No,it’s a lesson.
wow, talk about a crazy idea.
First, man worked in the Garden of Eden, so work was not a punishment. Wait, even before man worked in the Garden, God had worked for six days. What was God being being punished for?
Second, with the expulsion, man’s work was made burdensome
Third, the Bible says this was “for man’s sake.” The Hebrew words could equally be translated “because of man” (i.e., because he sinned), and “for man’s sake” (i.e., work is redemptive). I think both translations are valid.
“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” — John 5:17
‘Jesus said unto them, “My meat is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work.”’ — John 4:34
Lots more than those verses, too. Does God punish Himself when he creates (far more work in all senses than the human body is capable of)?
Wow, there’s no dearth of degrees and certificates and publications and public acclaim and money you can achieve by ignoring context.
How’s this: Work when you’re a passenger on an ocean liner is punitive.
But if you fall off the ocean liner, and have to work to swim to a boat, and then paddle the boat, to get to the place where the ocean liner can pick you up again, that’s not punitive, it’s a reward - when you compare it to the alternative.
If you trust in God and Believe the story of Adam and Eve then yes work is a Punishment of sorts !
The creation account goes deeper than just “work”. God commanded man to subdue the Earth and procreate. Despite man’s fall in the Garden, God never revoked those first two commands. Sin introduced “sweat” into the subduing of the Earth and “pain” into child birth but we are still supposed to carry out those commands.
He who doth not work shall not eat.
I have a somewhat different theory:
I believe we work because it is necessary for our survival. Given our “druthers” we would play instead. So the goal of mankind is not to find work but to put work behind us and free up time for play.
This is no joke. Play can mean climbing Mt. Everest. It is to some folks while to others it is the worst kind of work. Then again, writing software is work for a lot people and to some, it is quite fun.
In the long run, mankind will work to eliminate human work. Let the machines do the work while we spend our time hiking around the Sierras and swimming at Malibu beach.
Caution: This may not happen in this century or the next but it is coming.
“Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” - Buddhist saying.
In physics, a force is said to do work when it acts on a body so that there is a displacement of the point of application, however small, in the direction of the force. Thus a force does work when there is movement under the action of the force.
Good works, or simply works, within Christian theology are a person’s external actions or deeds, contrasting with interior qualities such as grace or faith.
To be is to do. - Immanuel Kant
To do is to be. - Frederick Nietzsche
Do be do be do. - Frank Sinatra
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. - Confucius
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. - Khalil Gibran
It’s a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can’t eat for eight hours; he can’t drink for eight hours; he can’t make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work. — William Faulkner
To Democrats, hard work is racist.
I’ve done some work that seemed like training for Hell, but hunger and unemployment is worse.
So is retirement a sin? Or is work only redeeming up until one is 65? Work is what it is, a means to put food on the table. To those of you who have a job you love. You are the luckiest people on the planet.
I have lived through a recent combination of coming back to the Lord and then being diagnosed with cancer and having major surgery to remove it. When I was separated from the Lord, work was a daily drudgery that I did because I love my family and because it the way I was raised. After getting my spiritual life straightened out, I realized that work was a blessing, an opportunity to live and interact with others as a Christian man.
I haven’t been able to work for the last couple of months and for the first time as an adult I truly miss it. I will finally be able to return later this month and I praise God that I have the opportunity.
In a strange way, getting cancer has brought me closer to the Lord and everyone I interact with, I am more at peace now than I have been in decades. Each day is a blessing and opportunities to interact with others is now cherished rather than avoided.
I don’t want to hijack your thread but the whole experience has been profound to me and I wanted to share my experience.
Adam had fulfilling work to do before the fall.
Punishment came and made it unpleasant.
Work makes you free.
All we do in life is worship if we serve God. If not, it’s whatever we ‘think’ until we pass this life and find out the truth. Besides, work was part of the original creation - man was to tend the garden God created.
And if it’s not a punishment but a reward, lesson, or whatever, then will we be wage slaves in heaven too?
**Is work a punishment from God?**
No, we have to do our part too.
“Work is the curse of the drinking classes.” — Oscar Wilde