Well, you can turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 6. Proverbs 6, we're looking at themes from the book of Proverbs, and tonight we're going to look at diligence. I want to read Proverbs 6, 6 to 11, and then we'll look at Proverbs 26, 13 to 16. Beginning in Proverbs 6, at verse 6, "'Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler and your need like an armed man. And then in Proverbs 26, verses 13 to 16. Proverbs 26, 13, the lazy man says, there is a lion in the road. A fierce lion is in the streets. As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed. 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. Amen. Well, let us pray and then we'll look in detail at this theme of diligence. Father, thank you for the Proverbs, thank you for this guide to practical wisdom. We know ultimately we need the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to internalize these things. Grant us His presence now, grant us grace, Lord God, to receive with joyful hearts the written word of the living God. May we make much of your word, not only in our church, but in our daily lives and as families. We know that your word is truth, and we pray that you would sanctify us by it. Again, forgive us now for our sins, our transgressions, and help us to bring glory and praise and honor to you in all that we do think and say. And we ask this through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Well, the Proverbs has much to say concerning this idea of diligence. There are three extended sections on diligence. We've read two of them, chapter 6, verses 6 to 11, and then chapter 24, verses 30 to 34, and then chapter 26, verses 13 to 16. And then there are several other sort of isolated sayings that speak to this particular theme of diligence as well. I would argue that the concept is rooted in the Eighth Commandment. The Eighth Commandment obviously tells us, you shall not steal. The Westminster larger catechism commenting on what is required and what is forbidden. In terms of what is forbidden with reference to the Eighth Commandment, it says, unlawful callings and all other unjust or sinful ways of taking or withholding from our neighbor what belongs to him. And the eighth commandment, again, according to the larger catechism, 142, requires a lawful calling and diligence in it. As well, the fourth commandment speaks to this issue of diligence. Now, the command specifically with reference to the fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. And then it's assumed, it's presupposed, it's already known that for six days you shall labor and do all your work. Thomas Watson comments on the fourth commandment in his book, The Ten Commandments. He says, God would not have any live out of a calling. Religion gives no warrant for idleness. It is a duty to labor six days as well as keep a holy rest on the seventh day. So we see that what drives Solomon's concern with reference to diligence. Well, it's the Decalogue, it's the law of God, and we are to image God. Remember that Jesus said, my father has been working even until now. We look at the life and the ministry of our Lord Jesus, and certainly we could describe it as a life of diligence, hard work, faithfulness, integrity, all those things combined argue for us to do likewise. Well, I want to look at these two passages that I read, and as I said, we'll allude to some others along the way. But note first the diligence of the ant in chapter 6, verses 6 to 11. We see the diligence of the ant stated in verses 6 to 8, and then the condemnation of the sluggard in verses 9 to 11. Now note verse 6, go to the ant, you sluggard. There's three. particular verbs here. You're to go to the end, you're to consider the ways, and you are to be wise. Now this is consistent with what we know about Solomon. In 1 Kings chapter 4, it's sort of celebrating the wisdom of Solomon, and it tells us there that he was very familiar with the natural sciences. He was a student not only of God in terms of divine things and redemptive things, but he was also a student of God in terms of natural revelation. or general revelation, or the created order. He knew things about botany. He knew things about animals. He knew things about creeping things. So it ought not to surprise us that Solomon tells us, or tells the sluggard, to go to the ant and learn something concerning your own life. As well, the greater than solemn and used creation also. Remember in Matthew 6, when Jesus is cautioning his disciples against a carnal anxiety, he points them to the birds of the air, he points them to the lilies of the field. Later on in chapter 10, he points them again to the sparrow. So the Lord Jesus Christ, like Solomon, uses things within creation to illustrate things that the people of God need to hear and need to understand. So the sluggard is told to go to the inn. The sluggard as well is called, or told rather, to consider her ways. Waltke says in both 30, 25, chapter 30, that section in verse 25, there are four things which are small on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise. And the ants find themselves in that passage. So he says in both 30, 25, and here, the ants' ways essentially teach self-discipline, foresight, and industry. More specifically, prudent industry. In other words, Sluggard, look at the ant. The ant doesn't sleep all the time. The ant isn't constantly laying on the couch. The ant is actually engaged in industry. The ant knows that if the ant doesn't gather its food, the ant's gonna die. There's one of those passages later on that says, with reference to a man who labors, he