NO FUSS, NO MESS, NO WORK

Proverbs 14.4
NO FUSS, NO MESS, NO WORK
"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest." (14.4)

I ONCE WALKED INTO A FRIEND'S STUDY. "God Bless This Mess", reads the paper weight on a truly messy table. The rest of the room was not much better. Files, books, stationery and paraphernalia of all descriptions littered the place. He promptly excused himself, "But that's what work is all about!"

This appears to be the point in this proverb. The picture of an ox, a manger and the harvest seems puzzling at first. The connection lies in the ox that eats from the manger and brings about the harvest. Without an ox, a manger would be empty. If a manger is empty, there is no mess to clean. On the other hand, without an ox, there is also no harvest, since an ox is needed to plow the field and tread out the grain.

A farmer has to weigh the disadvantage of a dirty manger over the advantage of a good harvest. This tells us that we have to face up to a certain degree of disruption and inconvenience if we want to get things done. Some people are overly neat and meticulous. Yet, as Derek Kidner cautions us, "Orderliness can reach a point of sterility." The civil service in most places tends to be notorious for its bureaucracy. Everything must be done according to red tape and often little or nothing gets done as a result.

Secondly, the manger and the harvest represent consumption and production, input and output. What an ox eats determines how it works. If we take care of the former, we take care of the latter. For this reason, God commands the Israelite farmer, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain" (Deut 25.4). So "a righteous man cares for the needs of his animal" (12.10).

We may not be farmers, but some of us are managers of people, who are our flocks and herds. The wisdom of Proverbs counsels us, "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds" — if you want good returns from them (27.23-27). We need to know those who work for us and take care of them. We need to serve them if we want them to serve us. If we exploit their interests, we destroy our own.

In all this, we see God's concern for oxen, sheep and goats. Though God made man to be lord over God's creation, He never meant him to be a tyrant. In our time, we have seen how the thoughtless exploitation of earth's resources has worked against man. If man does not take care of God's provisions, these provisions will not take care of him.

Do I go for a clean manger or an abundant harvest?