Proverbs 23 - 24

Work

Proverbs 24: 30-34

I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson:
A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.


We must work and tend to our business in our natural life or we shall be lacking in material goods.  Even in this age of government largess, those who strive for a better education, those who perfect their trade, and amass knowledge and experience, position themselves to do well in the workforce and financially.

Notice that the one walking sees three conditions of the vineyard:
1. Overgrown with nettles - These are invasive shrubs that have fine hair-like structures that irritate and sting.  Where the vineyard was intended to produce grapes for wine making, it now produces plants that are an irritant.
2. Covered with weeds - Unwanted plants that make the vineyard unsightly and diminish it capabilities in producing fruitful plants.
3. Broken down walls - This allows animals and humans to trod on and tear down the grape vines.

When ruminating on the pathetic condition of the vineyard the walker speaks of three causes:
1. Little extra sleep - while the lazy person slept, the nettles gained a foothold.
2. Little more slumber - while the lazy person slumbered, the weeds increased.
3. Little more folding of the hands to rest - while doing nothing the walls crumble exposing the vineyard.

While this is tragic in the natural sense, it is even more tragic in the spiritual sense.  We have the vineyard of our spiritual life for which we are responsible.  Our wasting of time when we should be reading the Bible, or praying, or attending church turns our vineyard into nettles. Instead of producing fruit and wine we produce stickers and toxins.  Our hebetude allows the weeds of sin to spring up and choke out any chance for spiritual growth.  We become unsightly in God's and our fellow believer's eyes.  A well tended vineyard is a place of beauty and life, producing fruit to be used to create wine, but when nettles and weeds choke out that life our vineyard is repulsive and good only for burning and starting over.

Finally, we rest our hands - symbolic of the good that we can do: witness, visit the sick, uplift the downtrodden, be a help to others, financially support the church, etc.  Instead, while we rest, the walls of protection, i.e. our faith, our confession, our rebuking of the devil, crumbles and every evil spirit comes waltzing in to destroy our vineyard.

Let us wake from our sleep, shake off the slumber, and put our hands to work for the Lord.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.