We have come to Proverbs 24 and the topic of laziness. While some are naturally driven to complete projects, others are apathetic, requiring motivation to overcome inertia. Laziness may be a lifestyle for some but is a temptation for all.
The writer of Proverbs is teaching His son about the wisdom he learned by observing the life of the lazy.
30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man (Proverbs 24:30-34).
The writer learned a lesson through observing the:
Attitude of the lazy
Aftereffect
Antidote
Attitude
People in that culture knew the value of owning fields and vineyards.
They knew about the investment, planning, hard work, and patience necessary to prepare and maintain vineyards for a good harvest.
Everyone understood how the vineyard was a family’s livelihood, the fruit of which would provide for the physical and financial needs of the family as well as impacting the community.
There was an expectation that the heir would take care of the land and then pass it onto the next generation. But this lazy son doesn’t sense this obligation or responsibility. Laziness was considered the height of his foolish behavior.”
While he slept “weeds of all sorts had covered the field” and choked out the healthy vines. Throughout Proverbs the attitude of the sluggard is described as:
Indifferent. Even though this vineyard has played such an important role in supporting the family and had been handed down to the son or daughter, he or she does not care about what will happen to it or how their laziness will impact the future of others.
Indecisive. They won’t do anything about their situation. In Prov 6: 9-11: “How long will you lie there? When will you arise from your sleep?” But that is too definite for the sluggard.
Unmoved. The lazy person doesn’t like to do the hard labor and will do whatever it takes to avoid it. Proverbs says a lazy person does not plow in the autumn and as a result has no food for the winter. In other words a lazy person is unprepared for the future.
Unfinished. Proverbs 12:27 tells us that a lazy person may catch an animal but is too lazy to even cook it. In other words, they may have many ideas, start many projects but then the impulse and motivation dies. It becomes too much work for them so they don’t stay with the task until it is completed.
Uncommitted and unreliable. They dream up absurd reasons for not working. The amplified version of Proverbs 22:13 says,
The lazy one [manufactures excuses and] says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets [if I go out to work]!
The Aftereffect
We know that with every cause there is an effect. In principle, bad decisions will reap bad consequences; good actions will reap good consequences.
The Lord created the world with natural laws such as planting and harvesting, cause and effect.
If you are lazy, you will be poor and hungry. If you are diligent and hard working you most likely will prosper and have plenty to eat.
This is the way the world works; and if you ignore the principle of cause and effect, if you think you will be the exception, you will eventually wreck your life.
Since God made everything, this is how He designed things to work, and He reveals these things to us because
“He loves us and wants what’s best for us.”
Antidote
Poor is he who works with a negligent and idle hand, But the hand of the diligent makes him rich. He who gathers during summer and takes advantage of his opportunities is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps during harvest and ignores the moment of opportunity is a son who acts shamefully (Proverbs 10:4-5 AMP).
A godly work ethic is the antidote to laziness.
“Hard work and productivity is what God designed us for”
and we can see that right at the start of creation when God told Adam and Eve,
Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28, NASB).
This sounds like a lot of work. They weren’t just given the responsibility to take care of each other, the garden, and eventually their own family. They were given the authority over the whole earth and every living creature.
This mandate was given before the Fall, so we see that work is not the product of sin but a major facet of God’s original plan for human life to flourish in His world.
His Word tells us that a slack hand causes a person to live in poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (Proverbs 10:4).
Our bodies thrive when we work. Our emotions are satisfied when we work toward a goal and we achieve it. Don’t we all feel good after working diligently on a project or doing manual labor and seeing the fruit of a job well done?
When we learn how to take care of ourselves and our family and to be productive and conscientious members of society, helping others to succeed, that is true wealth (Ephesians 4:28).
God created us to be productive and has given us gifts and talents to be used not for self-glory, to create a name for ourselves, or from which to derive self-value.
Why would we need to prove our self-worth when our value is secure because of who we are in Christ?
All that God has given us is to be used for His glory and to benefit others. This goal takes humility. Even as we plow one furrow one day and then turn around and plow the next furrow the next day, back and forth, doggedly, ruggedly, faithfully, we might be thinking:
“Is all this hard work worth it?” “Does anyone notice?” “Does it make any difference?” I would say yes, I believe the world will be a better place because of what we did this day, this week, this year.
Does the life of Jesus in me affect the way I work as His representative, His ambassador on this earth? Absolutely.
The depth of my relationship with Christ will affect my motivation, my attitude, my relationship to my peers, employees or employer. It will affect the quality of my work and how I handle success or failure because I do things to please the Lord and not people.
Since we spend a large part of our lives in the workforce, we need to think about how our faith is distinctively shaping the way we engage people around us with the gospel.
Like the father who walked by the vineyard, people are observing our attitudes, our work ethic and the outcome of our faith. What do people see? They see Christ, the antidote for this World. All that we do points people to Christ.
As a Christian, you are to,
Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, ESV).
You may think that your life doesn’t make a difference. It is in these times and places we really have to think about the impact our Christian values and biblical teaching will have on the way I do my work in the long run. We may sometimes think after all these years we have had no impact whatsoever on the lives of those around us.
People are looking at the vineyard, the walls, and the fruit. They are looking at our attitudes, the aftereffect of our faith and the antidote. What are they observing? A life that has been changed by Christ, a life that points to the only Person who could make such a difference in our lives -
“the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. ”
