Hebrew Fun

My office looks like an explosion of Hebrew linguistics took place. What began as a simple study of the concept of stewardship exploded into Greek and Hebrew word studies and a new view of work.

In Genesis 2:15 it says that God placed man in the garden to tend and care for it. It sounds simple enough, that is, until you dive in to see what that really means.

The Hebrew word that we translate "tend" means to "work". This is before the fall. Work is not a curse from the Lord. God cursed the land (See Genesis 3:17).

To care for the land means "to take great care". In other words, it is like tending to something precious. Think about caring for a baby. It is work, but not drudgery. And, you don't just care for a baby like a babysitter does, you take extra special care because it is yours and means something special to you.

I have long understood that we are to work "as to the Lord", but I had never thought of work in the context of worship. Think about it. Isn't honoring what God created a way to honor the creator? Isn't taking special care of what he has entrusted to you a form of worship? If so, then our work is a form of worship. As we go about our day, doing the "tasks" necessary in our jobs, we are actually expressing our love for God.

Being a steward is simply another form of worship, like singing and praying. Take special care in what you do to honor God through it!