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Proverbs 26:13-16 The SLOTHFUL {ʿāṣēl} man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. 14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the SLOTHFUL {ʿāṣēl} upon his bed. 15 The SLOTHFUL {ʿāṣēl} hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. 16 The SLUGGARD {ʿāṣēl} is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

Slothfulness Should not Be Found In A Child Of God

Word Study: In the King James text, the word SLOTHFUL or SLUGGARD (Hebrew ʿāṣēl, “a sluggard, one who is lazy) is found 14 times in the Book of Proverbs – and never in a good way. The word ʿāṣēl refers to the person who idles away the gift of life that God has given them. We aren’t talking about those who occasionally take a rest, for God established a Biblical Sabbath where we are to rest ourselves, and focus upon our Savior and Lord. Life is a gift from God: “GOD GIVES TO ALL LIFE, and BREATH, and ALL THINGS” (Acts 17:25). The soul of man is made by God. The Prophet Job wrote:

Job 33:4 The SPIRIT OF GOD HATH MADE ME, and the BREATH OF THE ALMIGHTY HATH GIVEN ME LIFE.

Our God is the One Who kills, and makes alive (Deuteronomy 32:39). He is “the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE” (Psalm 36:9). God does not give us life so that we can squander it. The man on his deathbed knows how precious every minute is. No man dies wanting one more dollar, one more acre, one more thing, one more social media follower, one more truck or car. The one on his deathbed wants one more minute of quality life, one more breath without pain and suffering, one more good day.

We realize how precious life is when we reach the end of our race. When we leave HERE, we go to Him Who made us. We will be judged for damnation, or be judged for what we did for Him before continuing His Presence forever (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

God never made us immune to work. When God put Adam in the perfect Garden of Eden, He gave him the command “Tend My garden, and guard it” (Genesis 2:15). Had Adam spent more time DOING what God said rather than JUDGING what God said, we would all still be in Paradise this very day.

Work is not only HONORABLE, but the worker who honors DOUBLE HONORED. “In all LABOR, there is PROFIT” (Proverbs 14:23). “Whatever you DO, DO IT HEARTILY, as TO THE LORD and not men” (Colossians 3:23). It amazes me that there are many who profess to be CHRISTIAN, but who never DO anything for the Lord. Jesus saved us so that we can DO, so that we can BE THE LIGHT.

Proverbs 26:13 The SLOTHFUL {ʿāṣēl} man saith, THERE IS A LION IN THE WAY; a lion is in the streets.

Some who profess Christ always have an excuse as to why they cannot leave their homes to serve the Lord. They have been told “Salvation is a free gift”. Yes, it is true that salvation is a free gift. The Bible says:

Romans 5:18 (NKJV) Therefore, as through one man’s offense [judgment came] to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act THE FREE GIFT CAME TO ALL MEN, RESULTING IN JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE.

Salvation is a FREE GIFT. That’s partially true. The full truth is that salvation is a free gift that results in a changed life. Once you are saved, you are changed from a sinner to a son of God. And sons of God WORK for God.

The Christian who will not work because “there is a lion in the way”, finding one reason or another to get out and serve the Lord, may not in fact be a Christian. Jesus made it very clear that the Christian is to be a worker for God. In His Parable of the Vine and Branches Jesus said:

John 15:5-6, 8 (NKJV) I am the Vine, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. He who abides in Me, and I in him, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; for WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned. … 8 BY THIS MY FATHER IS GLORIFIED, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT; so you will be My disciples.

You do not work to be saved – but once saved, you work for the Lord. You glorify God not with excuses (I can’t do it because there’s a lion in the street. I’m scared. It’s inconvenient). You glorify the Father by FRUIT.

Christian, you are saved to DO. You don’t have to do PERFECTLY, but you have to DO to glorify the One Who will judge you one day.

Preach!; Some Christians work hard at being excuse factories. They churn out one reason after another as to why they cannot serve the Lord – then wonder why God will not bless them. We’ve all seen them come and go. They join the “Church”, but have never joined the Kingdom. They are good “Baptists”, but not good “Children of God”.

Proverbs 26:14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the SLOTHFUL{ʿāṣēl}upon his bed.

The SLOTHFUL Christian will not get out of his bed, but expends his energy like a door hinge. Have you ever seen a SCREECHING DOOR HINGE? It makes a sound like eeeakkkkkerrrrrr, an annoying sound. The SLOTHFUL will toss to and fro on their bed or comfort, COMPLAINING about every little thing that they can, and yet never wanting to do anything constructive to fix it. “The soul of the SLUGGARD DESIRES, but HAS NOTHING – but the SOUL OF THE DILIGENT, the WORKER SHALL BE MADE FAT” (Proverbs 13:4). “The WAY OF THE SLOTHFUL is like a HEDGE OF THORNS: but the WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS is CLEAR” (Proverbs 15:19).

