The Last Sluggard

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE LAST SLUGGARD

Prov 26:16

16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.

NIV

This sluggard is something else. How in the world can the sluggard think of himself as wise? But then he has everyone hand feeding him, doing all the work while he sits around enjoying the fruit of everyone else’s labor. He has devised all sorts of excuses why he cannot work. He has come up with the most innovative ways to get stuff for free. He has worked the system until the system provided all he ever needs. Nobody said the sluggard was stupid, just lazy. So maybe he is smarter as he thinks he is. However this idea that he is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly smacks a little like something we saw before. The number seven represents the totality of man, the whole of mankind, and so not just seven men. This would mean the sluggard in his own little world, not being a productive member of society, but withdrawn comes to the conclusion he is the wisest of all. He says, "Let those fools work and do all the labor while I enjoy myself and still get stuff for free". This certainly does not describe the believer as we are an industries people, working one hundred percent as onto the Lord.

Col 3:22-25

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

NIV

Replace slaves with employees and masters with employers and we are in this present age. The believer works with all his efforts, doing the best possible work for the benefit of his employer. This is the instruction from God, not men. So there is no way a believer could ever be a sluggard, except possibly when it comes to spiritual matters, or we could also say religious or church matters. We already dealt with this, but it bears thinking about again. We cannot simply be a part of the body of Christ and do nothing for the benefit of the body and think just because we are a part we are fine. When we labor in the service of the Lord we are also to do it as if we are working for the Lord, for indeed we are and we should be doing so for his benefit. This means in all we do we should not look for any applause from men. Surely when we work for our employer they reward us with a wage, a paycheck to compensate us for our labor. Other believers cannot compensate us for our service to God, but he can and does. So then if we do nothing, but simply attend church, we can expect very little in the way of compensate from the Lord. Sure we might get to heaven, but we also might live a really meager life, almost a crippled life in the here and now. But then maybe that is being wise in our own eyes, thinking we are still getting to heaven just because we believe. No, we are intended to be a part of a body that does our function, whatever part God has intended us to be, and work our part well, doing the best we can, as we rely on him to give us the wisdom and strength to do what he intends for us to do. Again, as we have said before, there is no room for sluggards in the kingdom of God.