“As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed” (Proverbs 26:14).
This is one of the more colorful of numerous colorful verses in the Book of Proverbs which rebukes the sin of laziness. Note a few of the others:
“The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns” (Proverbs 15:19).
“A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again” (Proverbs 19:24).
“The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor” (Proverbs 21:25).
“The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets” (Proverbs 22:13).
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: . . . How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? . . . Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 6:6,9,10,11).
“As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him” (Proverbs 10:26).
“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing” (Proverbs 20:4).
The writer of Proverbs had little sympathy for lazy people and their self-induced problems! It seems he continually devised new figures of speech with which to shame them into action. Indolence is a distressing characteristic in anyone, but it is inexcusable in a Christian. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire. . . . That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:10–12). HMM
