A Meditation on Proverbs 6:6-11
Once upon a time in a far away land there were four men in a village named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Now in this village there was a significant task that had to be done, and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody neglected to do it, because he was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got upset about this, since it was Everybody’s job. However, Everybody thought that Anybody could have done it, yet Nobody was aware that Everybody wouldn’t do it. In the end Everybody blamed Somebody, while Nobody did the job that Anybody could have done in the first place.
What’s the moral of the story? The next time there is an important job that Everybody is asked to do, Somebody needs to take responsibility, and forget about the fact that Anybody can do it, because if Somebody doesn’t do it, Nobody will do it again, and the whole village will suffer. Whether the village represents a neighborhood or a church or a family, the truth remains the same, laziness hurts all involved.
What is laziness? It’s not an occasional nap. It’s the sin by which we ignore our obligations. Laziness is the sin of omission, rather than commission. And it could be that on the Day of Judgment, our sins of omission will out number our sins of commission. For example, Jesus talked about judgment, and said to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink…” (Matt. 25:41f). They are judged for laziness, sins of omission, neglecting their obligations.
Laziness is a destructive sin, causing a lot more damage than we often think. How many marriages end in divorce, not because of adultery or abuse, but simple laziness? Donald Trump’s second wife told her husband, “We need to work at our marriage.” He responded, “I work at my work, I don’t want to work at my marriage.” And it’s public knowledge how that marriage ended.
Laziness is a serious sin, but it’s not a complicated sin. We can learn from an ant. “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest” (Pro. 6:6-8). Also, laziness is another one of those deceptive sins. The whole world can see that a certain man lacks initiative, except the lazy man himself. He is blind to his own sin, which is why he needs the mirror of God’s word. To help us recognize laziness in ourselves or others, let’s consider four characteristics of a sluggard.
First, lazy people are full of excuses. “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” (Pro. 22:13). You might have expected this verse to read, “The coward says…” However, this verse isn’t addressing fear, but laziness. This sluggard is making up excuses for why he can’t go outside and get his work done. Douglas Wilson says this is the ancient equivalent of “the dog ate my homework,” or “aliens kidnapped me—what year is it?” (Douglas Wilson, Future Men, p. 63). This bum is trying to justify his laziness, but nobody is buying his lame excuses. The sympathy he seeks will not come, since the lion is a figment of his lazy imagination.
Next, lazy people are a source of irritation to those who send them on an errand. “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him” (Pro. 10:26). I wonder how many children needlessly irritate their parents by not doing what they’re told to do. This may seem like a little thing, but if you can’t follow orders at home today, you won’t follow them at work tomorrow. When you’re younger you irritate your parents, when you’re older you irritate your boss, and don’t be surprised if he fires you.
This leads to the third characteristic, lazy people struggle financially. “How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man” (Pro. 6:9-11). Many things cause people to struggle financially, like having champagne tastes on a beer budget, but laziness is almost a sure guarantee that you’ll end up in the poor house. The metaphor of poverty coming on a lazy man like a robber is a good one, because this is how the sluggard feels. He doesn’t know quite what hit him, but he’s now in a poverty quagmire. Perhaps he thinks he’s unlucky. I don’t believe in luck, but if I did, it would work this way: Work hard and you’ll be lucky; ignore the alarm clock, roll over on your bed like a door on its hinges, and you’ll be unlucky—a lot.
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GO TO THE ANT, O SLUGGARD” (2)A Meditation on Proverbs 6:6-11
The fourth characteristic of the sluggard may seem like a contradiction at first, but it isn’t: Lazy people are busy—sometimes extremely busy—doing things they shouldn’t be doing. This is worth pointing out, because some people, who appear to be hard working on the surface, and to outsiders, are actually quite slothful. The problem is that in the frenzy of all their activities and busyness they’re neglecting those responsibilities they ought to be taking care of first.
“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house” (Pro. 24:27). This verse reminds us of the need to get our priorities straight. First we plough the field and plant the crops, and then we can put up those new drapes in the living room. Lazy people love to do what is easier or more fun, and it may keep them occupied for hours on end, but in the meantime their obligations to their family or job or school are being disregarded. Allow me to move from teaching to meddling with a couple of present-day applications. Ladies, it might be more fun (and appear to be more spiritual) to be involved in that ministry or women’s group, but your first priority is taking care of the mundane, but God-glorifing housework. Could it be that your participation with other activities and interests is a sign of laziness?
Men, it’s great that you’re willing to work overtime and be involved with the school board or some worthy political cause, but perhaps, despite what others may think, you’re really lazy. It’s a lot easier and more enjoyable to participate in these different endeavors, but your wife and kids may need you at home a little more; God forbid that we should be too busy to spend time with those we love the most.
Parents, if you allow your children to drift into laziness—and by the way they never drift into discipline, they have to be taught that—you are, according to Proverbs, preparing them for a life of poverty, where they have to beg to get by (20:4). Also, their life will be one of frustration (13:4); life will be hard, and it will seem to them like there is always an obstacle in their way, while everybody else is on the smooth road (15:19); their lot will be forced-labor (12:24), and all this will bring shame upon the parents (10:5). So how can we help our children not drift into laziness? Consider three points.
First, teach responsibility—and teach this by letting them suffer the consequences of laziness and irresponsibility. Don’t subsidize laz-iness. One of the best things we can do for those who are able, but un-willing to work (I’m not addressing those who are unable, but willing to work) is—get ready for my recommendation for a new government program— absolutely NOTHING. Let them fall, and let them feel the full impact of their laziness. Sometimes we’re more compassionate than God, who said, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). However, let me interject one caveat. If we have to choose between grace and the letter of the law, let’s err on the side of grace.
Second, reward hard work. This is the flip side of the first point. “For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope sharing in the crop” (1 Cor. 9:9-10). Parents have asked if it’s appropriate to give their kids an allowance for chores at home. I think it is. They shouldn’t expect to be paid for everything they do, but on the other hand why should they have to wait until they’re eighteen or older to learn that hard work pays. Proverbs is clear that diligent labor usually is rewarded financially, so why not teach that to our children verbally, as well as with quarters or crisp dollar bills.
Third, if our children are to avoid laziness they must avoid lazy people, who will inevitably rub off on them. “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness” (2 Thess. 3:6). Paul went on to say, “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies” (vs. 11). If you’re not busy with God-glorifying work, you’re sinning more than you need to; laziness leads to other sins, it’s that simple. What set the stage for David’s sin with Bathsheba was laziness. “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab…David remained at Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1). If David had been out on the battlefield with his men, he would never have had time for Bathsheba. If work doesn’t fill your schedule, something else will fill the void and it often doesn’t honor God.
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