These three verses continue the theme of verses 6-8 — laziness — and both sections are directed specifically at “you sluggard” (:6, 9)!
Verse 9 consists of two rhetorical questions addressing the ongoing pattern of lying down and sleeping — “how long will you lie there…when will you get up from your sleep?”
This is not the picture of a hard working person taking a break — but habitual laziness and inactivity. With no discipline or initiative, there’s honestly little about this lifestyle that sounds meaningful or attractive to me.
The next 2 verses (:10-11) are identical to 24:33-34. They discuss the consequences of this “lazy bones” lifestyle. It leads to “poverty…and scarcity.”
And while it may take a minute, when “poverty…and scarcity” come, it will be as painful and unsettling as being accosted by “a bandit” or roughed up by “an armed man.”
Admittedly, laziness is a persistent problem for many and, apparently, God wants us to understand where it will lead. It’s so important, He says it to us twice!
Of course, I don’t have to be this kind of person. Having something meaningful in my life — something that matters to me — can go a long way in helping motivate me to get up and get going.
The truth is, this is all about me — on the inside. And if I don’t do something about it, things will get difficult and painful!