LAZINESS: SIN NOT LIFESTYLE
by Dr. Ken Matto
One of the most worldly forms of existence is the life of laziness. Lazy people believe they are entitled to all the benefits the world has to offer yet they contribute nothing. WAIT! Before you condemn the officially lazy, do some introspection. Did you buy your lottery tickets this week? Did you enter the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes? Why did you enter them? Was it to put your children through college? NO WAY! The first thing people say is, "If I win the lottery or contest, I am going to quit my job and take a long vacation." Every contest entrant is seeking an easy way to release themselves from daily responsibilities. This shows the typical human traits of greed and laziness.
What does the Bible have to say about laziness? Do we as Christians have the right to sit around and pick the pockets of hard working people? Of course, I am not targeting those who are physically handicapped and are unable to procure outside employment. I am targeting those who can work but do not desire to. In scanning the Scriptures, I would like to discuss 21 Scriptures which deal with laziness. They apply to believers and unbelievers. Scriptures taken are from the King James Bible.
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(Prov 6:9-11 KJV) How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? {10} Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: {11} So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
Both the robber and the armed man come upon their victim in a flash. The victim does not know what is happening until they are in the middle of it. The victim of a robbery may lose their life. The lazy person is doomed to poverty and this poverty will come in an instant and they will be unprepared to deal with it. They will refuse to work or seek a solution to their problem because this will interrupt their lazy lifestyle. When struck with reality, some lazy people lose their most prized possession, their lazy lifestyle.
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(Prov 10:5 KJV) He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
A person who seeks opportunity to be a diligent servant is a wise person, for they will not lack in lean times. The lazy person who refuses opportunity, because it will interrupt their TV time, are a shame and a discredit to their family. A lazy Christian is a disgrace to the family of God.
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(Prov 10:26 KJV) As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
Vinegar and smoke are both repulsive irritants to the body. When a lazy person is sent to do a job, they normally seek to cut as many corners as possible to get the task done, even if it is done incorrectly. The diligent person and the lazy person have different views on commitment and responsibility. The lazy person angers the one who dispatched him to do the job. In a body of diligent workers the lazy person is an odious irritant.
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(Prov 12:24 KJV) The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
Those who work diligently will have a reward of promotion. Lazy people never succeed because of their attitude. They will be made to do physical labor whenever involved with a project or job. Their laziness will keep them at the bottom. The biblical process of success always begins with prayer and intense application of one’s talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts.
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(Prov 12:27 KJV) The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
The lazy man goes hunting but never enjoys his catch because he is too lazy to clean his catch. They always want someone else to do the work while they enjoy fruits of someone else’s labor. Perseverance and determination are more valuable than gold and silver. Lazy people have only one major trait, to leave when the work starts.
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(Prov 13:4 KJV) The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
The lazy man desires but never possesses because he is too lazy to pursue a goal and persevere in reaching that goal. He cries poverty, but will not seek a job. Those who persist in tough times while seeking a goal will normally achieve it, and will profit from it both spiritually and physically. (Prov 15:19 KJV) The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
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(Prov 15:19 KJV) The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
The lazy person is like a thorny hedge. Whoever comes in contact with a thorn will bleed. The excuses of a lazy man are like hedges without flowers. They are just thorns. Their ways are as useful as thorns to the human touch. You can do without them. The lazy man’s ways must be avoided, for they are as thorns. The upright person’s way is smooth as a six lane highway, which has no hindrances to movement.
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(Prov 18:9 KJV) He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
A lazy person attempts to get his ideas accepted by others. If he is successful both work and projects fail. Laziness breeds destruction, to both the lazy person and the one who incorporates his ideas into their life. He is poison to God’s people.
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Prov 19:15 KJV) Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Laziness stupefies one to the world around him, especially concerning the lost souls of our generation. Idleness is laziness under a different name. These people will also be hungry for the things of the world. They will crave and never be satisfied. They will not even bring pen and paper to Bible study, just their physical appetites.
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(Prov 19:24 KJV) A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
This is the ultimate in laziness. The lazy man has before him the physical provisions of life but he is so lazy he does not even want to lift his hand to his mouth to put the food in. It is the same with those who shower once a week (or less) that have the shower available to them each day. Those who do not want to shower are just plain lazy. This is compared to the Christian who have the Bible but will not open it to get the truths of God into their mind.
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(Prov 20:4 KJV) The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
Here the lazy man will refuse to work and his excuse will be that it is too cold outside. This act of laziness will cause him to beg, but he will receive nothing. The lazy man has many excuses which he believes are valid to make his case. He sincerely believes that others will sympathize with his lame excuses.
