HOW’S YOUR FIELD?
Proverbs 24: 30-34 NKJ
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
The author of the Proverbs was Solomon, who was considered the wisest man until Jesus showed up. Solomon is giving us a picture of what happens when we are not diligent to take care of what we have. Even though the picture is of a man with a field and a vineyard, we can still make application to our lives today.
The writer is observing the field and vineyard of a man who was lazy and lacking understanding. All the translations I referenced use lazy or slothful. But different words are used for understanding. That word is translated as lacking sense, common sense, wisdom, and, interestingly enough, heart. The idea is that the man had something of value in the field and vineyard but did not put enough into taking care of his property.
Due to laziness and lack of heart and understanding, the valuable field and vineyard were in a state of disrepair. Weeds and thorns covered the land, and the wall that would protect the property was broken down. We have no indication that the state of the land was due to a catastrophic event. The field and the vineyard were in a bad way due to neglect.
The observer took note of why this happened to the land. He saw the condition of the property and received instruction. Proverbs notes that wise people do not have to be punished or suffer bad consequences to learn. The wise can hear and observe and gain understanding. The understanding was that inactivity and lack of attention can cause poverty and scarcity. The writer is not advocating for lack of sleep, but the lack of diligence to work and to do caused the problem. And the problem is coming like a robber or an armed man. In other words, the unattended field will suffer loss and be dominated. The consequences are inevitable.
APPLICATION
Most of us do not own fields and vineyards in the physical sense. But we all have valuable assets. Our lives and families, marriages, careers, and our spiritual lives are valuable. We all know that if we do not take care of our physical bodies, we will eventually face the consequences. But the same can be said for all the other areas of our lives. From a spiritual standpoint, the scriptures say to those spiritual sleeping to awake and arise. And to walk with wisdom, making the most of the time because the days are evil. Things left alone do not improve. This ranges from fields to families, from vineyards to careers. And because of the age, this is not the time for sleeping but for being alert and diligent in all vital areas. We are not lazy, and we do not lack heart or understanding. We take care of what God has given to us.
PRAYER
Lord, show me any area that I need to give more attention to. I want to be a good manager of what You have given me.