The slothful finds fault with every Church, but never joins in with the Kingdom Workers to improve the situation.

Rather than bail out a floundering ship, the slothful rest in the desk chairs, complaining. They toss a bucket overboard, and when full use their energy to its contents inside the ship.

Our Lord Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew 20, saying:

Matthew 20:1-2 For the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to HIRE LABORERS INTO HIS VINEYARD. 2 And when he had AGREED WITH THE LABORERS A PENNY A DAY, he sent them into his vineyard.

God calls His people to work. He calls some into His Kingdom early in the morning, at the beginning of their lives. He calls others at the third hour, at the sixth hour, at the ninth hour, at the eleventh hour. There are some saved later in life. There are a few, like the thief who died next to Jesus, who was called into the Kingdom on his deathbed. At the end of the parable Jesus said each worker got paid the same wage, regardless as to when they became workers for the Master. What is the point Jesus was making. Christians, if you are Christians, you will ALL GET THE SAME BLESSING OF HEAVEN. But here’s the other truth.

You ALL ARE WORKERS.
There is not a single person in the parable of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN who is not a WORKER FOR THE MASTER!

What about the eleventh hour workers? What about the thief who died next to Jesus on the Cross? What work did this reformed thief do? This thief defended Jesus against those who were mocking him, against the unrepentant thief who demanded that Jesus do something. Jesus was doing something. He was dying for our sins. The thief also publicly professed Jesus as his Lord and Savior, even in the midst of his suffering. And to this diligent man, this newly saved son of God, Jesus told him:

Luke 23:43 Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.

That thief entered at the eleventh hour, but receive the penny a day wage of eternity. But he worked. He didn’t complain.

Proverbs 26:15 The SLOTHFUL {ʿāṣēl} hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

There are many who profess Christ, but never feed themselves. They will not open the Book, nor bend the knee. They will not do the work, but want someone else to feed them.

What is the first thing the baby will do upon birth? It will cry for the touch of its mother, and make known a desire to be fed. The slothful person hides his hand in his bosom. He will not reach out feed himself. Even a baby, when its mother puts her breast to its mouth, will reach out and grab the breast and drink its mother’s milk. I’ve seen the healthy child feed, heard its sucking sounds as it fights to find nourishment. A dead child will not do that.

Neither will a dead soul.

There are many who say “I am a Christian”, but will not seek out the Word of God. After Jesus fed the 5000 Jews, He headed to Capernaum, where large crowds followed Him. Jesus told them:

John 6:26-27 (NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for THE FOOD WHICH ENDURES TO ETERNAL LIFE, which THE SON OF MAN WILL GIVE YOU, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.

The Bible tells us that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God (John 1:14), and the Bible is the written Word of God. Jesus told those at Capernaum “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). He took this illustration further, saying “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). Then Jesus shocked them all. He said:

John 6:53-58 (NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, YOU HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.

Why did Jesus use such a dramatic way to describe the child of God? Because, Beloved, if you do not hunger for the Word of God, if you do not believe Jesus has the words of life (John 6:68), THEN YOU ARE NOT SAVED.

Jesus said “If you’re not hungry for ME, if you’re not thirsty for ME, then you have NO LIFE IN YOU”. Salvation is a free gift that changes you. If you are saved, you are a son of God who wants more of Jesus every day.

Proverbs 26:16 The SLUGGARD{ʿāṣēl}is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

I am certain as I talked about the spiritual sluggard today, many who are in this state will pop up and angrily say “How dare you judge us?” I’m not judging you. The Christian is called to hunger and thirst for Jesus. The Christian is called to work for the Kingdom. The first work you do for the Lord is to believe on God:

John 6:29 THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, that ye BELIEVE ON HIM whom {the Father} hath sent

But that’s not the only work we do. Once saved, we are called to “seek FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Matthew 6:33). Light cannot be light without expending energy. We are told:

Colossians 1:10 …..to be FRUITFUL in EVERY GOOD WORK

Colossians 3:23-24 …. to SERVE THE LORD CHRIST

1 Corinthians 15:58 …. to BE STEADFAST … ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD

1 Corinthians 3:9 … we are LABORERS TOGETHER WITH GOD

And one of my favorite Scriptures, which is consider the Gospel in three verses:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Christian, God saved you to work with your mind toward eternity. Do not expect to rule and reign with Jesus THEN if you will not work with Him NOW (2 Timothy 2:12; Romans 8:17; Revelation 3:21).

What do we sing in our hymnals?

O land of rest, for thee I sigh!
When will the moment come
When I shall lay my armor by
And dwell in peace at home?
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
And we’ll be gathered home.

