Proverbs 6:10-11 (ESV) -- A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Have you ever seen people do things that you knew were destructive or unwise, but they did them anyway, and were surprised by the results they got? We look at folks like that and think, “How could you not see this coming? I saw it a mile away!” But they didn’t. They couldn’t connect how their foolish actions would bring bad results. We see this when parents let children disobey and throw tantrums, and the parents are later stunned at the problems those same kids have as teenagers. We see this problem with people who keep buying things they don’t need and can’t afford, and then they eventually have massive financial problems. Everyone around them could see it, but they couldn’t. 

Our passage today teaches us about actions and consequences. The proverb says, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” This proverb is dealing with work and reward. The person who opts for more sleep and relaxation, and doesn’t work, will reap the reward of poverty. Our actions have consequences. 

The person in this proverb is an individual who sleeps instead of rising to work. They fold their hands and rest instead of plowing the field or planting the seeds at sowing season. Yet this person is likely the same person who is shocked or surprised when they are in poverty. They can’t believe things haven’t worked out for them. 

Actions have consequences. We reap what we sow. If we sow laziness, we will reap poverty. If we sow lack of prayer and Scripture reading, we will reap a distance from God. If we sow discord and strife, we will reap broken relationships and loneliness. We need to understand the relationship between our actions and outcomes. Think about the different arenas of your life: family, marriage, work, walk with God, finances, and more. How can you sow the right actions so you reap the desired rewards? Be diligent, lest poverty come upon you like a robber.

Reflection & Journal:
- What is the correlation in this text between laziness and poverty?
- What are some other examples of sowing and reaping in our world today?
- How does this passage inform actions in our lives? What do you need to do different in light of this text?

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