You asked

how does this compare to new testament teachings about work and trusting god?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Proverbs 6:6-11

“Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise; which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer, and gathers her harvest in the autumn. How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.”

This passage comes from the book of Proverbs, a collection of ancient Israelite wisdom literature. It offers practical advice for living a good and successful life, often contrasting wise and foolish choices, and is addressed broadly to anyone seeking understanding.

What specific steps could you take to embody diligence today, even when the future feels uncertain?

Then — the setting

Proverbs was likely compiled over centuries, with roots in ancient Israelite family and court instruction, possibly reaching its final form around the 5th-3rd centuries BCE. It reflects an agrarian society where diligent labor was directly linked to survival and prosperity. The 'sluggard' was a stock character embodying foolishness, often contrasted with the 'wise' who planned and worked hard. The advice is highly practical and often operates on a principle of cause and effect, where good actions generally lead to good outcomes, and vice-versa, within a divinely ordered world.

Across the Testaments

This Old Testament proverb strongly emphasizes personal responsibility, foresight, and diligent work as a means of provision and avoiding poverty. In the New Testament, particularly in Jesus's teachings (e.g., Matthew 6:25-34), there is a strong emphasis on trusting God for daily needs and not being anxious about the future. While this might seem to create a tension with Proverbs' call for diligent planning, both testaments ultimately encourage responsible stewardship of time and resources (e.g., the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, Paul's command in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 to work). The New Testament doesn't negate hard work but reframes it within a deeper reliance on God's provision and a call to seek the Kingdom first, ensuring that diligence doesn't become anxious self-reliance.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Proverbs 10:4
Contrasts the diligent hand bringing wealth with the idle hand bringing poverty.
Ecclesiastes 9:10a
Encourages doing work with all your might.
2 Thessalonians 3:10
A New Testament instruction that if one doesn't work, they shouldn't eat.

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