“…but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (Proverbs 10:4-5, NASB)

Although “God helps those who help themselves” is not an actual Bible verse, it does reflect a key biblical idea: God frequently provides for us through our own diligent actions. For example, He provides the sun and rain, but He expects people to plow the field, plant seeds, nurture, cultivate, and harvest the fruit. He gave us brains, eyes, ears, hands, and feet, but it’s up to us to use them to think, look for opportunities, and make wise decisions in life. While this isn’t always the case, people who demonstrate wisdom, diligence, and a strong work ethic often achieve greater success, enjoy greater rewards, and accumulate more wealth. To me, today’s reading captures this very sentiment. It says,

“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.”

What do you think? Is this sentiment biblically true? Does God help those who help themselves? Or does God miraculously and graciously give to people when they ask for things? According to Solomon’s wise saying today, a person with a “negligent hand,” that is, a lazy person, will not prosper. A person who “sleeps” when it’s time for everyone to work on the harvest day will end up in shame. On the other hand, a person with “diligent hand” who acts “wisely” in the work field will make that person “rich.”

I have discovered two truths from reading the Bible concerning this. First, God helps those who cannot help themselves in matters of salvation. As sinners, it was impossible for us to save ourselves from eternal condemnation. The Bible teaches that God sent His Son to live a sinless life and become a sacrifice for our sins, offering forgiveness, redemption, and adoption as God’s children through faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” Jesus also said, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk.5:31-32). In other words, God helps those who cannot save themselves from sin. Through the gospel of Christ, God has made a way for us to be saved from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.

On the other hand, when it comes to our life on earth, especially our spiritual growth and service, the opposite tends to be true. God helps those who help themselves through diligence, hard work, and faithfulness. God gave Solomon the gift of wisdom, but it was up to him to grow and develop it. Likewise, God gives spiritual gifts to believers today, but it’s up to us to use and develop them to edify the body of Christ and grow the kingdom of heaven. We can see this to be true even in our prayers. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.” It is up to us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking, and God’s promise is that He will help us with what we are hoping. Further, through the Parable of the Unjust Judge, Jesus even taught his disciples to pray with perseverance without losing heart, indicating that diligence and earnestness in prayer have great power. Laziness has no place in a Christian life and the life of the body of Christ. Laziness has no place in the kingdom of God. Ephesians 6:6 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” I believe that this principle applies to our spiritual growth, but also in everything else.

• What did Solomon mean by “The hand of the diligent makes rich?”
• When do you think God will help those who cannot help themselves?
• When do you think God will help those who help themselves?