There is no dishonor in being uninformed, but a fool chooses to be ignorant all his life.”
–Cliff Hudgins (The Weathervane Ranch)
“For the foolish person will speak foolishness, and his heart will work iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error against the LORD, to keep the hungry unsatisfied, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.”
“For the foolish person will speak foolishness, and his heart will work iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error against the LORD, to keep the hungry unsatisfied, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.”
–Isaiah 32:6 (NKJV)
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I find myself going often to the Book of Proverbs for one reason or another. A wonderful study in Proverbs is to find out what the book says about the four main types of individuals: the mocker/scorner, the simple, the wise, and the fool. This is a tremendous study. Another way to look at Proverbs is to read a chapter every day. You’ll have read through the book twelve times in a year, and will have gained insight into the Word of God. It will also help you gain understanding of why this world is in such sad shape. This morning I am going to borrow heavily from Bob Beasley’s book, “The Wisdom of Proverbs.”
“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.”
–Proverbs 26:13-16 (NIV)
“Sluggard”, I like that term. It is a word that the very sound of it suggests its meaning. Your mind can immediately conjure up the idea of a sluggard. Most likely in your life you have met a few.
“Derek Kidner says the sluggard of Proverbs is faithless (13), feckless (14), foodless (15), and foolish (16). He neglects his responsibilities to his family, work, and friends, and you can be certain he will neglect his larger spiritual duty to God. Let’s see how these verses describes the spiritual sluggard.
First, in verse 13, he is spiritually faithless. He won’t step out in faith to do anything. He always has an excuse. There may not really be a “lion in the road” but something is always standing between the sluggard and his duty.
Second, in verse 14, he is spiritually feckless, or irresponsible. A door never leaves its door jamb. In the same way, the sluggard’s life is going nowhere. He is without goals or the strategies for attaining those goals. He likes his soft bed, but can doze just as easily in a pew on Sunday morning.
Third, in verse 15, the sluggard is spiritually foodless. While he may know some Christian jargon, the deep things of Christ are avoided. He’s a spiritual baby, feeding on baby food and milk, not able to chew on the real meat of the Word. (Heb 5:13-14). Why? Because a deeper knowledge of God may convict him of his sloth and awaken him from his slumber.
Finally, in verse 16, the spiritual sluggard is foolish. He is puffed up with pride. He bluffs his way through life, not understanding that his superficiality is as plain to others as the nose on his face. Don’t join the spiritual sloth. Rather, flee from the sloth and join with those who, in humility and diligence, work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).”
The sluggard is a person who will avoid responsibilities. If they have a job, they will not have it long, and they will jump from one job to another. Or if they have the energy they will jump from one church to another to avoid hearing the truth from the Word of God. They are satisfied with their condition. Is there any wonder why we have so many “snowflakes” and “twinkies” among us? No, there may not be a lion in the road, but that is a good excuse to roll over in bed, or sit in the easy-chair. A sluggard’s mind also may entertain a world of imaginations. Why, if they were to go out and face the real world surely a lion would be there to tear them apart.
These people talk a good talk. But let me tell you, it’s all braggadocio. It goes back to the song of a fool. This people may try to hide their true character, but it only takes a few minutes or a few times of meeting with them to break through their façade. Stay away from the sluggard, don’t listen to the song of the fool.
————————————
I find myself going often to the Book of Proverbs for one reason or another. A wonderful study in Proverbs is to find out what the book says about the four main types of individuals: the mocker/scorner, the simple, the wise, and the fool. This is a tremendous study. Another way to look at Proverbs is to read a chapter every day. You’ll have read through the book twelve times in a year, and will have gained insight into the Word of God. It will also help you gain understanding of why this world is in such sad shape. This morning I am going to borrow heavily from Bob Beasley’s book, “The Wisdom of Proverbs.”
“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.”
–Proverbs 26:13-16 (NIV)
“Sluggard”, I like that term. It is a word that the very sound of it suggests its meaning. Your mind can immediately conjure up the idea of a sluggard. Most likely in your life you have met a few.
“Derek Kidner says the sluggard of Proverbs is faithless (13), feckless (14), foodless (15), and foolish (16). He neglects his responsibilities to his family, work, and friends, and you can be certain he will neglect his larger spiritual duty to God. Let’s see how these verses describes the spiritual sluggard.
First, in verse 13, he is spiritually faithless. He won’t step out in faith to do anything. He always has an excuse. There may not really be a “lion in the road” but something is always standing between the sluggard and his duty.
Second, in verse 14, he is spiritually feckless, or irresponsible. A door never leaves its door jamb. In the same way, the sluggard’s life is going nowhere. He is without goals or the strategies for attaining those goals. He likes his soft bed, but can doze just as easily in a pew on Sunday morning.
Third, in verse 15, the sluggard is spiritually foodless. While he may know some Christian jargon, the deep things of Christ are avoided. He’s a spiritual baby, feeding on baby food and milk, not able to chew on the real meat of the Word. (Heb 5:13-14). Why? Because a deeper knowledge of God may convict him of his sloth and awaken him from his slumber.
Finally, in verse 16, the spiritual sluggard is foolish. He is puffed up with pride. He bluffs his way through life, not understanding that his superficiality is as plain to others as the nose on his face. Don’t join the spiritual sloth. Rather, flee from the sloth and join with those who, in humility and diligence, work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).”
The sluggard is a person who will avoid responsibilities. If they have a job, they will not have it long, and they will jump from one job to another. Or if they have the energy they will jump from one church to another to avoid hearing the truth from the Word of God. They are satisfied with their condition. Is there any wonder why we have so many “snowflakes” and “twinkies” among us? No, there may not be a lion in the road, but that is a good excuse to roll over in bed, or sit in the easy-chair. A sluggard’s mind also may entertain a world of imaginations. Why, if they were to go out and face the real world surely a lion would be there to tear them apart.
These people talk a good talk. But let me tell you, it’s all braggadocio. It goes back to the song of a fool. This people may try to hide their true character, but it only takes a few minutes or a few times of meeting with them to break through their façade. Stay away from the sluggard, don’t listen to the song of the fool.