There are 15 verses in the book of Proverbs that call out the sluggard—slothful or lazy person. There are definitely many more scattered throughout the Bible. But Proverbs makes it as direct as possible, showing that this is a serious matter and something that must be dealt with before it ruins your walk with God, your life, and the lives of your loved ones.
When we hear or see the word sluggard or sloth, we often associate it with someone who sleeps all day, eats all day, chooses to move slowly, doesn’t care about their appearance or health, and has no concern whatsoever for progress or respect for time. Even the media usually presents a sluggard in this way. This description is what we expect when we think of a sluggard.
So I decided to see and understand what the Word of God says about this—and trust me, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say. In this series, we will look at what the Bible says about being a sluggard and what it means, the characteristics, the consequences, examples of sluggards in the Bible, and finally, how to overcome being a sluggard. Today, in Part 1 of this series, let’s try to define the sluggard.
There’s no single direct description in the Bible, but by definition, a sluggard is a habitually lazy person. This means laziness has become a habit; it shows up in your daily life whether you give it the label or not. I understood this, but I wanted another explanation to break it down further and make it clearer. I then found this definition: a person who repeatedly avoids effort, responsibility, or necessary action—even when they are capable. I also found this one: a habitual, willful avoidance of necessary work, accompanied by excuses, idleness, and self-indulgence.
Now I’m not going to lie to you—this opened my eyes quite a lot and gave me a completely different perspective. The addition of the words effort, responsibility, and making excuses revealed a whole other side that I hadn’t considered. I realized I had been a sluggard this whole time! I began to see it clearly—the patterns I had built over time, small but effective in slowly ruining God’s bigger plans for my life.
Proverbs 26:13–16
“The sluggard says, ‘There’s a lion in the road!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.”
Do you know how many times a door turns on its hinges? Exactly—that’s how many times this person wastes in their so-called “rest era.” The distance between your mouth and your hand is quite short, yet a sluggard is burdened by the simple act of feeding themselves. You might think this is impossible, but when you would rather make excuses than find a way to earn a living, you are being a sluggard. When you would rather doom-scroll every day than learn a new skill that could change your life, you are also being a sluggard. There may be small habits you have developed that have slowly turned you into a sluggard.
So by these definitions, do you think you are a sluggard—or have you been one at some point in your life?
In the next chapter, Part 2, we will look at how to identify a sluggard and the characteristics of a sluggard. Stay tuned.