Labor or Service?

Yeah. Welcome to the Days of Praise podcast, a daily devotional by the Institute for Creation Research. Labor or a service. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work, Deuteronomy five thirteen. The term labor to many seems to denote drudgery or routine, repetitive, demeaning toil.

As used here in the fourth of God's Ten Commandments, however, the Hebrew word avad means rather to serve. and is so translated two hundred and fourteen times in the King James. Only one other time is it translated labor, and that is in the first rendering of the commandments, Exodus twenty nine. Thus the command could well be read, Six days shalt thou serve.

Furthermore, the word for work, Hebrew, melaka, Does not denote servile labor, but dutyship or stewardship. The One whom we are to serve or act deputy for, of course, is God Himself when we do our work. In the ultimate and very real sense, the Lord is our employer, and we serve Him, not man. Therefore whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men. Colossians three twenty three.

Every honest occupation, if carried out for the Lord's sake and to His glory, is divine service. And every Christian who holds this perspective on his or her work, be it preaching, bookkeeping. homemaking, or whatever, is in the Christian ministry, for ministry simply means service. Note also that God has ordained not a four-day or five-day work week. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.

He says, thus commemorating the six days in which he worked in the beginning. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth. Exodus thirty one seventeen. One day, Lord willing, we shall hear him say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Then throughout the ages to come His servants shall serve him with everlasting joy.

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We hope you'll start each day with days of praise.