A Clean Crib

Introduction

Marshall and I are going to be preaching through Proverbs choosing lesser known Proverbs as well as some that are so well known they have become cliches.

Our goal is to take a Proverb and bring it into a modern context with application for today.

The first Proverb we are looking at is Proverbs 14:4.

This is a Proverb clearly rooted in a bygone time.

But that distance does not reduce its application to our time and place.

The Price of Produce

Caring for oxen is hard, messy work.

Food: An ox can eat up to 1.5-2% of its body weight in dry feed per day. For a 1,500-pound ox, this is about 30 pounds of hay or other feed daily. Horses and mules have similar requirements based on their body weight.

Water: Oxen and other draft animals require between 10 to 20 gallons of water per day, depending on the temperature and their workload.

During the cold months, these animals require shelter to keep them from the harsh weather. A basic shelter would need to block the wind, rain, and snow while still allowing ventilation to avoid respiratory problems.

Bedding, such as straw, is necessary for warmth and cleanliness, but it requires regular cleaning to prevent buildup of waste. Mangers and stalls must be mucked out daily to avoid disease, another labor-intensive task.

Amy and I like the sights and sounds of cows, not so much the WORK of cows.

We have seemingly dispensed with a lot of the messiness of life (Gen. 3:17-19; Prov. 6:6-8; Psa. 90:10).

This makes it easy to forget the cost of what we have (Deut. 6:10-12; Lk. 15:11-13).

God makes it clear what the cost of following him is (Mk. 10:35-40; Gal. 6:7-9).

The Temptation of Comfort

Recklessness is not the goal here (Prov. 22:3; Lk. 14:28-30; Matt. 4:5-7).

Ingenuity and planning are good things (Ex. 18:17-24; Prov. 21:5; Ecc. 10:10).

But some make ease the main goal:

It distorts our view of what is most valuable (Num. 11:4-6).

We tell men to take the safe path to a “secure” pension even if it is a soulless job in a cubicle away from their family for most of their lives doing something they hate. Hey, at least that pension is secure.

We prioritize the “sure thing” as if that even exists.

It makes us devalue the slow steady path to stability (Prov. 13:11).

We see what seems like an easier or quicker path and so we stop the hard work or maybe jump from one path to another and another and another and wonder why we are so far behind the guy who stuck with it and endured the difficulty.

It blinds us to long term consequences (1 Kgs. 12:26-30).

There are so many ways that we culturally take short cuts while ignoring long term consequences.

We are looking at the clean crib but not the absence of the oxen.

There are people celebrating the decline of the population unaware that the next generation has always been the ones to care for the previous generation even before social security.

It affects how you view the difficulty.

People see the burden of children but not the blessing (Psa. 127:3).

“Parenting is like a hundred thousand dollar hobby that doesn’t end, and it’s hard for me to imagine doing that hobby with the rest of my life.” - Megan Daum

“Children ruin your life. They are expensive. I don’t want to take care of someone else. I have a lot of responsibilities taking care of myself.” - Chelsea Handler

They see the mess of hospitality and deny its importance (1 Pet. 4:9).

People see the difficulty of proclaiming the name of Jesus and just avoid the conversation altogether.

Conclusion

Here is a Proverb that has nothing to do with me since I don’t have oxen.

But it absolutely hits at the heart of a major modern world view.

Do we see the goal and therefore value the work that gets us there or do we allow the difficulty to blind us to the reward.

Maybe you think that becoming a Christian is like that. That it would make your life more difficult. Perhaps it would, but it would also bring the assurance of abundant reward.