment.

Ruth (pretty much the whole book, but especially chapter 2

The book of Ruth shows Ruth and Boaz as godly characters who do everything right. So the way they treat their work or workers should be a good godly model.

So, say we started with vs 4 - it shows that Boaz has a good relationship with his workers. Work, like any other part of life, is a place where people build relationships with other people. God is a relational God, and values relationships. So in every relationship, we have we should strive to make it godly and good.

Vs 7 next, because it shows that Ruth has a good work ethic. Now, some people might say she doesn't have much choice - her and her mother-in-law are poor, after all. But look at how much she harvests - it's way more than you need for a day's meal. So she wasn't afraid of working hard not just to sustain herself and her mother-in-law, but she is actually seeking to better their position. Vs 17 bears this all up too.

Now, to spend some time reading the book I borrowed from Morling library.