labors for himself because his hungry mouth drives him on. In other words, when you're hungry, there is a great impetus for you to get up off the couch or get up off the bed and find a job. And that's what Solomon wants from the sluggard. Go to the ant, consider her ways, and be wise. Now, some would say, well, I'm much smarter than an ant. Why would you insult me like that? Genuinely or truly wise people fetch out lessons wherever they can find them. We see it in the ant, we see it in the locust, we see it in either the spider or lizard, however one ends that list of the four exceedingly small, and we see it in the conies or the rock badger. Wherever we find wisdom, we ought to take it in. This is God's world. It is comprehensive, it is connected, and it all testifies ultimately to the glory of our God. So the slugger is told to go to the ant, consider her ways, and be wise. Now note the argument in terms of its description, which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. The ant does what the ant does without a great deal of hierarchical direction. In other words, we might say the aunt works well with little to no supervision. The aunt doesn't need somebody consistently cracking the whip because the aunt knows that if the aunt doesn't gather food, then the aunt is going to die. She doesn't have all of these upper sort of levels or supervisors or managers that drive her on. Rather, it is intuitive. It is something innate. It is something that she knows as a settled truth that she must go from the comfort of her den and find food and store it up for the winter. That's what's highlighted there in verse 8. She provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. Turn for just a moment to Proverbs chapter 30 to see this aspect of the wisdom of the Anne. Proverbs chapter 30, beginning in verse 24, there are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise. The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer. The rock badgers or the conies are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags. The locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks. The locust shares that in common with the ant, as we see in Proverbs 6. And then verse 28, the spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in king's palaces. Some translations might have lizard. Lizard is found in the New King James margin there. a quandary in terms of whether it's spider or it's a lizard. But note the contrast between this list of the four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise, and then the next list in verse 29. There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes, four which are stately in walk. A lion which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any. A greyhound, a male goat also, and a king whose troops are with him. Now, there is a marked contrast between the ant and the lion. Everybody, based on just the basic amount of observation, would be able to divine that, right? You see a big difference between the lion and the ant. Well, that big difference affects how they live, how they gather food, how they hunt, how they do the sorts of things that they do. The ant does not have the stateliness or the majesty of a lion, who, if the lion is hungry, actually sends out his wife to get food. I mean, that's quite the deal, isn't it? It's the female lions that actually hunt, and they bring back the kill to the man. I just can't imagine that kind of a situation. It's quite beautiful, actually. I'm just kidding. But you see the difference. If the lion is hungry, the lion goes, he kills, and he eats. There is no necessity for the lion to engage in the type of ant-like diligence to prepare its food in the harvest or in the summertime so that it has resources available in the winter. If it's hungry in the winter, it will go out and kill. The ant does not have that ability. So if the ant doesn't make hay while the sun shines, the ant is going to starve to death. So the ant provides for us a wonderful illustration of this situation of diligence. Now back to Proverbs chapter 6, we see not only the diligence of the ant, but then the condemnation of the sluggard in verses 9 to 11. He tells the slugger to go to the ant, consider her ways, be wise. He highlights what is particular about the ant that this slugger ought to internalize. And now he comes to condemn the slugger in verses 9 to 11. How long will you slumber, O slugger? When will you arise from your sleep? Now, this is a condemnation pronounced against the slugger for too much sleep. Now, sleep, in and of itself, is a blessing given by God. So it's a blessing, it's a gift. It is something absolutely requisite for creatures. If we don't sleep, we will ultimately die. That is something that is a settled observation. We must sleep. But if we sleep too much, that doesn't mean you can't sleep in on Saturday. It doesn't mean that you can't ever take a nap. It doesn't mean that you can't try to catch up once in a while. But if the overarching theme of your life is your bed, then most likely you've got big problems. So Solomon is not condemning the gift of God, which is sleep. Solomon is condemning the sluggard who takes the gift of God and abuses it, who takes the gift of God and misuses it, who takes the gift of God and does not use it in the way that God has determined. So Solomon isn't anti-sleep. Solomon is anti-sluggards doing nothing but sleeping. Now, verse 10 may either be further commentary by the wise man, or it may be the response of the sluggard himself. So, verse 9, how long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? Now, if this is the response of the sluggard, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. In other words, I am going to engage in this because it's something that I need. I am going to do this because it's something that I desire. I am going to continue in this pattern because after all, sleep is given to me by God. Or if it's just further commentary by Solomon, this is what this man's life consists in. