Proverbs 6.9-11
“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.”
The opposite of a strong work ethic is laziness. The Hebrew word for “lazy” is atsel, and it is usually translated “sluggard.” Sixteen times the book of Proverbs uses atsel / sluggard to warn about the danger and consequences of being lazy.
The message in scripture is that a strong work ethic is productive, but laziness leads to poverty and shame. Work ethic is a consistent theme in Proverbs because God designed a world where work matters.
In particular, chapter 26 of Proverbs gives four consecutive verses that are a clear—and rather creative—series of warnings against laziness.
“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!’” (Proverbs 26.13)
Verse 13 calls out lazy people for using feeble excuses to avoid work. While it is true that lions could be found in Palestine at this time, they were not so numerous that they could be a legitimate excuse for not leaving one’s house and going to work. This is “the dog ate my homework” excuse for simply being lazy.
“As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.” (Proverbs 26.14)
This verse criticizes the inclination of lazy people to spend too much time in bed. They are fixed in bed like a door on its hinges, and they turn in bed like a door swinging in place. Lazy people may move, but they don’t go anywhere; they make no progress. It is a vivid picture of indolent people.
“The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.” (Proverbs 26.15)
How lazy is the sluggard? He is so lazy that he puts his hand into the dish to grab food, but doesn’t have the energy to bring the food to his mouth. Can you see the picture? The lazy person is sitting at the table, slouched over, hand in the bowl, doing nothing. Not even hunger can motivate him to finish the job by lifting his hand and the food to his mouth. Lazy indeed!
“The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.” (Proverbs 26.160
The problem at the heart of laziness, and probably the reason lazy people perpetuate their self-destructive behavior, is that they are “wise in their own eyes.” Because of that they reject direction and correction. They are not teachable or coachable. Indeed, they claim that they are wiser than even seven wise and discerning people.
The number seven is often a biblical symbol of completeness and truth. In other words, lazy and arrogant people try to create their own truth.
The warning is clear: Beware laziness!
“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” (Proverbs 13.4)
