The man who will not work is not wise. Laziness is a plague that ruins lives, and societies. The book of Proverbs uses the word “sluggard” for the man who will not work or give any effort. The antithesis of the diligent man is the sluggard. The Hebrew word for “sluggard” is defined as a “lazy person, a person who is disinclined to work or exert himself.” In other words they are sluggish, slothful, and undisciplined. Another translation literally says they are “lazy bones.” It gives the idea of someone who does not have the willpower to work. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish to eat something and will not even bring it back to his mouth (Pro. 19:24). The sluggard is too lazy to lift food to his mouth! What a tragedy! When you shirk from your responsibilities and will not lift a hand to help yourself then you are considered a sluggard.
The most vulnerable to succumb to laziness are youth. Culture is consistently peddling the erroneous idea that wealth can be achieved without working. Gambling and the lottery have kept more enslaved to poverty than they have made millionaires. But Scripture is clear that if you are going to be blessed, and successful, then you are going to have to work. Laziness will not be blessed. Being a sluggard will not be rewarded.
Five Characteristics of the Sluggard
- The Sluggard Loves 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” (Proverbs 6:10–11). I remember wanting to sleep in when I was a teenager, especially when I was in grade school. I can still hear my father coming up the stairs to wake me up for school. The sluggard would rather sleep than work. He would rather stay in bed than take care of his responsibilities. Why take initiative when you could stay in bed? Granted, everyone needs to rest, we were created with bodies that require sleep. This does not mean that we should sleep more than we work. You have more energy when you are young, don’t waste those years. Redeem the time while you are young (Eph. 5:16)!
Proverbs 20:13 says, “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.” Sleep will rob you of time, opportunities, and wealth. Sleep is a like a armed man ready to rob you of opportunities, dreams and ambitions. Many are in poverty because they love sleep more than work. Work while it is day (Jn. 9:4). Wake up and get your work done. Don’t hit the snooze button on life and miss opportunities. - The Sluggard Makes Excuses: “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets” (Pro. 22:13)! The sluggard is always making excuses why he can’t go to work. He will imagine all of the dangers that could happen if he were to leave the confines of his bed and go to work. The sluggard in Provers 22:13 believed there was a lion in the street. He was mistaken, the real danger was in the excuses he made. The dog ate your homework excuse will not work in the real world. There are too many people who have the initiative and qualifications who are willing to work, and an employer will not be loyal to an excuse giver. If your currency is to always make excuses, one day you are going to run out of them and all you will have left is regret.
- The Sluggard Procrastinates: “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing” (Pro. 20:4). Instead of plowing at the appointed time, the sluggard procrastinated and ended up having nothing at harvest. If you are always saying “I’ll do it later,” or “I’ll get to it tomorrow,” chances are that you will never get the task completed. Always putting a chore or task off only prolongs the responsibility. If you will do the job immediately, complete the homework when before it is due, prepare while you have time, then you will always be successful. The more you delay the less likely you are to do the work. Parents, teachers, and employers will not give you more responsibilities if you are unable to complete the tasks you have already been given.
- The Sluggard is Self-Deceived: “Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors” (Pro. 26:16 NLT). If you want to give people a bad impression of yourself then consider yourself smarter than everyone you meet. The sluggard has it all figured out, so he thinks. He has deceived himself! The one thing a know-it-all doesn’t know is that he doesn’t know it all. Laziness intoxicates and deceives. Pride is the fool’s drug, and arrogance is the sluggard’s elixir. Together they inebriate the fool to think that he is smarter than he is
- The Sluggard is a Destructive Force: “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down” (Proverbs 24:30–31). When a man loves sleep, makes excuses, procrastinates, and is self-deceived then his life will come to ruin. Being a lazy bones is not profitable. The consequences of being a sluggard are plenteous. He will lose his job, be unemployed and broke (Pro. 6:11; 10:4; 15:19; 19:15; 20:13). The sluggard will have nothing but regrets of failures, missed opportunities, and unfulfilled ambitions (Pro. 21:25-26). The lazy man will experience unsatisfied desires and having to do without the pleasures of life (Pro. 13:4). Finally, the sluggard will be a disgrace to his parents, his family, his friends and to himself (Pro. 10:5). All that he will have left are the weeds of anguish, and the thorns of bitterness.
Young men, you should do everything in your power to avoid being a sluggard. There is nothing rewarding or satisfying about being lazy. You do not honor, nor bring glory to God with laziness. You were created with a purpose. Do not buy into the lie that laziness is acceptable, or that you are entitled to certain benefits. The wise man is a man who avoids the path of the sluggard.
This post is part of an ongoing series entitled: Wisdom for Young Men