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. Now note the warning that comes upon the sluggard in verse 11. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man." Now, we need to understand something about the Book of Proverbs. The language used with reference to those who are starving in the Book of Proverbs isn't the language used elsewhere concerning those who are poor by, you know, no choice of their own. In other words, Proverbs is not calling out those who have fallen on tough times. Proverbs is not upbraiding or indicting those who have had misfortune in their life. Proverbs is not addressing the same sort of concerns that we find in the book of Job. Job is a book committed to or about those who suffer natural disaster, what we call natural disaster. They suffer deprivation. They suffer a whole host of things. But in the book of Proverbs, those who suffer essentially suffer by their own hand. Dr. Waltke says significantly the adjectives poor and oppressed are never used of the lazy person, even in his end state. In other words, those words that are oftentimes applied to the poor outside of the book of Proverbs. He says these words for the poor are used primarily of those who are poor by virtue of circumstances beyond their control. They are a special concern to the Lord. In other words, we ought to make sure that we understand that. God's not coming to you if you've lost your job, and God's not coming to you if you have contracted an illness and you cannot work, and yelling at you and upbraiding you. No, there's a great big difference between somebody who suffers under circumstances outside of their control versus a man who loves sleep. That should be obvious, isn't it? I just feel like it's necessary to qualify that so that we don't have this idea that God is anti-poverty in the sense that He's going to yell at you if you're not the brightest bulb and you're not making the most... No, no, no, that's not what's in view here. Again, Waltke goes on, deprivation such as the scarcity of food in Proverbs is due to folly, to sloth, tyranny, meanness, idle talk, carelessness, or love of luxury. That's what's being condemned by Solomon. He goes on to say not to natural disasters such as drought, diseases, and pests. In other words, it would not be wise for somebody, a preacher, in the midst of a devastated community via hurricane, to start yelling at the people for being sluggards because they're hungry. No, that's not what the point is in passages like these. But note what Solomon says comes upon the sluggards. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man." Now let's look at other passages which illustrate this for us. Notice in Proverbs 10. Proverbs 10, verses 4 and 5. He who has a slack hand becomes poor. It's pretty obvious, isn't it? These things shouldn't go, wow, I can't believe Solomon. This is what we learned from the ant. If the ant is slack, it's going to be poor. If the ant is lazy, it's going to die. If the ant doesn't prepare her food in the summer, in the harvest, then when the winter comes, she'll be devastated. These are sort of no-brainers, we might suggest, and yet no-brainers that really need to be published abroad. He says, he who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son. He who sleeps and harvest is a son who causes shame. Notice in Proverbs 12, 11. Proverbs 12, 11, he who tills his land will be satisfied with bread. You see that? There is a cause and effect sort of relationship in God's moral universe. For the most part, when you till your land, you will be satisfied with bread. Again, there can be a locust plague. There can be a hurricane. There can be some other sort of natural disaster. There can be some other sort of devastation. But for the most part, when we till the land, we get to eat. But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. Notice in Proverbs 13, 4, the soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. Proverbs 14, verse 23. Proverbs 14, 23, in all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty. See that? In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty. There was a story recently, I think it was on one of the news sites. It was about a man, apparently he was on a TV show back in the 80s. So he had some degree of fame and notoriety and probably money, whatever was going on then in the 80s. And somebody recently saw him bagging groceries at a retail store called Trader Joe's. And these two ladies just thought this was hilarious. I mean, here was this guy that had reached the apex of his life in terms of being a TV star. And now he's bagging groceries at Trader Joe's. Well, the response to that story was very encouraging, because 9 out of 10 people said, it's honest work. It's good work. It's not a bad thing. In all labor, there is profit. I remember one of the comments that somebody said, my father used to say, I often try to glean that sort of thing because my father didn't always have the best advice for me. I've used Mr. Lawson's father before and others. But this guy said, my father used to say, a little bit of money an hour is a whole lot better than no money an hour. And I would say, absolutely, positively, amen. I mean, to mock a guy who's gainfully employed because it's not a position of prestige, that is contrary to God's Word. In all labor, there is profit. Now, we would obviously qualify that. In all legitimate labor, prostitution is probably not, well, it's not envisioned here, or drug manufacturing and trafficking. In all lawful labor, there is profit. Idle chatter leads only to poverty. And then notice in Proverbs 19 at verse 15. Proverbs 19 at verse 15. Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger. And all of these things are pretty obvious and pretty apparent. And yet at times, it seems that people have a difficulty getting their minds wrapped around it. Proverbs 20 at verse 4, the lazy man will not plow because of winter. He will beg during harvest and have nothing. Proverbs 20 at verse 13, do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty. Open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread. I don't know that that means wake up in the morning and go eat your cornflakes. I think the idea is open your eyes and you'll be satisfied with bread when you go out and you work for it. It's not speaking to one particular breakfast, but it's speaking to every breakfast. Open your eyes, get out of bed, shower, drag a comb through your hair, and go work. And then you will be satisfied with bread. It's not one meal that's in view, it's every meal. And I think that this is the emphasis throughout the book of Proverbs. Now, notice in Proverbs 20, 24, that was the other extended section that I did not read because of the similarities with what we have here in chapter 6. Let's look at Proverbs 24, 33. Proverbs 24, 33, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. So show your poverty come like a prowler and your need like an armed man. That's the same warning that we have there in Proverbs 6. Now let's look at the beginning section because Solomon received this by way of an illustration or by way of observation. Verse 30, I went by the field of the lazy man and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding. And there it was. all overgrown with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles. Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well. I looked on it, and I received instruction." So he's wandering about. He sees the field of a lazy man. And that field, in its overgrown state, in its tattered state, in its ignored state, is able to preach to Solomon the very same lesson that the ant preached as well. So that's the diligence of the ant. Now notice in chapter 26, we essentially have the description of a lazy man. We have the description of a lazy man in chapter 23, verses 13 to 16. There are four things here that describe the lazy man. First, the lazy man makes excuses. Notice in verse 13, the lazy man says, there is a lion in the road, a fierce lion is in the streets. Go back to 22 verse 13, you see that as well. The lazy man says that there is a lion outside, I shall be slain in the streets. Now, most likely that's his response to the person who tells him to go out and work. I don't think it's just this general overarching concern that big cats are roaming the city. It's most likely his response to somebody who has told him, go to work. In other words, get up, get dressed, and go out there. But I don't want to go out there because there's lions in the street. And if there's lions in the street and I go out there, then I'm going to get mowed down by the lions in the street. And because God created me in his image and I have a certain degree of appreciation for the image of God, I want to preserve myself, so I'm not going to go out into the streets where all those lions are. Now, this is as outlandish an illustration or a reason or an excuse for us today as it would have been back then. It wasn't the case that on the streets, with reference to the cities of Israel, lions just roamed about. It wasn't the case that lions hung out in the city square. It wasn't the case that you had to step over lions when you were walking to your car in the morning. If it's outlandish today, it was outlandish then. John Gill makes this observation. He says, "...and which shows the folly and the weakness of his excuses, since lions do not usually walk in cities, towns and villages, and in the streets of them, but in woods and mountains." So you see that? The picture that Solomon presents here is absurd, and it is comical, but it's oh so true, isn't it? This excuse-making. I can't go to look for a job today because, you know, it's Thursday, or it's Wednesday, or it's Friday. You know, nothing gets done then. I should wait till Monday, and then Monday comes around, and oh my, my Achilles or my knee or my back. It's hurting in such a way that if I go out, I might stumble and fall. Again, there might be an Achilles, there might be a knee, there might be a back. Go see a doctor and then go find a job. You see, that's a problem, excuse making. Don't let your kids develop that early on. Oh, I can't clean my room, because I think a bat flew in there. I can't clean my room, because there might be some poisonous spider under my bed. Don't let them do that. Give them a flashlight, a broom, and tell them to fetch that poisonous spider out of there. I'm just kidding. Don't do that. The next kid, some kid's gonna get bit by a poison spider and I'll be sued. But you see the excuse-making. The lazy man says, there is a lion in the road. A fierce lion is in the streets. This is excuse-making. Notice secondly, the lazy man loves, he loves sleep. We already see that in Proverbs 6. Now again, I think we all probably love