Proverbs 6:9-11, The Danger of Delay!
March 6, Proverbs 6:9-11
Rom. 13:10-14 “If any many will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Lk. 9:23).
The Danger of Delay!
The Shirker’s life is one of great daylight theft, unarmed robbery. Laziness abounds in our world. We define this as “inactivity arising from an indisposition to work.” The way may be there, but the will is lacking. “An idle man makes himself a target for the devil; and the devil is an uncommonly good shot” (CHS). There’s plenty of evidence to prove that an idle man’s heart is the devil’s nest, and his hands the devil’s tools. We can apply this to lazy Christians too. How many of us are idlers in the Lord’s Vineyard.
- A Relentless Request: How long sleep? When will you arise? (v.9) We are speaking here of a spiritual awaking, the complete reverse of what is pictured here. There must be an awaking and an arising if this Sleeper is to be saved. He must be made to see his danger, and that can be done only by the agency of the Holy Spirit applying the Gospel to his sin-blinded heart (Rom. 1:16). Thus only will he exchange idleness and indifference to concern for his own soul. As sleep is a state of forgetfulness and ignorance, the Spirit awakens him to his need of repentance, forgiveness, a genuine zeal for God (Eph. 5:14; Ph. 2:12), and to be a workman that need not be ashamed before the Lord at His coming (Heb. 11:16).
- A Reckless Response: Yet a little sleep (v.10)! Sleepy-idleness is to be condemned just as much as waking-idleness (vs.6-8). Those who have a mind to serve God have little mind or time to be always a-bed. God calls all of us to account for our time. It is a talent given in trust. Procrastination is a great, but all too common, evil. The Sleeper will not accept the necessity of honest labour. How long will be sleep if left alone? How long will be bury his talent? From time to time he quiets his conscience and promises to go to work – first thing tomorrow! He desires only a little more sleep, then he will get up and do his duty to himself, his family, and his God. Shirkers are generally not of much worth, not much wanted, nor of much use, except as warning beacons to others. Atheism has killed its thousands, but apathy its tens of thousands! Oh! what a reckless response is this!
- A Remediless Ruin (v.11): Unawakened by the Spirit of Grace, the sluggard’s work goes undone. “The more he indulges slothful habits, the more they control the mind and will.” Ruin must follow; left home-less here and heaven-less hereafter. His insistence on more sleep brings mental, fiscal, and spiritual ruin. He is a shirker because of his lifestyle, not because of infirmity. He is plain lazy. His ruin comes gradually as one that travelleth, not at a gallop, but slowly, silently, surely, step by step. “Idleness travels very slowly, and poverty soon overtakes her.” It comes as an armed man. “It will leave thee as naked as if thou wert stripped by a highwayman” (Bp. Patrick). The shirker misapplies our Lord’s work about taking no thought for the morrow if he thinks thereby to excuse his indolence. How long will you sleep, O Shirker, on your way to a remediless ruin?
Thought: “An idle life and a holy heart is a contradiction” (Thomas Brooks).
Prayer: Give me a faithful heart, likeness to Thine, Lord Jesus.