Proverbs 18:9 – “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.” NKJV

Proverbs 18:9 – “A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things.”  NLT

The Bible has much to say about Laziness and frankly, I have not heard anyone mention it from the pulpit in decades.  In 2 Thessalonians 3:10 the apostle Paul made a declaration that would have certainly drawn the ire of today’s modernist and politically correct crowd saying:  “…if anyone is will not work, neither shall he eat.”  That would not go over very well in a society that wants to please, tolerate and excuse bad behavior.  Churches that seek to please people would run from that as though it were the plague, but it is biblical.

There are numerous passages in scripture that refer to laziness and how God views that character trait.  Let me list a few of them:

Proverbs 13:4 – “The soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”

Colossians 3:23 – “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord and not to me…”

Proverbs 10:4 – “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he had denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Proverbs 20:13 – “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and you will have plenty of bread.”

Proverbs 12:24 – “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 – “For we hear that some among in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.  Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly.”

Proverbs 14:23 – “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

James 4:17 – “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through Him.”

This is not an exhaustive list of verses regarding work and laziness but enough to demonstrate that Idleness and Laziness are not quality character traits and should Never be rewarded, justified, or excused. 

We live in a world that has poverty and lack and when we can help those less fortunate than ourselves, we should do so.  However, there is one caveat if they are Lazy then we Should Not Help Them!  You may think me calloused and uncaring, but I care very deeply and know that if we allow a person to continue on a destructive path without intervention, we are harming them and become complicit in their destruction.  We should seek to rescue the perishing not help them perish.

It is no wonder that the Bible tells in Proverbs 22:6 to “train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  If we fail to discipline and refuse to tolerate laziness in our children, they will become non-productive members of society.  Every person should be expected to Work where possible and when possible and if a person demonstrates Laziness, we should allow them to experience the pain of laziness.  That, to me, is a greater demonstration of love than enabling them to continue in that destructiveness.

God bless you as you go through this day!