Wisdom for Work

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.Proverbs 19:24We are looking today at the theme of work, or more precisely, its opposite.The book of Proverbs introduces us to a tragic character whose life ends in ruin. The name of this character is the sluggard. He is referred to 14 times.The sluggard is presented in comic terms, like when you see a caricature of a politician or a celebrity. Some aspect of their face is exaggerated, but you immediately know who it is.So, for example, we read “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (19:24). The sluggard loads the food onto his fork, but lifting it to his mouth is just too much effort.Then we read, “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed” (26:14). The problem is not just that he likes to lie in bed, the problem is that he is seemingly hinged to his bed. He turns one way and then the other, but he can’t get up!The sluggard is also full of excuses. He always has a reason for not doing the work that needs to get done. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (22:13).We are meant to smile at this, but we are also meant to be warned about the dangers of laziness. If you are a person who works hard, your natural reaction will be, “This is a message for others but not for me.” Well, not so fast! There is something here for all of us.What is your initial reaction to the sluggard?