Proverbs 10:4–5 (NKJV)
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. 5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
The proverbs of Solomon guide and teach us in order that we might be full of wisdom; in order that we might govern our daily affairs in a way that glorifies and honors our Creator and Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. In Proverbs chapter 10, Solomon begins to identify practical ways that the law of God teaches us wisdom. So today he urges us to be diligent.
He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. Slackness or laziness is deeply ingrained in us as human beings. Proverbs, therefore, is full of warnings about its disastrous effects. Laziness leads to poverty; it leads to hunger; it causes shame.
And note that the slack hand is not necessarily the inactive hand. The slack hand is the hand that refuses to labor in a profitable way, that fails to labor so as to support oneself or one’s family. The slack hand is the son who “sleeps in harvest.” Is sleeping wrong? No. Sleep, Solomon reminds us elsewhere in Proverbs, is a gift from God. But sleeping during harvest is wrong. The sleeping isn’t the problem – it’s the context of the sleep that is. When it is time to work, then you shouldn’t be sleeping and squandering your time.
Consider, therefore, the young man who squanders his time playing video games, surfing the web, or watching movies rather than gaining skills that he can use to support a family. He can defeat the Axis powers on Battlefield but he doesn’t know how to cook a burger, swing a hammer, or get to work on time. That is the type of man Solomon is speaking about. If you are a young man, then you should be working hard and gaining real skills.
But a slack hand isn’t limited to young men. Because of our great prosperity as a nation, laziness is a universal temptation. We begin to think that we are entitled to wealth or success simply because we can breathe. But Solomon reminds us that it is the one who works diligently that will prosper, the wise son is he who recognizes when it is time to work, is he who avoids bringing shame on his family, on his community, and on his God.
So what of you? Are you making excuses for your laziness? Men, is your boss wondering why he hired you? Is your wife frustrated with your failure to work hard and ashamed of your laziness? Wives, is your husband coming home to a filthy house? Is he wondering what that oven in the kitchen is for? Students, are you playing when you should be doing your school work? Are you drifting off during class? Is your teacher disappointed in your performance?
He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
Reminded that God calls us to work diligently and to shun laziness, let us confess that we often work with a slack hand. And as we confess, let us kneel before the Lord as we are able. We will have a time of silent confession followed by the corporate confession in your bulletin.