sleep. It was George Bernard Shaw. At least the quote is attributed to him. There's some doubt that he said it exactly this way. But he said that youth is wasted on the young. I'd argue, secondly, that naps are wasted on the young. I mean, as you get older, naps become precious, don't they? Young people don't like naps. Old people crave naps. It's a great disparity there. So it's not wrong to appreciate the gift of God in terms of sleep. It's wrong to imitate a door. It's wrong to be like a door on its hinges that only has one movement. It's wrong when your only movement is to go from your right side to your left side. So there is a comparison made between the sluggard on his bed and the door on its hinges. It's a range of motion sort of a thing. But I think we ought to observe at least a contrast, or at least an implied contrast. The door on its hinges that has that limited range of motion is at least accomplishing something purposeful. The sluggard on his bed that goes from side A to side B, from side B to side A, in imitation of the door, is not like the door in the sense that the door is actually serving a purpose in God's created order. You see, the sluggard loves sleep. We can love it as long as we don't abuse it. Notice, thirdly, the lazy man will not eat. Now, that sounds a bit bizarre, but I don't know how better to describe verse 15. The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, and it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. Look at 1227. We try to shed some light on this. Again, it's a bit of a... of a caricature, isn't it? I mean, you reach your hand into the bowl of food, and then it tires you to bring it back and put it in your mouth. I mean, is that the epitome of indolence? You know, I managed to get the food in my hand, but man, I need a nap now. I can't actually thrust it into my mouth for the vital nutrition that it will provide for me. So let's just sort of flesh this out in a little bit more detail. Notice in 1227. The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man's precious possession." I think what Solomon is impressing upon us here is an unwillingness to accomplish a task. an unwillingness to actually mow his field, an unwillingness to actually fix the gate, an unwillingness because there's lions in the streets, he loves his bed, but these are tasks that are incomplete. He buries his hand in the bowl. He won't even bring it back to his mouth because it wearies him. That's the specific application there in Proverbs 26. But the more general approach ought to be this. The very thought of going out to work, even in order to secure food, is wearying to him. Even the thought of getting out of his bed and getting out of his house long enough to make some money is such that he doesn't even want to undertake it. It's just too much bother. It's too much work. It's too difficult. I'll have to leave my bed. I'll have to fight with lions. I'll have to do the sorts of things that I simply don't want to do. Notice, in this particular one, he manages to get up out of bed. He manages to get his 30-06. He manages to get a beat on an animal. He manages to even take the animal down. But that's as far as it's going to go. He's not going to skin the animal. He's not going to dress the animal. He's not going to quarter the animal. He's certainly not going to pack it out. And then he's not going to roast it and actually eat his kill. You see, he can't complete tasks. Why? because he's lazy. That's the problem. The lazy man puts his hand into the bowl, and it wearies him to even put the food into his mouth. Now, for those who say the Bible is not exciting reading, this is hilarious. Again, it's caricature. It's hyperbolic. It's a bit absurd, but it brings home the lesson, doesn't it? You can almost see this man, can't you? He shoots the animal. He actually gets it. It falls. And, eh, I'm just going to leave it there and go home and have a nap. He reaches his hand in the bowl and he's about to bring it back to his mouth. And he said, I'm just going to have a nap. Everything's a nap to this guy. The bed is all he wants. He's like that door on the hinges. And yet that door on the hinges does a lot more than that man who is lazy on his bed. And then notice as well, Proverbs 19, 24. Proverbs 19, 24. Same thing, a lazy man buries his hand in the ball and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. You see, these are not isolated things. I was a bit surprised as I was going through diligence. Let's look at what Proverbs has to say on diligence. We've looked at a lot of texts, haven't we? This is not one of those things that's just a bit of an attack on the book of Proverbs. This is one of the overarching themes or concerns. This is something that comes up repetitively, consistently, flagrantly. It's all over the place in the book of Proverbs. So the lazy man makes excuses. The lazy man loves sleep. The lazy man won't even eat. And then finally, the lazy man is wise in his own eyes. I mean, that's another thing that's just unfortunate. A guy who is this, at least we can appreciate the fact if he says, you know, I'm just lazy. I much prefer sleep. I'm going to make a million excuses because I don't want to get a job. I'm so lazy. When I put my hand in the bowl, I just weary out, and I don't want to bring it back to my mouth. At least we could say he's self-aware. At least we could commend him for having that assessment. At least we could commend him for seeing something everybody else sees. Not this guy. He's got a high estimation of himself. It's just bizarre, isn't it? The lazy man, verse 