Thoughts on the topic of sluggards from the book of wisdom

Before we venture into this topic, let’s be clears on the meaning of the term. There may be some readers who are not familiar with the term “sluggard”. Personally, I love the word. Not the meaning, and especially not the application or reality of it in my own life, but the sound, the noise it makes as it rolls from the throat.

I got a thing for sounds!

To be a sluggard is to be a deadbeat, a couch potato, a loafer, a slouch, an idler, a good for nothing lazy bag of bones. To be a sluggard is to be a professional, highly motivated procrastinator, a shirker of responsibility and an avoider of tasks!

For our time in the proverbs, we will find there is much to be challenged by. A number of truths occur over and over in the passages we will consider. Truths that describe the sluggard as having nothing to show for his life, that he will go hungry, that he is a disappointment to others. He is a “victim” and that he is a great story teller.

A great story teller!

Lets start with this characteristic of the sluggard. Two passages in the proverbs speak of the sluggard slinging a tale about lions.

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”

Proverbs 26:13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”

Any task in the sluggards mind is worthy of developing an exaggeration, a story of why he can’t do the task. He is strangely adept at creating a condition of fear, telling a story (to himself) that provides reasons not to work.

Does the sluggard create a bold faced unbelievable lie? Is it such that during the times of Solomon and other authors of the proverbs, lions sometimes did roam the streets of Israel?

It is common knowledge of the existence of lions within the land of Israel during the times of the kings, when the proverbs were mainly written. Many a time in the Old testament, reference is made to lions, and it was surely a common animal that existed amongst the populace.

The sluggard uses a possibility, a truth that lions were in the area, but he surely greatly exaggerated the truth to create a barrier, a restriction from doing anything.

Consider an alternative life choice.

Consider David’s fear of lions.

David and Lions

A youngster who was a lowly shepherd fought lions. It seems David didn’t consider any obstacles, even the possibility of death when he faced the lion.

1 Samuel 17:34, 35

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

David did not “stay in the house”, creating a condition in his mind of his inevitable death if he opened the door. No, David went after the lion. Not only did he go after the lion, he struck the lion, took him by the beard (if the lion was foolish enough to come after him again), and dealt that lion a death blow.

David made no excuses. He didn’t create an obstacle in his mind, but simply faced the lion, and dominated that animal. He was something else!

How about Daniel and his fear of lions?

Daniel and Lions

Daniel is another saint who dealt with lions. Multiple lions for an extended time. Now of course in Daniels situation, facing the lions was the result of his habitual prayer life, and the challenge of a corrupt government seeking to impact his faith in God.

Daniel 6:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Daniel 6:16 a Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions.

He knew he would be thrown into the lion’s den. He invited the encounter by his faithfulness to God in prayer amongst the heathen. He made no exaggeration, no excuse, and accepted no fear mongering attempt to avoid a challenge to his faith.

The conclusion of the author is that a sluggard creates a condition in his mind that restricts his options. Now of course, we know that he wanted to restrict his options, for he surely had important work to do inside the house. Work such as consuming TV, eating some ice cream, and surfing the web. Focusing on being a consumer, instead of a producer.

The sluggard knew what he was doing, and when we witness someone making excuses, or exaggerating a situation, rest assured that this is an indication that we may be in the presence of a sluggard, even if we are all alone in the room!

Even to this day, when I meet a fella or lady who makes excuses, I ask about the lion in the street. I do get some strange looks sometime!

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