The lazy person buries a hand in the dish,
and will not even bring it back to the mouth.
Laziness brings on deep sleep;
an idle person will suffer hunger.
Proverbs 19:24

I have never been too tired (or too lazy) to eat. In fact, eating is one of the things that perks me up and keeps me moving. So, these two separate verses from Proverbs chapter 19 really make me take notice.

Can you imagine someone who is so lazy that they bury their hand in a dish full of food, and then won’t exert the effort to bring the delectable morsels back up to their mouth? For the author of Proverbs, that is the height of laziness. This is a description of the person who refuses to work (ie. labor productively.)

The other verse from Proverbs 19 is a commentary on laziness:

Laziness brings on deep sleep;           
an idle person will suffer hunger.
Proverbs 19:15

Financial author and radio commentator Dave Ramsey has often remarked that a person who refuses to work “has never equated work with eating.”

I eat because I like the taste of food. And I work partly because I like to eat.

Prayer

Dear God, let me rest when I need to, and work when what I have to do is productive for your Kingdom and for my well-being. Thanks for the work You give me (and the rewards), in Jesus’ name. Amen.