The Way of the Vineyard

“…he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.” —Job 24:18

In Job 24:18, the wicked are likened to swift running waters.  The wicked are impatient and in a hurry to get what he wants.

And the devil stands by to help him get it by offering a “short-cut.”  No matter what your goal is, weather it be happiness… success… making money, Satan has a short-cut to achieve it.

Rather than achieve something God’s way, which is usually the slower way, and the way that requires character and builds character, Satan offers a quicker way to get what you want.

That is what Job implies when he says, “he [the wicked] beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.”  What is “the way of the vineyard”?  It is the way of hard work that requires plowing, planting, pruning, and patience before reaping a harvest.  That is, if you are going to reap a harvest in the vineyard it is going to require WORK and WAITING.

For example, if a person has a certain financial goal, Satan offers a “short-cut” to getting money. That “short-cut” could be gambling.  I am asked sometimes by immature Christians, “What’s wrong with gambling or playing the lottery?”  It is wrong because it seeks to acquire money contrary to God’s way—“the way of the vineyards.”  God’s way is by hard work and wise stewardship (read Prov. 12:11; 13:11; 1 Tim. 5:18).

Yes, “the way of the vineyards” may be slower and require character, but the rewards are much more satisfying and longer lasting!