Weekly Devotional 6th of February, 2026
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 6th of February, 2026
Welcome to 2026, where we will continue looking at the book of Proverbs, picking up where we left off in 2025.
In this session, we will continue to look at Proverbs Chapter Six. After warning of the dangers of being a sluggard and using the ant as an example of avoiding it earlier in the chapter, Solomon continues his attack on those who won’t work.
So, at the risk of repeating ourselves, it may well be a good start to the New Year, after having a holiday break, to follow Solomon’s lead and consider this again.
Proverbs 6:9-11 – “How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest 11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond, And your need like an armed man.”
It is impossible to overlook Solomon’s disgust with lazy people. Whatever your age, you may hear the echo of parents speaking to their teenagers here. “How much longer are you going to lie in bed? Are you ever going to get up?” (verse 9)!
This theme recurs throughout the book of Proverbs. While we can laugh at it, we cannot escape Solomon’s view (which reflects God’s) that laziness is a serious problem. At least 14 chapters of Proverbs address idleness, either explicitly or implicitly, as a cause of poverty, the end result of the sluggard (see 20:13; 24:33–34).
Poverty and need are the lot of the lazy. The lack of discipline to work without coercion, or even to get out of bed, is a tell-tale symptom of a destructive character flaw. The danger that lies ahead if a strong work ethic is not taught and learned at a young age, is something to be avoided at all costs. As most of us have witnessed around us, this fate will creep up on the lazy and idle and overtake them unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
It is important to recognise, though, that Solomon offers constructive criticism here, not just rebuke. He issues an admonition to the sluggard before it is too late. His question, “How long?” in verse 9, presumes that the sluggard’s behaviour has continued for some time since the harvest began. We also see that the sluggard is accountable for his own behaviour, with a warning of the consequences. Using the harvest as an example, Solomon makes the point that the time for work is short and that every opportunity must be seized.
Another point to note is that the lazy are often NOT those with few desires. Instead, they often have many grand schemes they daydream about. But such daydreaming leads to exaggerated desires, which in turn lead to poverty because they are never realised (Proverbs 21:25–26). The sluggard ends up a beggar (Proverbs 20:4) and should not be a recipient of charity.
Deprivation, which in those days was mostly the scarcity of food, was (and still is) the result of sloth, tyranny, meanness, idle talk, carelessness, or love of luxury; not to mention natural disasters such as drought, disease, and pests.
The book of Proverbs does not mention poverty caused by natural disasters such as famine, as such talk does not serve its purpose. It concerns itself with lazy, disreputable people who go about with no visible means of support and are like parasites who exploit whatever people or opportunities they can.
To avoid such a situation, Solomon suggests that the person go with diligence and discipline and begin to find joy in their work. We should all help by setting a good example. Yet, sadly, many of us lack these qualities and skills in our own lives. For example, what are we teaching our children when we dishonestly take sick leave? Or when we are repeatedly late for work? Or when we boast about getting by, by doing as little as possible at our jobs or taking extended breaks? Or when we constantly criticise and demean our employers and supervisors?
Let’s give Solomon the last word on this.
“The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4 AMP).
God bless you.