When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24

If you have ever lost a night's sleep due to fear or worry, you know what a blessing it is to have a sense of security and peace as you go to bed.  That is what God promises to those who base their lives upon His wisdom.  So today as we look at our proverb of the day, we will look at how wisdom grants us that peace and ability to lie down and have a great night's sleep. 

The first thing we see here is that there is a promise given to us that we will not be afraid as we lie down at night.  Why would we fear though?  How does God's Word and Wisdom keep us from having fear in our hearts?  According to first John 4:18 fear has to do with punishment.  The one who lives according to God's wisdom does not have to fear punishment becasue he knows that God's grace has removed it from us.  This as true in the Old Testament in the sacrificial system, and in the New through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world.  Therefore we know that the worst case scenario has been solved by the work of Jesus Christ. 

There are other ways in which we know God's wisdom will watch over us.  Much of the wisdom that we read of in the book of Proverbs deals with making wise decisions and staying away from things that are harmful to us.  We are warned again and again in Proverbs that certain choices and certain paths will not be blessed.  They may look good at first - and even bring pleasure initially, but in the end they are very harmful and dangerous.  That is why when we give ourselves to walking in the wisdom of God that we will be able to lie down and not be afraid.  We will be able to lie down and have sleep that is sweet.  Basing our lives upon the Word of God - especially taking the advice and counsel of the proverbs that God has given to us truly will yield a peaceful life filled with His blessing. 

I'll close today's post with a quote from the book of James, "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."  (James 3:13-18)  There it is for us in full view.  When we live our lives by the wisdom that God gives to us - we will live a life that will be filled with the "peaceable" fruit that such wisdom brings to our lives. 

Laziness casts into a deep sleep, And an idle man will suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15

Laziness will come to haunt a man.  The effects of laziness are not immediately apparent - but in time they will show themselves.  The word "laziness" here is the Hebrew word 'atslah' and it means to be sluggish, indolent, and lazy and describes someone who is in a state and attitude of doing nothing.  Since the word idolent is not used much any more it might help to know that it means to be averse to activity, effort, or movement. 

The "deep sleep" into which one is cast due to laziness is the same word that was used when God put Adam into a deep sleep to create Eve from a rib He took from Adam's side.  This word is used figuratively here to speak of a moral and spiritual stupor which is how Isaiah uses it in Isaiah 29:10, "For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep, He has shut your eyes, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, the seers."  In Isaiah the idea is that the deep sleep was spiritual and resulted in the people being completely blind to spiritual realities and the warnings they needed to heed to prevent disaster in their lives. 

The second half of this passage presents an interesting thing to us.  The Hebrew speaks not just of a sure consequence of laziness, but of a hunger that must come upon the lazy person to that they will eventually work.  The idle man will or must suffer hunger.  That is the idea here.  He won't get up and work and will continue in his aversion to activity and action - until hunger strikes and makes him get up and work.  This is Scriptural for the New Testamant tells us plainly, "If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either." (2 Thessalonians 3:10)  

God's Word is not a great friend to a welfare state.  The Scriptures tell us to work - and to do what we do with all our might.  Work existed before the Fall of man - and it has always has been a good thing to have a godly work ethic.  We are told to help the poor - but we are not counselled to put them in a state of continual dependency.  This mistake will result in them becoming lazy in the end - and thinking that the state owes them a living.  I realize that such words are very incindiary in our world - and I do not use them toward those who have genuine disabilities that prevent them from working.  But the wise man knows that a laziness that is encouraged is one that will not only cause hunger - but it will blind the person to spiritual truth as well.  We would do well not to encourage it in our children - or our nation.

Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.  Proverbs 20:13

There are several ways that the Bible refers to laziness.  Some are very pointed like when God speaks of the sluggard or the lazy man.  This one however speaks of someone who loves their sleep - too much.  As a result of this love of sleeping - they wind up lazy, poor, and possibly hungry.

Do not love sleep.  That is the command that is given here.  It is not a sin to sleep - God even promises in the psalms that He will give sleep to His beloved.  There is a difference between enjoying a good night's sleep and just loving to sleep whenever we can.  One is necessary while the other is a sure sign of laziness.  You cannot love sleep and love God at the same time.

Two different times the concept of oversleeping or loving sleep is used to rebuke the laziness of the sluggard.  Proverbs 6:9 tells the sluggard to get up from his sleep.  Proverbs 6:10 and 24:33 both say that a little sleep, slumber, and excess rest and poverty and problems will come in like a robber and an armed man.  Loving to sleep is a dangerous thing to embrace.  God desires for us to be good, motivated workers.  When we do not embrace work - we will most likely embrace sleeping and laziness. 

The other warning here is that when we become lazy - we will also be in danger of becoming poor - even the point of not having food to eat.  Poverty is often the reward for the lazy - as is hunger.  That is why a welfare system that does not require work of some kind for the benefits received is a blight on the work ethic of any country.  If there are benefits - they must be tied to some kind of work.  When we do not do this we are promising a lifestyle to those who receive it that does not require them to work.  They can love their sleep - and be paid for it.  They can be idle - and still receive money and benefits.  This will build an entire class of society that will begin to expect something for nothing.  That will be devastating to that societies ability to produce things and profit from them.  It will also be a tremendous drain on the character of the society as well.

God's answer to this is the call us to wake up and work.  He calls us to wake up and work hard.  He wants us to labor with our hands - not just to provide for the needs of our families and ourselves - but Scripture also says that our hard work is to be so that we can also have something to share with the ones who are in need.  But the Word also states that in the times when we have abundance - it is to help meet the needs of others - but it also says there will be other times when the abundance of others will be given to provide for our needs.  God's point here is that hard work is not an option - but a necessity for a society.  Without it we will become lazy and undisciplined.  Without hard work we will lack character and will most likely get in trouble with the abundance of free time we have.  Why be poor and hungry - both physically and spiritually?  Wake up - and work hard for your food, for your health, and for your character.