The Harvest

^“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”

So many verses in Proverbs talk about foolishness.  And being lazy is foolish.  But I don’t think these verses always just refer to the natural.  In other words, it IS foolish to sit around and do nothing – because then you make no money and you wind up in poverty. And it’s even ridiculous if you’re a farmer and you sit during harvest instead of gathering your crops – how wasteful!

But let’s look at the spiritual significance to the instruction in this verse.  Diligence, it says, brings wealth. We must be diligent to work with our hands for the Kingdom – through giving, praying, offering praise, etc.  Otherwise, we will always be wanting, always lacking, always without.  Why?  Because in giving we receive.

And when God is blessing the fruit of our land, we are prospering spiritually and growing in Him, tall and strong – we are a disgrace to our Father if we choose to be lulled to sleep during this time because we’re full and satisfied. 

I had an uncle who fell asleep after every Thanksgiving meal, and when he woke up he was ready to go home.  There was no conversation, no fellowship, just eating and leaving. I always wondered why he bothered showing up!

God has invested much in us – His Son.  We must be diligent to praise him and then when he rains blessings upon us, and the fruit of his goodness begins to show – we MUST harvest it and share what we have been given before it rots and falls to the ground.