What is the meaning of Proverbs 21:25? The craving “The craving of the slacker…” (Proverbs 21:25a) • Craving is a real, intense desire—whether for comfort, wealth, recognition, or simply an easier life. • Scripture shows that desire by itself is not condemned; Psalm 37:4 promises, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” What matters is how desire is handled. • Proverbs 13:4 contrasts two responses: “The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the diligent are fully satisfied”. Desire without diligence stays empty. • James 1:14-15 reminds that unchecked desire leads to sin and death; here, unchecked desire joins laziness and proves deadly. of the slacker “…of the slacker…” (v. 25a) • A slacker is one who habitually avoids effort. Proverbs paints vivid pictures: – Proverbs 6:6-11 calls the sluggard to learn from the ant’s diligence. – Proverbs 10:26 says a lazy person is “vinegar to the teeth.” • Laziness is not a minor flaw; it openly resists God-given stewardship (Genesis 2:15). • Refusal to work is ultimately refusal to trust God’s designed means of provision (Proverbs 12:24). kills him “…kills him…” (v. 25a) • The language is blunt: laziness is lethal. • Consequences compile: – Physical need: “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger” (Proverbs 19:15). – Moral decay: “The way of the transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). – Spiritual peril: Romans 6:23 links sin’s paycheck directly to death. • The slacker’s downfall is self-inflicted—his desire devours him because he never applies the remedy of work. because his hands refuse to work “…because his hands refuse to work.” (v. 25b) • The verse pinpoints the root cause: deliberate refusal. He could work; he simply won’t. • Proverbs 10:4 notes, “Idle hands make one poor,” while Proverbs 14:23 adds, “All hard work brings profit.” • This refusal is active rebellion, not passive inability. Compare Proverbs 26:15: the sluggard is “too lazy to bring his hand back to his mouth.” • New Testament teaching echoes this: “If anyone is unwilling to work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Godly labor is viewed as a blessing (Ephesians 4:28). summary Proverbs 21:25 delivers a sober warning: intense desire coupled with intentional laziness is deadly. Craving drives the slacker, yet his own refusal to engage his hands guarantees emptiness, poverty, and ultimately destruction. Scripture consistently upholds diligent labor as God’s ordained path to provision and fulfillment, while exposing laziness as self-destructive sin. |
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