The Hater of Work

(Proverbs 19:24 KJV)  A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

“Slothfull” (6102).  “Sluggard” (NASB).  Lazy (CEV).  These are not pleasant epithets.  The Bible in Basic English gives us the heart of the matter:  “The hater of work.” 

This can be healthy.  Most inventions were inspired by the desire to get more done with less effort.  That kind of creativity is not trying to avoid effort but to make it more productive.  It is at the heart of modern free enterprise economics. 

This can also be crippling.  To avoid all work because we don’t want to work is what leads to hunger and poverty.  Sure, oppression and greed exist but it is the desire of something for nothing that is at the heart of theft and deceit.  God gives us salvation because we cannot earn it.  He expects obedience because we must live righteous lives.  My parents fed me when I was an infant.  Then we moved to the place where I fed myself.  Then I began to help in the preparation and clean up.  Then I began to feed my children.

So?  Sloth by any fancy name is laziness.  It is not acceptable.