Proverbs 24 reminds me of the old expression, “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop”. This saying is often credited to English author Geoffrey Chaucer. There is a clear implication that those with too much free time will usually fill it with destructive endeavors. I believe this holds true no matter what our age. This proverb was written by a very successful man to his son, and it is overflowing with life experience. Solomon begins, “Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company… their lips talk about making trouble“. Later he refers to the “schemer“, and notes that all of his plots are evil. He is always looking for shortcuts and is a user and a taker. His plans always get everyone else in trouble. In contrast, Solomon notes, “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled“. There is a picture of slowly building this over time. Solomon also adds an important piece to the puzzle, “victory is won through many advisers“. The schemer does not want any competition. He adds something that reminds us that idleness can also mean failure to stand up for others. “Rescue those being led away to death… If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this’… does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?” Idleness tends to make us self-centered and self-righteous.
Next Solomon offers encouragement. “Eat honey, my son, for it is good… wisdom is like honey for you… If you find it, there is a future hope for you“. No one can eat for you, and hanging out near it does not make you wise. “Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous“. Integrity requires practice, but it makes us more resilient, “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes“. He adds, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls… for the evildoer has no future hope“. Are you in need of a reason to get back up? Maybe there is an idol at the center of your idleness?
Solomon says something very interesting about dealing with your enemy, “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips“. Jesus taught, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27). Holding onto grudges is self-destructive. Solomon says, don’t just ignore things, but be proactive. Literally, you must mend fences in order to begin being productive again. “Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house… Do not say, ‘I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.’“. The proverb ends with an observation of the one who sits in bitterness. “I went past the field of a sluggard… thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds… the stone wall was in ruins“. He explains, “I learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man“.Are you ready to start rebuilding yet? Here is a great place to start, “with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21).