Posted by Jeff Short on October 5, 2016 · 1 Comment
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
– Proverbs 6:11
This section on the folly of sloth ends with the consequences of sloth and sleep. Solomon uses two figures to illustrate. There is variance as to the precise meaning of the two terms, but the lesson is obvious enough. The highwayman and the armed man come on suddenly and rob completely. Indulging sloth and ease causes one to awake one day to loss and waste. Solomon elsewhere warns that neglect of work leads to ruin (Ecclesiastes 10:18). From one perspective, the house doesn’t drop through at once but slowly over time. But the sluggard sleeps and loses time so that the roof cave-in seems sudden.
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Posted by Jeff Short on October 4, 2016 · 1 Comment
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
– Proverbs 6:10
This is the refrain of the sluggard hinged to his bed. He always needs a little more sleep, a little more rest. This is a part of his putting off his work until a more convenient time. The sluggard is always awaiting the perfect conditions to work. Solomon reinforces in Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 that we are rarely have ideal conditions to work in. We must accomplish something and we don’t have all the time we would like. We don’t have the perfect tools. We don’t have the best weather and so on. Wisdom knows that we must work while it is today and if we await ideal conditions, we will go hungry (Proverbs 20:4; Ecclesiastes 11:4).
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Posted by Jeff Short on October 3, 2016 · Leave a Comment
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
– Proverbs 6:9
Verses 9-11 press the application from the ant lessons. Solomon gives an aggressive rebuke to arouse the slothful sleeper. The sluggard loves sleep, rest, comfort, and ease. Solomon says he is hinged to his bed like a door to a frame (Proverbs 26:14). There is a proper time for rest and sleep, but also for work. The slothful always have a reason (Proverbs 26:16), but the point is that it is time they should be up and at work. The implication of the passage is that the sluggard is slow to start and that is one of the marks of sloth in Proverbs.
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Posted by Jeff Short on October 2, 2016 · 1 Comment
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
– Proverbs 6:8
Without an overseer, the ant works diligently in the appropriate season and has food in the later season. The ant does not delay or put off work until another time. Working urgently and diligently now yields good fruit later. Contrariwise, the sluggard accomplishes little to nothing on his own, doesn’t plan ahead, and doesn’t have what we call a hard work ethic. Likewise, the sluggard will have little to gather in the harvest.
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Posted by Jeff Short on October 1, 2016 · 1 Comment
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
– Proverbs 6:7
Solomon’s point is not that the ants have no sort of organized or cooperative effort, but that the individual ant is not driven by a supervisor or taskmaster. In other words, the ant is self-motivated and does not need the overbearing presence of an overseer in order to work diligently. Often the young man does not accurately assess his slothfulness because perhaps he works hard when a parent, teacher, or coach is over them driving them forward. We are to learn wisdom from the ant and the ant has no such oversight.
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Posted by Jeff Short on September 30, 2016 · 1 Comment
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
– Proverbs 6:6
Verses 6-11 warn against the folly of slothfulness, or laziness. Laziness was warned against in the previous section concerning delivering yourself from surety and here is addressed more bluntly. Sloth is addressed frequently in Proverbs and is always pitted against wisdom. Sluggard means a sluggish or lazy person. Verses 6-8 instruct the sluggard to consider the lowly ant as an example and a reproof. A few characteristics of the ant are considered, such as diligence, unwearied and persistent effort. The point here is not to humanize ants but the fact they aren’t human supplies a reproof. They do not have the capacity for wisdom a human has, and so when they act more wisely than a human does, it is a thorough rebuke. The ant is not only good for rebuke, but also instruction in wisdom and that is why the wise teacher directs attention there. In fact, it is a mark of wisdom to be able to learn from many different places and the things around you.
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Posted by Jeff Short on September 29, 2016 · 1 Comment
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
– Proverbs 6:5
Solomon uses two images to finish off this warning. A roe is something like a gazelle, though the exact animal is not known to us today. A bird could be any such animal subject to trapping. The point in both cases is that when they are trapped, they give all their attention and energy to escaping. This reinforces the urgency necessary when becoming ensnared is such a foolish obligation. Solomon exhorts to focus all your time and effort on getting out of the trap you’re in.
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Posted by Jeff Short on September 28, 2016 · 1 Comment
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
– Proverbs 6:4
The point Solomon presses is urgency in freeing oneself from so unwise and potentially disastrous of a decision. The urgency throughout this section of verses reflects the serious nature of the problem. The point is to take it seriously and not casually and to do all that can be done in honesty to get out of the obligation, including humbling yourself extremely.
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Posted by Jeff Short on September 27, 2016 · 1 Comment
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
– Proverbs 6:3
Solomon employs the language of urgency and immediate action. If you have found yourself in this situation, get out of it as soon as possible. Deliver means to tear away and answers to the image of being ensnared in the previous verse. Humble has the thought of trample. It is a picture of lying down on the ground and being walked on. The point is to humble yourself to whatever extent necessary. To make sure means to urge and implies strenuously. Solomon does not advise trickery or deceit, but he does implore to lower yourself however far necessary and to pursue urgently the release from your hasty suretyship.
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Proverbs 6:11
Posted by Jeff Short on October 5, 2016 · 1 Comment
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
This section on the folly of sloth ends with the consequences of sloth and sleep. Solomon uses two figures to illustrate. There is variance as to the precise meaning of the two terms, but the lesson is obvious enough. The highwayman and the armed man come on suddenly and rob completely. Indulging sloth and ease causes one to awake one day to loss and waste. Solomon elsewhere warns that neglect of work leads to ruin (Ecclesiastes 10:18). From one perspective, the house doesn’t drop through at once but slowly over time. But the sluggard sleeps and loses time so that the roof cave-in seems sudden.– Proverbs 6:11
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