What Does It Mean to be a Sluggard, and What We Can Do about It?
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In our world today, everything is go-go-go. There are deadlines to meet, plans to coordinate, and everything (and everybody) needs to be at the ready when we need them.
But sometimes the ease of having everything at our fingertips can make us comfortable in not putting effort into certain actions. Remember when we had to go to the library to find out information, or had to walk to places because you didn’t have a car, or even had only the means of the Bible itself to study and develop our relationship with God?
In the book of Proverbs, the term “sluggard” is mentioned regularly in the text, defined by Merriam-Webster as a “habitually lazy person.” Proverbs’ writer King Solomon was seeking to motivate those reading to avoid this behavior, as it could be detrimental to not only their lives, but also in what God had planned for them.
The following article will explore the term sluggard, as it is described in Proverbs, as well as ways you can see if you, or someone you know, needs to evaluate how much time you are spending on the couch watching Netflix or scrolling through your phone.
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What Is a Sluggard and How Does God View This?
As defined in the introduction, a “sluggard” is someone who is a lazy person, someone who doesn’t have the drive within him or her to make the most of each day.
The aspect of laziness is discussed at length in the Bible, through several different books, that all seem to convey the sense that God would rather have you working hard than wasting the day He has given you.
Even when Adam and Eve were enjoying the Garden of Eden before eating the forbidden fruit, they weren’t lounging around doing nothing. They were walking with the Lord regularly and keeping in order the land and animals given to them.
When Adam and Eve did sin through what they ate, they were punished with Adam having to work the land for survival and Eve to help him and endure pain in order to have his children (Gen. 3:14-19).
What both events show is that God values work, taking care of things around you, and not living off the efforts and means of those around you. It is about everyone doing their part to help one another, whether in loving them, serving them, or praying for them.
When a person decides to take the lazy route, this action, in God’s eyes, demonstrates that the person doesn’t respect or value God or what He has provided for him or her. And to any believer of God and follower of Christ, that is one of the ultimate betrayals against our loving Father.
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5 Marks of a Sluggard from Proverbs
Now that we know God doesn’t approve of sluggards, how can you determine if your behavior has the signs of being one? Below is a list of five marks specified in the book of Proverbs that reveals whether sinful intentions have taken the form of laziness in your life.
1. A Sluggard Is One Who Doesn’t Prepare
In chapter 6 of Proverbs, we see the example given by King Solomon of an ant, telling the sluggard to watch as the ant gathers food for harvest and supplies for the summer. As we all know from watching ants live or on television, they are constantly moving and doing all they can to keep their queen and nest thriving.
So, the opposite of an ant’s diligence is someone who doesn’t prepare like he or she should, calling the person one who “slumbers, a little folding of the hands in sleep” (Proverbs 6:10) leaving everything to the last minute or just not having certain supplies when the need arises. It might also mean you try to get help from others who did prepare, like the ant, but may find they only have enough for themselves and not for those who didn’t plan ahead. Proverbs 20:4 confirms this even more, stating that the lazy man will “beg during harvest and have nothing.”
2. A Sluggard Is One Who Has to Have Someone Motivate Him or Her
In the same passage from Proverbs 6, King Solomon references how the ant does all the work he or she does without a captain, overseer, or ruler watching over him or her. An ant knows what is expected of it and does this work without the queen or the other ants having to tell him or her what to do.
A sluggard, on the other hand, would need to have almost a babysitter watching over them to make sure work is done and plans are made. The sluggard is not trusted to do his or her work without supervision, so someone must watch them in order to ensure the job is done.
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3. A Sluggard’s Desire Is for Nothing
Proverbs 13:4 and 21:25 describe well how desire plays a key role in whether a person is motivated to work in life or would rather be lazy. Proverbs 13:4 states how a lazy person desires nothing so has nothing, while someone who has the motivation to succeed will always be rich. Proverbs 21:25 goes a step further by saying that a lazy man who desires nothing will actually see that this desire kills him.
Both of these scriptures tell us that when a person doesn’t desire success in any manner of life and refuses to do work, the desire will actually make the person poor in everything and will eventually kill him or her, whether physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.
4. A Sluggard Will Always Be Punished for His/Her Behavior
Just as desire can eventually lead to a lazy person’s demise, so can some form of punishment against that person as well. Proverbs 27:12 mentions the end results that happen to someone who is lazy and someone who is prudent. The prudent person will spot evil and avoid it, while the “simple” will bypass the warning signs and be punished in the process.
This makes sense in any situation we are in; if we don’t spot the warning signs in life that God gives us, we could find ourselves in more trouble than we originally expected. For example, if you noticed a significant change in your health, the prudent thing to do would be to check with a doctor and get tests done. If you are lazy and feel this is something that will pass (without doing your own research to confirm), you could find yourself facing an illness or life-threatening condition you wouldn’t have had before.
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5. A Sluggard Is Someone Connected to Satan – and Doesn’t Realize It
It could be seen that a sluggard or lazy person is someone who is only a detriment to him or herself, but a person’s inactions could lead him or her down a more treacherous path. Proverbs 18:9 tells of this matter-of-factly by stating that someone “slothful in his work” is actually someone establishing a strong connection to “the great destroyer,” aka Satan.
It might seem harsh to view a lazy person in those terms but it is true that when you open the door to one bad behavior, more open up. And they all lead to trouble. Isn’t it just like Satan to love one person’s refusal to follow God, even through being lazy, and use it to convince the person to follow him instead?
Inspiration to Do Your Best, Always
In the fast-paced world of conveniences we live in, many of us may have gained aspects of becoming sluggards because of devices that require less effort from us. However, good, hard work and taking care of things and people around you never lose their benefit, especially in God’s eyes.
And when it comes to describing what sluggards are, the book of Proverbs highlights many ways that sluggards/lazy people can bring more harm to themselves than they anticipated.
What is hoped is that by seeing the struggles that come to someone who doesn’t work hard and prepare for what’s ahead, people will instead look at the merits that come from doing one’s best every day, knowing it pleases the Lord most of all.
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What Is Sloth, and Is It Sinful?
How Can We Honor God Through Our Jobs?
What Does the Bible Say about Work?
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