Proverbs 12:27 — Hangry

The lazy do not roast any game,
    but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

Summary: This proverb sets up a deeper question about the nature of what motivates us to work. 

Each proverb from Solomon’s mouth seems to spin my mind in a different direction. His theme has been to compare the qualities of righteous behavior to wicked behavior. In this passage, he takes a different tack. Here, he compares laziness to diligence.

It was only a few verses ago that he said that the diligent will rule and the lazy end up as laborers (Proverbs 12: 24). Before that, he pointed out that laziness brings poverty and diligence brings wealth (Proverbs 10:4). In today’s passage, he brings it down to a very personal level; our stomachs.

Who doesn’t get hungry? Sometimes hunger sneaks up on us and our hunger, frustrated by not being met with food, generates anger. This is a tragic state of being known as being “hangry.” Hangry people are miserable to be around, and the only known cure is a quick trip to the kitchen.

If all of us get hungry at some point, then all of us can relate to today’s proverb.

When Solomon says that the “lazy do not roast any game,” he is not suggesting that they are too lazy to roast game. Very few lazy people can’t drag themselves to the refrigerator and grab something to snack on when they get hungry. It was the same in Solomon’s day. Back then, there were no refrigerators so instead of keeping your lamburger in the fridge, you would let it walk around and graze until it was time to make dinner. The thing was, if you didn’t have a lamb, or if you had already eaten your last one, you might have to go out and hunt for something to eat. Having to hunt for food is hard work. Work is something that lazy people like to avoid.

The diligent are not afraid of work. Work and play blend together. They are both part of life. Diligent people think differently than lazy ones. I don’t know what all lazy people think, but I have been lazy before, and I know what I was thinking. It wasn’t about helping others! When I have been lazy, it is because I am thinking only of myself. When I see myself being diligent, at some level, I am thinking about others.

So the next time you are hungry, think about the food you find to eat. Did you provide it yourself? Were you the one to hunt it or grow it? Did you prepare it from scratch or did someone else do that for you? Who’s diligence are you relying on to feed your stomach? And the next time you find yourself pondering life and wondering what the secret of success is, meditate on the difference between being diligent and lazy. Then stop lazing around and start diligently pursuing God’s will.

Application: Explain the difference between diligence and laziness to someone you know. 

Food for Thought: What qualities do you associate with diligence?