Or what about:

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping,
we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

I had a fellow write my website one day, saying, “You would get more followers and more likes if you stayed with grace. Your words will discourage the young Christian!” I did with the comment what it deserved – I gave it no answer, and trashed it. Beloved, I do not care if I get more “likes” or more “followers”. I just want to clearly present the Word of God. I can tell you for a certainty, our Lord Jesus expects us to DO.

The Christian Should DO The Right Thing

Proverbs 26:17 He that passeth by, and MEDDLETH WITH STRIFE NOT BELONGING TO HIM, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Opinions are great things. Everyone has them. But the Bible tells us, dear Christians, to stay in our lane. The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission back in 2016 saw fit to get involved with “The proposed construction of a mosque in New Jersey”. Our representatives filed a “Friend of the Court” brief supporting religious freedoms for Muslims, supporting the building of the mosque. As Americans we have First Amendment rights, including freedom of religion. But as Baptists we should not be involving ourselves in any worldly disputes or arguments that are divorced from the Scripture and the Gospel of Christ.

At that time ERLC President Russell Moore stated “The United States government should fight, and fight hard, against radical Islamic jihadism. But the government should not penalize law-abiding people, especially those who are American citizens, simply for holding their religious convictions, however consistent or inconsistent, true or false, those convictions are”. That may be true. But Jesus never asked His Church to do anything to advance the false gospel of any faith – period. When the Christian gets involved with something that is NOT his fight, it’s like grabbing a strange dog by the ears.

You’ll get bit!

As Baptists, we are to be focused on sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world. My commentary notes:

“Moses had to flee from Egypt because he got involved in a fight between two Israelites (Exodus 2:13-14). And King Josiah died unnecessarily because he tried to stop Pharaoh Neco from engaging the Babylonians in battle (2 Kings 23:29).”

I support the First Amendment rights of every American, even when they do and say things that are repugnant to me. But the Bible tells us “If it’s not YOUR dog, leave its ears alone!” Let the Muslims fight for their Mosque, and the Christians fight for their Church buildings. Though Muslims are not necessarily bad people, it is hard to ignore that in Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, the republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen Christians are massacred, kidnapped, churches are burned, and tens of thousands of Christians murdered and martyred by Muslims. Their holy book, the Quran, states:

“kill the idolaters wherever you find them and take them prisoners, and beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and observe Prayer and pay the Zakat, then leave their way free. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.”

Christians are considered idolaters by the Muslim. They do not kill us in this country because of the First Amendment – but in Muslim majority countries there is no First Amendment. Christians are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), but we need to leave the darkness alone (2 Corinthians 6:14). We as Christians have enough legitimate work to do without meddling in other religions affairs. The Apostle writes:

1 Peter 4:15-17 (NKJV) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a BUSYBODY IN OTHER PEOPLE’S MATTERS. 16 Yet if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time [has come] for JUDGMENT TO BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD; and if [it begins] with us first, what will [be] the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

We don’t need to go to court to defend the building of another religion’s house of worship. We need to be sharing the Gospel. Our Lord Jesus was careful to stay in His own business. Last Sunday we saw in Sunday School these verses:

Luke 12:13-15 (NKJV) Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “MAN, WHO MADE ME A JUDGE OR AN ARBITRATOR OVER YOU?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Jesus refused to get involved with the passing wild dog of a family dispute between brothers. But Jesus quickly turned that moment into a valid teaching point – “BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS”. Jesus stayed with the Gospel, with the Word of God. So when someone comes to you with a “passing dog” sort of thing, dear Christian ask yourself,

Does the Bible address this point?
Does this have anything to do with the Kingdom of God?
Will my answer draw someone closer to Jesus?

Let me quote another commentary:

“Even with Christian intentions many of us are too fond of meddling with strife not belonging to us. We constitute ourselves too readily judges of our neighbor’s conduct. Neutrality is often the plain dictate of prudence. Uncalled for interference seldom avails with the contending parties; while the well meaning mediator involves himself in the strife to his own mischief. Our blessed Master reads us a lesson of godly wisdom. He healed the contentions in his own family. But, when called to meddle with strife belonging not to him, he gave answer — “Who made me a judge or a divider over you?

Must we then ‘suffer sin upon our brother’? (Leviticus 19:17 .) Certainly not. But we should ponder carefully the most effectual mode of restraining his sin. Think of the special ‘blessing to the peace-makers.’ (Matthew 5:9 .) But the true peace-maker, while he deplores the strife, well knows, that interference in the moment of irritation will kindle rather than extinguish, the fire. Yet his self control is not indifference. He commits the matter to Him, whose wisdom he so greatly needs. He will seize the first moment for favorable remonstrance; “and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23 ).”