Articles
The Sluggard
Those who were at Brookhill on Wednesday night were blessed to hear an excellent invitation lesson regarding laziness. For some time, I’ve had notes on that subject set aside for an article. After brother Hill’s talk, this seems like an appropriate time for four observations about the sluggard (lazy man) from Proverbs 26:13-16.
- He always has an excuse. “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square” (Prov. 26:13)! You can see the picture of a man who has some task to do that day but he can’t do it because it’s just too dangerous outside that day. This proverb is essentially a repeat from Proverbs 22:13, the difference being in that case the sluggard straightforwardly states, “I will be killed in the streets!” Sluggards are like that. It isn’t just that they don’t work. They have their reasons, even one that might seem absurd to everyone else.
- He sleeps a lot. “As the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed” (Prov. 26:14). He rolls over rather than getting up. Sleep is good, but there is a time to sleep and a time to work. The sluggard only agrees with half of that statement.
- He gets tired easily. “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is weary of bringing it to his mouth again” (Prov. 26:15). This exaggerated comical picture is of a man who considers eating to be too much work. The lazy man might start something, but he doesn’t finish because whatever the task is it proves to be too tiring to continue.
- He is smarter than everyone else… or so he thinks. “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can give a discreet answer” (Prov. 26:16). Rather than criticizing himself, the sluggard praises his own thoughts. He is the only one who has figured life out. He is the one who really knows how to live. Or so he thinks.
It seems that it is getting harder and harder for employers to find anyone who will work. People won’t show up. They won’t get the job done. They won’t stick with the job (quitting frequently and after having the job for only a short time). Perhaps we are witnessing multiple generations of sluggards being raised who would much rather sleep than work. Of course, they don’t think of themselves as lazy. They are the smart ones… the ones who have figured out that working for a living is a waste of life. They are the ones who always have a reason for their decision not to work.
It isn’t good when large chunks of our population sound more and more like the sluggards found in Proverbs. Of course, that means this isn’t a new problem. It existed way back then. It is, however, a problem. Let us be careful to be hard workers who are reliable and get the job done, whatever our job may be (work, school, home, citizens, church members, etc.).
