Proverbs 24:30-34 "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; (31) And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. (32) Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. (33) Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: (34) So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man."
Solomon used both proverbs and parables to teach lessons given to him by the
Holy Spirit of God. We aren't sure if today's passages are given as a
parable or an actual event. Surely, it could have been an actual happening
where Solomon observed the field of a slothful, or lazy, man. I'm sure we
have all seen such examples as well. In my travels, I have passed by many
fields and seen fences broken down. I remember seeing fields where stones had
been gathered by a resourceful individual, but through time they had been
neglected by generations that followed. The result was exactly as Solomon
described: "it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the
face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down."
Maybe we have been guilty of being slothful in our lives. Sometimes, we can
allow the fences of defense to be broken down in our lives. We might be lazy in
our prayer life or in our daily Bible reading. We might become lazy in our
service unto others. We can sometimes become lazy in our church attendance. We
allow other things to interfere and interrupt our dedication unto the Lord. The
result is that our lives become spiritually poor and we feel a great emptiness
and need within for the things of God. May we never lose our understanding concerning
our need for the Lord. If we have let that state of being enter our hearts and
minds, may we turn now and zealously seek a closer walk and greater fellowship
with our Lord Jesus Christ.