Proverbs 6:6-11 - Do Not Be Lazy

The Christian should be no stranger to hard work. In this passage of Scripture, we are instructed to learn how to live by watching the ant. “Go to the ant thou sluggard.” The wordsluggard means lazy person. He tells us to consider her ways and see them from God’s perspective. She has no one telling her what to do. She is wise enough to know her responsibilities. She does not get involved in everybody else’s job. She is diligent enough to fulfill her responsibilities. She provides herself food for the summer by gathering her food at harvest time.

I hope you enjoy this poem.
 

If you want to eat tomorrow, 

you must not stop today
If you want to fill your table, 

you must learn to work not play
There is a time to rest, 

but very first and best
You must labor for your meat, 

or expect no food to eat
The ant learns to store food in the good time, 

to assure plenty in the bad time

They never hinder, but always help one another in their work. They unite to accomplish tasks that are too large for one. They store their goods in places that will be protected. They are wise investors. They know how to preserve their hard earned resources. Ants will bite off the end of the grains of corn that they may not grow when they get wet.

Solomon ends this conversation with a sluggard by saying do not waste your life sleeping. You should learn to be a quick riser. The sleeper winds up in poverty, like the person who travels, like a person fit for destruction.

Your Friend,
David Teis