Not Nap Time

(Pro 23:21 KJV) For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

“Drowsiness” (5124) strikes home on me lately.  I always seem ready to fall asleep.  The root word of this term has to do with sleep and it literally means sleeping but the figurative implication is being lazy.  It is one of those chicken-and-egg questions about which comes first.  Are drunks inclined to laziness or are sluggards more open to drinking.  The danger being mentioned here is poverty.

This theme is not confined to the Bible.  One of the books I read during the virus lockdown was obtained from Project Gutenberg and titled “Thrift”.  It was published in the 19th century and one of the points he makes repeatedly is the role of alcohol in keeping the working classes poor.  The man who stopped to have a few pints on the way home continued to live in poverty.  The man who went straight home and started a savings account often ended up buying cottages to rent out to others.

So?  Walking with Jesus reaches into how we spend out money.  Pay attention.  It will make a difference in the long run.