The Sluggard
“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” (Proverbs 13:4 KJV)
Proverbs often makes comparisons between the “sluggard” and the “diligent.” According to Webster’s Dictionary a sluggard is “A person habitually lazy, idle and inactive…” The Hebrew word is rendered either sluggard or slothful – both terms are synonymous with idleness or laziness. A person who aspires to acquire certain things or wants to better themselves but does not do anything about those desires is a sluggard. He wants, but he cannot obtain because he will not do what needs done. Their desires are more what we would term today as, “wishful thinking.” With a person like this, the desire to achieve is not really there, because if it truly were there, he would rise up and do something about it.
The “diligent,” on the other hand, is the one who is willing to sacrifice and to work hard to achieve his desire. Diligence implies a mindset geared toward achievement. The diligent person works hard, perseveres, and endures any hardship required as they relentlessly pursue their goal in life. Their soul is “made fat” which, when used figuratively, means to be prosperous. The soul of the diligent prospers while the soul of the sluggard will be in want.
My grandmother, Charley Belle Stanley, had a saying she would invariably use whenever one of the grandkids would say, “I wish I had a _____…” She would say, “Hold out your hands. Now spit in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up the fastest!” This was her unique way of demonstrating that if you want to fulfill a wish, then you need to do something about it.
Read Matthew 25:14-30; Hebrews 6:10-12; 1 Peter 1:3-11