16, is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. Isn't that just bizarre? Somebody that's obviously messed up vis-a-vis 13 to 15 is a man who not only doesn't see that he's messed up, but actually sees himself as higher and wiser and better than others. Notice the lazy man does have desires. We need to appreciate that. It's not that he doesn't want to eat. It's not that he doesn't want to have food, or he doesn't want to have riches, or he doesn't want to have a house, or he doesn't want to have certain benefits. Go back to Proverbs 13, 4. Proverbs 13, 4. The soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing. So the desire is still there. The desire is in him. And then notice Proverbs 21, 25, and 26. Proverbs 21, 25, and 26. The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long, but the righteous gives and does not spare." So it's not the case that he is everything that Solomon says he is, but he's just absent-minded. Not while he's going like the hinge or door from side to side. He's craving. He's coveting. He's greedy. He's concerned with. And he wants all these things, but he doesn't want enough to get out of bed and do what he's supposed to do. His hungry mouth hasn't driven him to that point up to this point. One man said, the lazy are generally not those who have few desires. Rather, their daydreaming leads to exaggerated desires and exaggerated desires to a despair of realization. You get this sometimes, right? The kid comes out of school and he won't take a job for less than 30 bucks an hour. Sorry, that's just not the world that we live in. You're going to have to start low if you want to build high. We have a generation that expects big pay, big benefits, and four weeks off, all that stuff. Used to be you had to start out at the bottom and claw your way to the top. And on your clawing of your way to the top, you get a bone thrown to you every now and then, and you were happy. You liked it. Now there's this entitlement idea. We got our degree. We got our high school. We should just get everything. No, you shouldn't just get everything. You should get a job and work your way up to getting everything. So the point is the lazy man is like this, but he has these desires. So back to 26, we see that he has not only desires, but he has a high regard of himself. He has a high esteem of what he is. The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. I think Bridges describes this aspect beautifully. He says, Such is the strange union of self-complacency with folly. This worthless being, a cumberer of the ground, pronounces himself a genius, prides himself upon his sagacity, and looks down with contempt upon his more industrious companions, generally superior in attainment. This foolish dream of his own shrewdness fixes his standard. He has found the road to learning without any inconvenient exertion. Giving himself no trouble to think, he sees none of the difficulties obvious to a considerate mind and speedily arrives at most unreasonable conclusions. He will not be beaten out of his sloth. He's wiser in his own eyes. So when you come to him and you say, you know what? I looked out the window, there's no lions out there. When you say, you're imitating a door for your life. And you say, you're good to get your hand in the dish, but you actually need to put the food from the dish into the mouth. When you say that, he doesn't receive it. He doesn't say, you're right. There are no lions out there. You're right. My role model is a door. You're right that I actually need to take the food from the dish and put it. He doesn't say you're right. He continues down the path of this folly. You see, that's what's most disconcerting about the whole thing. See, another theme that Solomon addresses very often are those who don't listen to reproof. Now, how in the world would we know this man is this way? Because the father, the friend, the brother, the sister, the mother, somebody came along and said, there's no lions. There really aren't. You're imitating a door. You need to put the food into your mouth. And he said, wait a minute. You can't tell me how to live. It's like kids with kids. You're not the boss of me. This guy is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. You get the seven men. That's a number of perfection or completeness. It's a number of excellence within scripture. You have seven of these men, and they can all answer sensibly. But you're wiser than them? You're not going to listen to them when they tell you, no lions, when they tell you, no door, when they tell you, you got to put the food in your mouth. You're just not going to listen to them. That's a big problem, brethren. If somebody is self-aware and somebody owns it and somebody listens, that somebody can be worked with. But added to this description of the sluggard is this description of the sluggard's conceit. He is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly." It's a pretty pathetic picture that is drawn by Solomon in this section. And I think the take-home message for all of us is, don't be excuse-makers, Don't be lovers of sleep. Don't be the sort of person that doesn't complete tasks, vis-a-vis put the food in your mouth. And don't be the kind of person that's so proud and so arrogant and so conceited that when persons come to you and say, look, there's a better way to do this, namely get a job, don't think that they've got the problem. It's most likely you that has the problem. So that's the take-home with reference to this particular text. I want to end by looking at two things, finally. First, the blessings associated with diligence. I mean, that's been kind of a negative, sort of a downer, hasn't it? You know, the description of the lazy man, that's not a real positive way to end a message. So let's look at the blessings associated with diligence. Again, we'll cover a bit of the same ground, but first the provision of material goods. It's a beautiful thing in God's world. You work, you eat. Proverbs 10.4, again, he who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of a diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son. Again, 12.11. 