The Metaphysics of the Mud: Work and Worthlessness Text: Proverbs 28:19
Introduction: Two Ways to Live
The book of Proverbs is relentlessly practical. It does not float in the ethereal realm of abstract ideas; it brings theology down to the dirt. It is concerned with how we live, how we work, how we speak, and how we manage our households. And in our text today, Solomon lays before us a principle as fixed and unyielding as gravity. It is the law of the harvest, applied to economics and character. There are two paths set before every man, and they lead to two very different destinations. One is the path of diligent, grounded labor. The other is the path of chasing fantasies, of pursuing vapor.
Our culture is addicted to the second path. We are a people who want the harvest without the plowing. We desire wealth without work, success without sacrifice, and crowns without crosses. We are sold a constant stream of "empty things," get rich quick schemes, lottery tickets, and the lie that we can live on vibes and good intentions. The man who pursues these things is not just making a poor financial choice; he is making a theological statement. He is declaring that he knows a better, faster way than the one God established in the created order.
This proverb is a direct assault on that entire mindset. It is a bucket of cold, clear water thrown on the fevered dreams of the lazy and the greedy. It establishes a fundamental antithesis, a stark contrast between two kinds of men, two kinds of work, and two kinds of results. This is not just good advice; it is a description of how the world, under God's governance, actually works. To ignore this is to declare war on reality, and reality always wins in the end.
The Text
He who cultivates his ground will be satisfied with food,
But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.
(Proverbs 28:19 LSB)
The Grounded Man and His Reward (v. 19a)
The first half of the proverb sets before us the image of the wise and diligent man.
"He who cultivates his ground will be satisfied with food..." (Proverbs 28:19a)
The picture here is earthy and tangible. It is a man with dirt under his fingernails. He "cultivates his ground." This speaks of stewardship, of taking what God has given you, the particular plot of land in your life, and applying faithful, consistent effort to it. This is the dominion mandate from Genesis in miniature. God gave Adam a garden to "work it and keep it" (Gen. 2:15). Work is not a result of the fall; it is part of the original, good design. The fall made work toilsome and sweaty, but the fundamental calling to cultivate remains.
This principle applies far beyond agriculture. Your "ground" is your vocation, your family, your studies, your God-given responsibilities. It is the place where God has planted you. The command is to cultivate it, not to complain about it, not to dream of someone else's field, but to work your own. This requires what I have called "ploductivity," a steady, faithful, plodding perseverance in the same direction. It is not glamorous. It is the day in, day out faithfulness that builds a life, a business, a family, a civilization.
And what is the result? He "will be satisfied with food." The Hebrew word for satisfied means to be full, to have plenty. God's world is ordered in such a way that diligent, faithful work is the ordinary means by which He provides. This is not a promise that every farmer will get rich, but it is a promise of sufficiency. It is the promise of bread on the table. God honors the sweat of the brow. The hand of the diligent makes rich (Prov. 10:4). This is the covenantal pattern: obedience to the created order brings blessing.
The Fool and His Fantasies (v. 19b)
The second half of the verse presents us with the stark alternative.
"But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty." (Proverbs 28:19b)
Here is the man who despises his own ground. He sees it as boring, as beneath him. He is a chaser of fantasies. The Hebrew for "empty things" refers to vain, worthless pursuits. It is the get rich quick scheme, the multi level marketing mirage, the endless scrolling through social media for the next big thing, the life spent in frivolous entertainment. It is any pursuit that promises a shortcut around the divinely ordained process of sowing and reaping.
The man who pursues these things is a fool because he is chasing vapor. He is trying to build a house with smoke. He is lazy, but it is an active, restless laziness. He spends enormous energy avoiding real work. He covets greedily all day long, but his hands refuse to labor (Prov. 21:25-26). He is always on the verge of a breakthrough that never comes. He is the man who buys a lottery ticket and calls it a financial plan.
And what is his reward? The proverb uses a sharp, cutting irony. He too "will be satisfied." He will be filled to the brim, but with poverty. He chased emptiness, and he will get his fill of it. He will have poverty in abundance. This is the law of the harvest in reverse. You sow wind, you reap a whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). You sow fantasy, you reap destitution. This is not just an economic reality; it is a spiritual one. A life spent on worthless things results in a worthless life, an empty soul.
The Great Antithesis
We must see that this is not simply a contrast between two economic strategies. It is a contrast between two religions, two worldviews. The man who cultivates his ground is living in submission to God's created order. He understands that God has established cause and effect, sowing and reaping, effort and reward. He works by faith, trusting that God will bless the means He has appointed.
The man who pursues empty things is a rebel. He is an idolater. His god is chance, luck, the big break. He wants to live in a world without fixed laws, a world where he can get something for nothing. He is, in essence, trying to be God, to create reality on his own terms. But our God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows. This is a universe governed by a personal, covenant-keeping God, not a cosmic slot machine.
This applies directly to our spiritual lives as well. There are those who seek to cultivate their souls through the ordinary means of grace, the steady plod of prayer, Scripture reading, and fellowship. They will be satisfied with spiritual food. And there are those who chase after spiritual fads, emotional highs, and "new revelations." They pursue spiritual emptiness, and they will be satisfied with spiritual poverty, having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Conclusion: Pick Up Your Shovel
The message of this proverb is profoundly simple and deeply offensive to our modern sensibilities. It is this: God has given you a patch of ground. Pick up your shovel and get to work. Stop chasing fantasies. Stop looking for shortcuts. Embrace the dignity and the glory of faithful, plodding labor.
For the young man, this means applying yourself to your studies. For the husband and father, it means providing for your family with diligence. For the wife and mother, it means cultivating your home with wisdom. For every Christian, it means doing all your work as unto the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
The world is full of mirages that promise satisfaction but deliver only poverty of soul and pocket. The path of wisdom is the path of cultivation. It is the path of working the ground God has put beneath your feet. It is in this grounded, earthy, faithful work that we find true satisfaction, because it is in this work that we are conforming ourselves to the grain of God's universe, and to the character of our Creator Himself, who worked for six days and called His creation good.