The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. (Proverbs 19:24 ESV)
This verse has always been a favorite of mine, because it so vividly paints a picture in my mind. Plus, it’s funny.
A sluggard is someone who is habitually inactive or lazy. This verse illustrates the extent to which a sluggard is lazy. I can imagine someone asking, “How lazy is he?”
He’s so lazy, he puts his hand into a bowl of food and doesn’t even lift it back to his mouth. Incredible!
Do you wonder, with me, why God would place this verse in the Bible. Why is it important to identify the habits of sluggards?
The first chapter of Proverbs tells us it was written:
To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth— (ESV)
With this in view, perhaps the verses about sluggards as well as those relating the consequences of laziness, are for our instruction and admonition.
In other words, don’t be like the sluggard, whose lethargy leads to his own demise.
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