Proverbs 6:6

THE WARNING AGAINST LAZINESS (THE TENTH DISCOURSE)

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard;

Consider her ways, and be wise:

Which having no chief,

Overseer, or ruler,

Provideth her bread in the summer,

And gathereth her food in the harvest.

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?

When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep:

So shall thy poverty come as a robber,

And thy want as an armed man."

"The ant is mentioned only here and in Proverbs 30:35 in the Old Testament."[15] "The ant figures in most of the ancient and proverbial literature as the type of provident thrift and industry."[16] Aesop's fable regarding the ant and the grasshopper is an example of this. We reject the conceited inference in the comment that, "Modern investigations shows that ants do have an intricate organization,"[17] the inference being that "Modern man is so smart that he is above such an erroneous notion as that which we have here."

There are many varieties of ants; and, "Some of these lay up provisions ... The agricultural ant of Texas, which resembles the ant of Palestine, not only stores up food, but even prepares the soil, kills the weeds, and finally reaps the harvest."[18] And, as for the proposition that ants indeed do have overseers, governors, etc., "All objections on this subject are based upon insufficient data, and have been completely answered by recent observations."[19] Any careful observation of ants certainly reveals that countless numbers of them carry on their activities without any "bosses" or supervisors of any kind!

"No chief, overseer or ruler" (Proverbs 6:7). "Although three words are used here, they are used as synonyms."[20] The meaning is that the ants work without any boss to oversee and command their labors.

"So shall come thy poverty ... and ... thy want ... as an armed man" (Proverbs 6:11). Laziness is destructive, and the failure by men to engage diligently in work is a violation of the Word of God. The same Bible which says, "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy, also says, "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." God's plan has no promises and no benefits in store for the idler. The New Testament admonition still stands that, "If a man will not work, don't let him eat." It appears to this writer that our current society may believe that they have graduated from this injunction; but God's Word has a habit of always winning at last.