CC image courtesy of Airwolfhound on Flickr.

Proverbs 22
Author: Jim Brewer

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!” (Proverbs 22:13)

This is a rather amusing sketch of a couch potato. It’s an obvious caricature in order to make a point. Although it sounds ridiculous, this lazy boy says “I can’t go to work today, there’s a lion out there.  I can’t go to school there’s a lion in the streets and I will be killed.”  It sounds outlandish, and it is, but when you reduce it to its essence you see it appears he is giving a rationalization.

This person may not do much but apparently he can think, he can rationalize. He’s giving a rationalization of why he functions or doesn’t function the way he does. His argument is that the conditions are too dangerous or the conditions aren’t right yet to do what he ought to do.

So underneath this sarcastic proverb is this salient point: the sluggard always has a rationale or justification of why he should not do what he ought to do. There is always some barrier, some objection as to why he can’t do what he ought to do. Now does that fit us or what?