Grab Your Shovel

“Much food [is in] the tillage of the poor: but there is [that is] destroyed for want of judgment.” (Pr 13:23 AV)

I have to admit, when I first read this, I assumed something different.  It piqued my curiosity.  The word ‘…tillage…’ means an untilled or unplowed field.  The meaning is simple.  There lies in the field an untilled acreage a potential for great yields.  It is already there.  Barring any natural disaster, if a field is tilled and cared for, there will be food at the time appointed.  This is why Solomon uses the present tense rather than the future tense.  There is no risk involved in tilling and planting a field.  Time and effort are almost guaranteed.  The assumption made here is the poor are generally poor because they lack the wisdom or judgment to see the results of their efforts.  They sit idly by and allow a field to remain fallow, yet still beg bread.  Opportunity is destroyed because the poor cannot see the consequences of his idleness.

Note also that Solomon uses the word ‘…much…’.  He suggests if the poor apply themselves to a sure thing, then there will be more than enough.  They will have a superabundance.  If the poor would get behind a plow with some ox and seed, in a few short months, he wouldn’t be poor anymore.  The superabundance can be sold at the marketplace.   His superabundance could help those who cannot till a field.  Now, consider there are poor who have no other option.  The disabled cannot till a field.  The blind cannot till a field.  The aged cannot till a field.  The simple-minded cannot till a field.  There are those who are begging bread because that is the only option they have available.  Those of whom Solomon speaks are those who have the physical ability to till a field, yet fail to project the results of their efforts.

My mind goes to Ruth and Naomi.  Ruth could have sat at the gate of Boaz, declare who she was to him, and simply received at his hands food enough for her and Naomi.  In fact, Boaz does so at the threshing floor.  Yet, Ruth had character enough to show up at the field at the time of gleaning, and gather handfuls of purpose.  Handfuls of purpose were portions of crop that were purposefully left or dropped for the poor to pick up.  Ruth exerted effort to provide for her and her mother-in-law because that was the ethical thing to do.  But let us consider another similar application.  Solomon and Ruth teach us the temporal principle of using opportunity, but what of the spiritual?  We have the word of God, prayer, and the communion of the saints as an untilled field.  We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to give us the strength, guidance, and encouragement to use them.  Yet, for the most part, the field of spiritual fruitfulness remains untilled.  Our bibles grow dust, our knees are supple, and the people of God are abandoned.  We wonder why we are poor in spirit?  Perhaps our spiritual field of fruit remains untilled.