Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Etymology:The term "Workest" is an archaic form of the verb "work," often found in older English translations of the Bible. It is derived from the Old English "wyrcan," meaning to perform or carry out a task. In the context of the Bible, "workest" would be used to describe the act of working or laboring, typically in a spiritual or moral sense.
Biblical Context:In the Bible, work is seen as an integral part of human life, ordained by God from the beginning. The concept of work is introduced in Genesis, where God Himself is depicted as working during the creation of the world.
Genesis 2:2-3 states, "By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished."
Theological Significance:Work is not merely a secular activity but is imbued with spiritual significance. It is a means by which individuals can fulfill God's purposes and serve others.
Colossians 3:23-24 instructs believers, "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Moral and Ethical Dimensions:The Bible emphasizes the importance of diligence and integrity in work.
Proverbs 12:24 states, "The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor." This highlights the value of hard work and the consequences of slothfulness. Additionally, work is seen as a means of providing for oneself and one's family, as noted in
1 Timothy 5:8 : "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
Work and Rest:While work is important, the Bible also acknowledges the necessity of rest. The Sabbath commandment, as found in
Exodus 20:8-10 , instructs, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God." This balance between work and rest is essential for spiritual and physical well-being.
Eschatological Perspective:In the eschatological vision of the Bible, work takes on a renewed dimension.
Revelation 14:13 offers a glimpse of the eternal rest and reward for those who have labored faithfully: "Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write: Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.'"
Conclusion:The concept of "workest," though archaic in language, encapsulates the enduring biblical principles of work as a divine mandate, a moral duty, and a spiritual service. Through work, believers are called to reflect God's character, serve others, and anticipate the eternal rest promised in the life to come.
Library
For Then Shalt Thou Rest in Us, as Now ThouWorkest in Us...
... Book XIII Chapter XXXVII For then shalt Thou rest in us, as now Thouworkest
in us?... But Thou, Lord, everworkest, and art ever at rest....
From the Second Chapter.
... 2. "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience."] In the first epistle He
speaks thus: I know that thou sufferest andworkest, I see that thou art...
The Branch
... fullness. And let Thy all-sufficiency, holding and filling Thy branches, lead
me to the rest of faith that knows that Thouworkest all....
You Can do Nothing
... Lord, I gladly accept the arrangement: I nothing"Thou all. My nothingness is my
highest blessing, because Thou art the Vine, that givest andworkest all....
The Freighted Ship
... before Him. His work and thine will never go on together. He must work and
thou be still, or if thouworkest, He worketh not. "But in...
The Courts of God
... 'Tis there that Thy joy overfloweth,. I feel it, I take of it there; By the work
that Thouworkest within me,. The temple is holy and fair....
That Nowhere Bodily, is Everywhere Ghostly; and How Our Outer Man...
... Look then busily that thy ghostly work be nowhere bodily; and then wheresoever that
that thing is, on the which thou wilfullyworkest in thy mind in substance...
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. Singing and Making Melody in Your...
... By Thy deep love; my good deeds are not mine,. Thouworkest them through me,
O Light Divine. Yes, Lord, through all my changing days,....
John Chapter xii. 37-43
... For as it is with thine arm that thouworkest, so the Word of God is styled
His arm; because by the Word He elaborated the world....
The Disappointment of the People.
... sent.". They said therefore unto him, "What then doest thou for a sign,
that we may see, and believe thee? whatworkest thou? Our...
Thesaurus
Workest (2 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Workest (2 Occurrences). John 6:30 They said therefore
... and believe thee? what
workest thou? (ASV). Psalms 77:14
...Worketh (49 Occurrences)
Worker's (1 Occurrence)
Doest (53 Occurrences)
... (KJV ASV DBY WBS). John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou
for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? whatworkest thou? (ASV DBY)....
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