CHOICE WORDS FOR THE LAZY
Proverbs 26:12-16 NKJV
12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy man on his bed.
15 The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly.
When I was in Bible school, one of my instructors once asked the class, “Did you wear your shouting clothes this morning?” This was an old Pentecostal phrase that preachers would use to fire up the crowd. Believing we were about to get a hot message, we enthusiastically responded with yes. He smiled and said, “Well, take them off.” He then proceeded to handle some tougher subjects that the Bible addresses. For the God who loves us dearly, not every word from Him is affirming. Some words are correcting.
Our verses for today come from a very corrective proverb. Proverbs 26 deals with the fool, the lazy, the gossip, and the liar. This entire chapter will make you take off your “shouting clothes,” but the lessons are invaluable. The verses for today address the lazy person.
Someone wise in his own eyes believes that everything he is doing is right. These are people who are very difficult to correct because they have very valid reasons for all their actions. But their validity is not based on Scripture or even wise counsel from others. They are their own source of counsel.
The lazy person often falls into this category. Verse 16 says the lazy man is wise in his own eyes even when many wise people around him have a very different perspective. It’s so difficult to even help someone in this state. In their eyes they do not need to adjust. The proverbs state that a fool has a better chance of adjusting than this person.
The other characteristic of a lazy person is that they make excuses for their lack of effort. There’s a fierce lion in the streets. Really? So, there is no need to leave the house because a lion may get them. It sounds crazy, but excuses are rarely rational.
The lazy person spends a lot of time in bed. A door does not leave the hinges. It turns but goes nowhere. The lazy person is going nowhere except to rest more. And the lazy person is too lazy to even feed himself. Too tired. He puts his hand in the bowl but just can’t summon the energy to do anything else. But of course, he has a valid reason for his weariness, in his own eyes.
APPLICATION
This devotional's purpose was not to be a Debbie Downer on your day. It is to call attention to any areas of our lives that we have been unreceptive to counsel, making excuses, or not doing the necessary things that propel us forward spiritually as well as naturally. The fact that you are reading or listening to this devotional is a good sign that you are receptive and do want to move forward.
If you may have found yourself in these verses, the good news is that you have the capacity to change and move forward. We all want to make progress, not be like a door on its hinges—ever moving but not going anywhere.
PRAYER
Lord, reveal to me any area of my life where I have been lazy. Help me to receive Your wisdom and change.