Consider the Ant

We are well into the third week of summer break, and while I do hope that many of you sleep-deprived students have caught up on some much needed rest, I also hope that you are not wasting your summer by being lazy.

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 6:6-11

The book of Proverbs speaks loudly to sluggards. The word sluggard conjures up an unattractive picture of an unfruitful person. A sluggard is idle and slothful. Of course, slothful is a great word in its own right, an adjective describing one who is “disinclined to work or exertion.” This is a person who is “work-shy,” lazy, or indolent.

Here is a grocery list from Proverbs on characteristics of the lazy:

Sluggards love sleep. You can see that in the above passage. The rhetorical question in verse nine suggests that the lazy love to lay in bed (see also 20:13; 26:14).

Sluggards make excuses. Whether it is being so tired that they just “need a little nap” (v.10) or making up something ridiculous to get out of work (22:13), it is ironic that the lazy will do more work just to get out of work.

Sluggards are starters, not finishers. 12:27 pictures the man who has caught his dinner, but who is too lazy to cook it. 26:15 describes an even more ludicrous scene: a man sitting at the table with the dinner prepared but who is worn out to bring the food to his mouth.

Sluggards are self-seeking. This is seen by way of contrast with the righteous in 21:25-26. The lazy want what they want when they want it without doing any work for it.

Sluggards are short-sighted. This is the purpose for the ant analogy in 6:6-8. The lazy apparently have brains smaller than ants (or at least brains that are no smarter) and are unable to grasp the big picture.

Sluggards need supervision. Again, even ants don’t need someone constantly watching over their shoulder (6:7-8).

Sluggards will suffer. This is the constant theme of wisdom (6:11; 19:15; 20:4). No work equals no good, no food, and no satisfaction. Perhaps we could rework an old English proverb and say, “Sleep never pays.”

As you enjoy your summer break, don’t forget to consider the ant!