12.11, same sort of idea. He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread. It's a primary reason you should find a job, because it's great to eat. It really is. It's a wonderful thing. It's just amazing. You all know that if you don't eat, you do die. And so in order to eat, you have to work. And this is what Solomon is saying. Proverbs 13, four, the soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing. But here we go. The soul of the diligent shall be made rich. Verse 11 again, wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase. New ground, Proverbs 16, verse 26. The person who labors, I alluded to this earlier, the person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on. Why are you so earnest in trying to find a job? Because I'm hungry. That's a great reason, isn't it, to pound the pavement and find a job? It's a great reason to update your resume. It's a great reason to go online, jobs.com. It's a great reason when your stomach is grumbling and growling and there's nothing left in the pantry. That hungry mouth ought to drive you on so that you'll labor so that you can eat. And then Proverbs 21.5. Proverbs 21.5, the plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty. So the provision of material goods is a blessing associated with diligence. Secondly, the dignity associated with work. The dignity associated with work. That guy who had been a TV actor in the 1980s that was now working at Trader Joe's, he wasn't complaining. He wasn't whining. He didn't seize upon the opportunity and say, you're right. What a miserable thing. I went from this to this. He didn't have that attitude. Good on him. He did what he had to do to feed his hungry mouth. That's admirable. All work is dignified. Flipping burgers is dignified. I know we shun it and we speak ill about it, but flipping burgers is a lawful way to put money in the bank, which is a lawful way to buy food. It's perfectly consistent and legitimate. Don't mock somebody because they're actually working. Don't mock somebody because you're not so in tune with their life choices. They have a job. It's a good thing. But there is dignity associated with work. Notice in Proverbs 12. Proverbs 12, 24. This is the dignity associated with work. Proverbs 12, 24, the hand of the diligent will what? Will rule. But the lazy man will be put to forced labor. The hand of the diligent will rule. That doesn't mean the world. It doesn't mean kingdoms. It doesn't mean empires. But it means, with reference to his position and to his dignity, he will be in that capacity versus those who are put to forced labor. And then Proverbs 14, 23, in terms of dignity associated with labor. There it is again. Sorry, verse 23, in all labor, there is profit. In all labor, there is profit. That brings dignity. The profit isn't only monetarily. It's not the money only that you can buy food with, but there's a dignity involved. I remember being mindful of this or reminded of this by a fellow at Union Gospel Mission many, many years ago. We used to go there. I think it was every other week on Tuesday nights. That's right down there by East Hastings in Vancouver. And I remember one guy, I would see him there on an occasion, not Gary, The guy that would always complain if we were a minute late coming from Chilliwack. He would let us have it for being late. You know, we got stuck in traffic and this one fellow would let us know, you were late. 30 seconds, Gary, come on. But this other guy, I remember talking to him and he was just, he wanted to work. I really believe that. And one of the things that he said was, it's the lack of dignity. That's what's most crippling. I want to work because of the dignity involved in that. I think that's what the Proverbs are saying. Now, again, if you are incapacitated, God's not angry at you for not working if you're ill or if you're, you know, whatever. That's not in view here. You cannot take this and say, oh, Butler's got an axe to grind, or God's got an axe to grind with somebody who's contracted this horrible disease, and they can't work. No, no, no, no. That's not it. We're dealing with the slugger. We're dealing with the lazy man. We're not dealing with somebody who cannot work. We're dealing with somebody who will not work. That's the issue here. And then notice the dignity, or rather thirdly, the honor associated with working well. Look at Proverbs 22, 29. Proverbs 22, 29. Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings. He will not stand before unknown men. That really ought to drive us in terms of our diligence, in terms of our pursuit of not only hard work, but good work. Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings. In other words, he plums well. Politicians hear about it. They bring him in to plumb their stuff. That is a blessed thing. That is a good thing. A man fixes vehicles well. So the city mayor, the political leaders bring their car. You see a man who excels in his work, he will stand before kings. In other words, even pagans, Gentiles, heathens, they recognize Christian diligence, they recognize hard work, and they recognize good work done well. It's a beautiful thing, and there's dignity involved in that, and honor. And then the second broader application is the need for spiritual diligence. The need for spiritual diligence. Now certainly, Solomon doesn't want you to argue that there's lions in the streets, and he doesn't want you to be a door, And he doesn't want you to bury your hand in the bowl and not bring it to your mouth. In terms of the temporal world, in terms of your physical sustenance, in terms of your life, Solomon wants you to find a job. Solomon wants you to work hard. Solomon wants you to excel in it so that you'll stand before kings. But certainly Solomon also wants you to engage in spiritual diligence. In other words, do you see a man who excels in his work, he will stand before kings. Those brethren, by God's grace, who excel in spiritual things will stand before the King of kings and the Lord of lords. John Gill commenting on the slumbering sluggard in Proverbs 6, 9. He says, whatever may be the proper time to awake and arise out of sleep in a morning, which seems to be according to a man's circumstances, health, and business. It's very reasonable, isn't it? You know, we hear these Puritans, I think it was George Whitefield, he'd sleep from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., and then he'd get up and spend two hours on his knees with his Greek New Testament. You know, young ministers hear that and they try that, you know, and don't make it. They get up at 4 a.m. and they're back asleep by 4.05. You know, it just doesn't work. Men are different. Lloyd-Jones and his preaching and preachers addresses that. You can't just take somebody else's model and stick it into your life. Well, you know, he only slept from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Yeah, good for him. If that was me, I couldn't function at 7 a.m. You just got to get sleep. You got to know yourself. You see, we have that mindset. I think what Gil says here is absolutely right. Now, in my mind, Gil was probably one of those guys that did get up at 4. He didn't, you know, he read his Greek New Testament, and then he read all the Jewish stuff in Hebrew, and then he, you know, did all that stuff and had breakfast at, you know, 7.30 and then went to his office for 15 hours. But he says, whatever may be the proper time to awake and arise out of sleep in a morning, which seems to be according to a man's circumstances, health, and business. Now listen to what he says. It is always high time for the sinner to awake out of the sleep of sin and to rise from the dead. In other words, spiritual diligence. Certainly work, don't make excuses, bring the food back to your mouth, and don't be the kind of person that is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer well. It's spiritual. He says, it is always high time for the sinner to awake out of the sleep of sin and arise from the dead. In other words, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's spiritual diligence. That's what's most important. That's what's most earnest. Don't make the excuses. Well, there's lions in the street. Don't be the door turning on its hinges. Don't be the sort of person that puts his hand into the bowl of a sermon and doesn't ingest it. Don't be the kind of excuse-making, lazy, sluggardly type of a person that won't ingest the Word of God and believe. Spiritual diligence is enjoined upon every creature of God. So, for the sinner, and then he goes on and says, and for the drowsy saint to arise out of his lethargy and carnal security. In other words, there's an application in terms of spiritual diligence for the sinner to come to the Savior, but for the saint that's grown drowsy, the saint that's become an excuse maker, the saint that doesn't internalize the Word of God, the saint that may put his hand there, but he doesn't bring it up and eat it. There's no more hungering and thirsting after righteousness. There's no more pursuing those things in the fear of God. There's no more put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its loss. Lethargy has settled in. Apathy has settled in. And we have become the equivalent of the door on its hinges back and forth, left and right. That is wrong spiritual diligence for the sinner to flee to the Savior, but spiritual diligence for the believer who has grown cold, for the believer who has grown weary, for the believer who has grown hardened. Arouse yourself by the grace of God and no more excuses, no more laziness, no more imitating the door as your life's work. but rather enjoy the great gifts that God has given in the Word and in prayer, and utilize those things accordingly. Well, let us close in a word of prayer. Father, thank you for this your Word, and thank you for what we find here so clearly explained, so simply, so marvelously. Give us grace to receive these things. Give us grace to not be excuse makers, to not be imitators of Doris, to not be the kinds of people that hear the word but don't internalize it, and certainly not to be the conceited man who's wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. We ask that you would bless us, help us, God, to think through these things, help us to instruct our children in these things, I pray, in a special way for them, for the young people and the kids, that you would give them, instill in them, first and foremost, the fear of God, a belief in the Savior, and a commitment to the written word, to do all things that we find here described. Go with us now, we pray, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.