Throughout the entirety of the Wisdom Books, the authors, inspired by the Lord, penned wisdom beyond human comprehension. The Wisdom Books are riddled with wise counsel and astute judgment. When one dissects the aforementioned books one will come across many references of diligence and laziness. Primarily focusing on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I have found that the Wisdom Books have a strong opinion on the gaping dichotomy between diligence and laziness. The importance …show more content…
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes often express that diligence produces good character and that laziness makes one undesirable. Proverbs 10:26 describes a lazy person as repulsive and unwanted. The proverb says, “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are the lazy to their employers” (Prov. 10:26 ESV). On the other hand, the Proverbs praises diligence and elaborates its importance. Proverbs 12:27 says, “Diligence is man’s precious possession.” (Proverbs 12:27 ESV) To extrapolate, Diligence influences a person 's character and a person 's character defines the life the person leads and the lack of diligence fosters laziness and apathy, which are toxic traits for people. When you possess those attributes, they affect our faith, love life, workplace, and your character. If you look at your body as a house, Ecclesiastes 10:18 says, “Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.” Dr. Edward Hindson, in the book The Essence of the Old Testament, states, “Thus, for every person, a choice is presented through the reading of Proverbs between following the lifestyle of diligence or one of lazy indifference. In today 's society, where …show more content…
Diligence is what, through the hardships, keeps us afloat. Without grit and perseverance our faith would be battered until it was broken. That’s why there is no mystery as to why Solomon stressed the importance of attaining it. Evidenced above, diligence is important for three primary reasons. Firstly, as expressed in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, diligence is important for avoiding poverty and providing for your physical needs. Expressed in Proverbs, laziness only leads to poverty and hunger. Therefore, we are urged to be diligent in our workplace and to reject the destructiveness of laziness. Secondly, diligence is important for your faith. God wants us to pursue Him with all our might. If we are apathetic to God our faith will be considered dead. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes urge readers to diligently seek the Lord and to laboriously guard their heart from unrighteousness. Lastly, living a diligent life positively affects ones character, while living a life apathy results in a bankrupted personality — devoid of purpose. As stated previously, the lack of diligence fosters laziness and indifference, which are toxic traits for people. Inspired by God, Solomon was the wisest man to ever live on this earth and every proverbial phrase that proceeded from his mouth is worth noting. Solomon mentions the importance of being diligent countless times and to heed his wisdom is one of the most prudent decisions one could