Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean,
Proverbs 14:4 NET
but an abundant harvest is produced by strong oxen.
In a pre-industrial agricultural setting, oxen performed much of the work that tractors and other machinery perform in many parts of the world today. They were used to plow fields, pull loads, and thresh grain.
This proverb expresses two sides of owning oxen. On the one hand, oxen were messy and required an effort to keep them fed and in good condition. Without oxen, keeping the barn and their feeding trough clean would be easy. But, on the other hand, they were important for an abundant harvest.
But this proverb is about much more than oxen. As Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 9:9, lessons about oxen can also be applied to people and churches. So, what can we learn from this proverb about oxen?
Producing a Harvest
How often, as a local church, or a member of that church, do we find comfort in nice, clean facilities and orderly services? Where everyone knows what is expected of them, and there are never any surprises? I know that I find some appeal in that. In having a clean feeding trough.
But what is the work of the church? Jesus left us with the commission to go out into the world, making, baptizing, and teaching disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). And that is messy and costly work.
Are we willing to include oxen in our budget–an outreach ministry to the lost? Even at the expense of some other activities we find value in? Are we willing to invest our time and efforts in reaching and welcoming the lost instead of creating and maintaining a comfortable environment for ourselves?
It is a choice we all must make. To have a clean feeding trough with little in the way of a harvest. Or invest the time and effort in sharing the good news with the world around us, producing an abundant harvest for the kingdom.