Classic KJV - Proverbs 28:19

Repeated for Emphasis

This text is very similar to the question: How can you be busy yet end up poor? Both texts stress the importance of hard work. This text stresses the danger of distractions, and Proverbs 12:11 identifies the personal character flaw that gets us distracted. In contrast, the message of Proverbs 27:18 is to serve others patiently and faithfully. See Why serve others patiently?

Translation

The word plenty is repeated in the text. I like the ESV translation, “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.”

The word “persons” in the KJV does not appear in the Hebrew or in most other English translations. I believe the word “persons” is not helpful in the translation. Just as land is a tool to earn income in the same way empty pursuits are also tools, not persons. Thus the King James Version (KJV) translation is misleading in my opinion since emptiness can come from persons or things. Often our best opportunities lie right before our eyes but they might look rather UN-interesting.

It Starts with Tilling

Soil preparation is not as exciting as planting, and certainly not as satisfying as harvesting, but tilling and preparing the land essential to farming. When someone tills land there is no food in sight. It takes faith to till land. Hard soil or clay can be like rock; it must be tilled or ploughed to break it up before planting. This is the whole point of tilling: To create a seed bed where the crop will flourish and grow to produce a bountiful harvest. So tilling is vitally important to the crop production process. When the seed bed is deep and soft the roots can be easily established. The roots can grow deeply where there is plenty of moisture. When the crop is sown, a little earth is harrowed on top to cover the seeds from birds and other predators.

Handling Boredom

Some set mini-goals such as, “I will do ten more repetitions before take a small rest or break.” Others say, “I will do this for another ten minutes before I do something else.” Still others dream of the prize for finishing the task or think of a loved one for whom they labour. Overcoming monotony is all in the mind. Techniques vary for each person. If financial resources permit, a person could hire workers to complete such tasks. Certainly there is more to successful farming than just tilling the land, but the text implies that all else being equal, tilling the land is necessary for a successful crop. The farmer cannot control the weather but he can, to a large degree, control the condition of the land.

No Land to Farm?

For a non-farmer “land” might be an auto repair shop, a bakery, or any asset. My university professor (L.S. Rosen, York University, Toronto) defined an asset as “something with the potential to generate income.”

Many, if not most of the world’s current population have no agricultural land of their own. In those cases this truth applies to any earning potential: A group of clients to assist, a supervisor to serve, a sales territory to manage, or, in general, customers to satisfy. We need to identify our core business and those assets which must be worked in order to generate income.

Lotteries and Ponzi Schemes

No one in their right mind deliberately follows or gives chase to something they know to be of no real value. For example, no one would buy a lottery ticket if they knew it was a losing number. Ponzi schemes work well because people are so blinded by fat and easy profits that they don’t really care how the profits are generated. They exercise no due diligence to inspect the economic engine behind the investment. The largest Ponzi scheme (so far) totalling over $50 billion was orchestrated by Berni Madoff, arrested and imprisoned in 2009.

Here’s the problem: We are either deceived or deluded into seeing value where there is none. To be naïve is to invite poverty. Probing is absolutely vital. We need to exercise healthy skepticism. We need to get counsel before investing time or money in an attractive business opportunity. Some business opportunities have only marginal value.

Diversification or “Diworsification”

While working for Shell Canada, an oil and gas and petrochemical company, I recall a time of economic slowdown when Shell had to sell its non-core businesses which it had acquired during the boom times. These included Alphatext, a word-processing company, Woodex, a manufacturer of wood pellets for wood-burning stoves, and Enviroglass, a producer of fiberglass underground fuel tanks. All theses ancillary businesses were not deemed profitable enough to warrant distraction from Shell’s core business. Wandering from the “cash cow” in pursuit of a good idea is easy, but the good idea may cause enough distraction to bring poverty.

On the other hand, diversification is a wise investment strategy. To quote from investment legend, Sir John Templeton, "The only investors who shouldn't diversify are those who are right 100% of the time." This same investment principle is in the Bible, "Divide your portion to seven or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth" (NASB).  (Ecclesiastes 11:2 ESV).  In January of 2020, no investment advisor foresaw the global economic impact of the Covid 19 virus. 

Dreams Fuelled by Money Makers

Sometimes something seemingly impossible and worthless just requires extra effort. I like the way the Wright brothers invented their flying machine. Their contemporaries held the position that is was impossible for human beings to fly in heavier-than-air machines. Meanwhile, Orville and Wilbur Wright used the proceeds from their bicycle shop (like a farmer who tills his land) to fund their “flyer” experimentation at Kitty Hawk. They did not receive any government grants or handouts. They did not forsake their primary source of income in a reckless pursuit of their vision.

We can learn from their example. If we truly believe our dream has potential, even while others scoff, then we should not abandon it. Neither should we abandon known sources of income generation. But take note that the brothers didn’t do it alone; they had each other to vet ideas and encourage each other in times of failure. Thus having a colleague with us while we pursue our dreams is wise, lest we get caught in the common trap of self-delusion.

Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend

Jesus warned His disciples, “No one, after putting his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God,” (Luke 9:62).

The kingdom of God, like farming, demands full dedication. Discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ is not a haphazard, easygoing, part-time affair. It is a battle and there are many enemies. If we believe there are distractions in the natural realm we can be more certain that there are decoys and diversions in the spiritual realm. The three classic enemies of the Christian, namely the world (fun, fame, and fortune), flesh (lusts, comfort, and laziness) and the devil (selfish ambition) all try to distract us from keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Energy directed toward worshipping Jesus Christ is always rewarded.