The Wisdom of Diligence and the Folly of Laziness

The Bible is full of Hebrew wisdom that is meant to be practical and useful in our everyday life. It can teach us to live not only a good life, but more importantly, a godly life (Hindson & Yates, p.233). This paper will discuss the Hebrew teachings regarding wisdom and diligence in contrast to laziness and folly and how it is meant to be applied to our lives, not just studied or memorized (Hindson & Yates, p. 262).

First, we have to understand what each of these terms mean. Diligence could be looked at as a constant effort to accomplish what you have undertaken. In other words, it is a continuing to strive to reach a goal. Solomon has much to say about the end results of diligence verses laziness. In Proverbs 4:23 the Bible says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. Here we are being told that we must keep a watchful eye on our heart, to keep us from doing something that would dishonor Christ. We also see examples of this in the New Testament. 2 Peter 1:10 tells us that those that are diligent will be able to walk circumspectly and keep striving towards their duty to God. Solomon gives us an example to apply to our own lives when he compares the diligent person to the ant. The ant doesn’t need someone to motivate him, while the sluggard can’t find the motivation to get out of bed (Proverbs 26:14) (Hindson & Yates, p. 268).

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines laziness as the quality of being unwilling to work or use energy. Solomon teaches against this in the book of Proverbs. It states that a lazy person loves to sleep, waste time and will use any excuse to avoid work (Proverbs 18:9, 21:25). There are consequences for being lazy, such as debt and possibly poverty (Proverbs 12:24). A lazy person, because of his unwillingness to work, does not have a promising future. As a Christian, there isn’t room for a lazy spirit. We are all called to be diligent for the cause of Christ. We all have a talent or gift that is God...