You sow, you reap!

Day 5

10:5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

The harvest theme continues, and again we are shocked that someone might sleep when the rest of the community is working hard. A wise son joins in, of course he does, it's the right thing to do. But the foolish son is called disgraceful. No doubt he will want the benefits later on but not the effort now; how the previous proverb speaks, lazy hands really do make a man poor.

How might this proverb reflect on church activities? The agricultural setting is helpful in thinking this through with everybody working for the common good. However our western culture praises individualism and this filters through into church life; how dare my pastor point out my sin, who does he think he is? Why does my Christian brother say that to me? He should keep his nose out! But the New Testament tells us we are part of a body. We need each other, so when we don't play our part whatever that part may be, we are the foolish son, we are disgraceful.

As we reflect over the last few posts we have a helpful introduction to the two ways laid out in the book of Proverbs. We might want to argue that life isn't as black and white like that. We might shout out in frustration life is grey sometimes. And in many ways the greyness is where we dwell, yet we constantly have these two competing voices crying out, lady Wisdom (Proverbs 2:20) calls aloud in the street as does woman Folly (9:13) who will we listen to. Don't settle for anything less than lady Wisdom. Life is often grey but let’s not settle for that.

Rise and shine.

Day 4

10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

There can be many reasons for poverty, just as there can be many reasons for wealth not all within the control of the person. The contrast here highlights the rightness of work. Just as a mark of our wise son is diligence in work so a mark of a foolish son is laziness in life, he has no one to blame but himself. The setting was in an agricultural society and in that setting it is really quite clear that if you are lazy at planting time or weeding or if stray or wild animals can get in, you will grow poor and hungry because something else is eating your crops! However, in our day our lazy son might win the lottery or he might inherit money whereas our wise son's field might be overgrown and overrun because he's gone away on mission, or he might be ill, maybe he’s busy serving the poor; the proverb has it's limitations as all proverbs do. So whilst in life and in work it may often be true, laziness in spiritual matters brings poverty every time, and diligence in spiritual things brings great wealth that cannot be measured in monetary terms.

Perhaps your walk with the Lord is lacking and you are looking for something to blame or someone to blame yet the responsibility ultimately lies with you to work out your salvation, to apply yourself diligently to wisdom.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.