LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Thursday 22nd May 2025
THE DANGER OF LAZINESS
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 26:1-16
The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. Proverbs 26:15-16
A lazy person is slow and idle. In the book of Proverbs, the fool is sometimes described as ‘lazy’ or ‘slothful’. They always choose the easy way out.
Buries his hand in the bowl. The lazy person is likened to a person who sits at a table to eat. Before him is a bowl of food. He puts out his hand to eat the food and keeps their hand buried in the food. This refers to a person who is presented with an opportunity. They take the first step towards the opportunity and get stuck with that first step.
Some people report what they have done at a certain point in time. After a year, they would still be where they were a year before. Year after year, they stay in the same place. Their hands are buried in the bowl.
Wearies him to bring it to his mouth. The passage explains why the lazy person keeps his hand buried in the bowl. The task of bringing the food from the bowl to his or her mouth is too tiresome for the lazy person. This is about people who do not follow through on their work with the mental rigour and physical action needed to make progress. They want someone else to dig their hands out and place the food in their mouths. When you give them an assignment, they will expect you to also perform the tasks.
Wiser in his own eyes. The sad thing about the lazy person is that he doesn’t recognise that he is lazy. By their own logic, they are hardworking and committed to their work. The passage says ‘seven men who can answer sensibly’ cannot convince the lazy man that he is lazy.
That is the reason why some people stay where they are and never make any progress. They blame everyone else but themselves for their failures.
Some individuals live their lives like the lazy man.
Some families live their lives like the lazy man.
Some companies live their lives like the lazy man.
Some nations live their lives like the lazy.
All of them are wise in their own eyes, never learning. Are you one of them?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, deliver me from all forms of laziness. Help me never to shy away from work that needs to be done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