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(Prov 20:13 KJV) Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Do not be comatose to the physical and spiritual world around you as the lazy man is. Life and opportunity pass the lazy man by and since he is self-centered, despair and poverty will come upon him. God warns us to stay awake, become involved, focus on others and you will be blessed. We are not to have a love affair with laziness.
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(Prov 21:25-26 KJV) The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. {26} He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.
The covetousness of the lazy person eats him from the inside like a cancer. He is jealous of others who are prosperous but refuses to work to earn a living. These emotions of envy and greed, when allowed to intensify over the years will cause physical problems and affect vital organs and could lead to death. The righteous realize that all they own belongs to God. They give liberally without apprehension but the covetous, lazy man lusts after more of the world’s goods. The lottery was tailor made for him.
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(Prov 22:13 KJV) The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
The lazy man lives on excuses of why he cannot do this or that. In reality he is just too lazy to do anything and cares not if he is needed by someone else. It is not that he cannot do something, he will not. It is like the person who says they cannot get up for Sunday School, they are just too lazy.
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(Prov 23:21 KJV) For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
The same reward awaits the drunkard, glutton, and lazy man. They will be brought down to a base level of life. Apparently, God views laziness as a sin equal with drunkenness and gluttony. Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10) This may also be a warning to those who are drunk on the self-centered life.
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(Prov 24:30-34 KJV) I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; {31} And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. {32} Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. {33} Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: {34} So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
The lazy man is a lesson to the believer, that laziness will bring a person to ruin. The lazy man’s work is vain, because they are carelessly attended to. Lazy people lack understanding in situations where they are not the beneficiaries. When you see a lazy person, learn from him and if you see any of his habits cropping up in your life, you will be able to halt the drifting and return to a disciplined life. The lazy man’s ways will eventually mushroom till his destruction will come like a thief in the night. Fast and furious!
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(Prov 26:13-16 KJV) The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. {14} As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. {15} The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. {16} The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
The lazy man does not live his life from faith to faith, but excuse to excuse. A door turns on its hinges but it never moves from the place it is attached to. The lazy man turns on his bed, but does not get out of it. When he is out of it, he wishes he was back in it. The same attitude prevails in the people that sleep till 11:00 and still are too lazy to get up. He sleeps half the day, he gets up and puts the TV on to waste the rest of the day. He is too lazy to nourish himself so he waits for someone to feed him. If you say he is living a wrong lifestyle, he will laugh, because in his mind, you are the one void of understanding. In reality, the lazy man is the one Satan has bewitched. Proverbs 26:12 says: "Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him."
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(Mat 25:26 KJV) His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Here is a parable of a servant who was given a talent by his master when he took a journey. The master expected the servant to deal wisely and gain more talents but this servant decided to bury it. The lazy servant did not understand the desires of his master and didn’t bother to find out either. When the master returned, the servant’s punishment was to be cast into outer darkness. Lazy Christians believe because they have not been zapped by God that everything is fine. Remember Proverbs 26:12 which spoke about a man that was wise in his own eyes. Today we have the Bible in its completed form and we can know what God requires of us. The lazy believer better wake up because God deals with His people as well as the unbeliever. We will not escape the chastisement of God because we are saved! (Rom 13:11-12 KJV) And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. {12} The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
With each day we are closer to the return of Christ and yet many continue to sleep. We have a mandate to reach the lost of our generation. (Acts 13:36) Yet many choose to remain spiritually dormant. Laziness is a work of darkness and must be shunned. These works must be cast off.
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(1 Th 5:6 KJV) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
We must be watchmen in our generation and involved. The salvation of souls is our top priority, not our own desires. We must not live for ourselves but for Christ who bought us. Laziness concerns itself only with fulfilling its own lusts.
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(2 Th 3:10 KJV) For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
The final admonition is that lazy people are not to be tolerated. If they choose not to work, neither should they be fed freely or given handouts. Handouts only confirm their reasoning that they are right and you are wrong.
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Laziness is a heinous sin and must be dealt with as one deals with drunkenness and gluttony. Lazy people are dangerous and can pollute entire groups with their schemes. Lazy Christians must be considered sinning brethren and dealt with accordingly for their own good. If we continue to coddle lazy people, they can manipulate us into believing we are the bad guys if we don’t give them a handout. If you want to break the laziness-excuse cycle then exchange your easy chair for some type of work. Volunteer at the church, library, first aid squad, et al. The more you work, the more you become acclimated to a work day, and the laziness will soon depart. I believe we have answered our initial question, "Does the Bible have anything to say about laziness?" Don’t you?