The Danger of Idleness

I wrote in a previous article The Beauty of Idleness. Occasional period of idleness is beautiful and beneficial to us. When we engage ourselves in lighthearted and playful activities which are at the same time constructive and satisfying are good for our body, mind and spirit. The time we’ve given ourselves for introspection, reflection and thoughtful contemplation always make us keyed up to go back to the exercise of our vocation and avocation. It makes us enjoy the abundant life; adding life to our years.

In this post, I want to address about The Danger of Idleness. The idleness the Bible decries about is a man/woman who walks in idleness. Psychologists call it chronic idleness, that is, a person though he can work and work is available for him, yet chooses not to work or unwilling to work. His life is characterized as walking in idleness.

In Titus 1:12 Paul has given us a glimpse of an idle or lazy person. Some people are like the Cretans. Two vices mentioned here that attributed to them – indeed commonly go together -- - gluttony and sloth. An idle person is always a glutton. An industrious man will not often be a glutton, and a glutton will not often be an industrious man. A glutton only concern is his stomach (compare Phi. 3:19).

Paul give a stern command if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. They are admonished to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. You probably know a person who is not engaged in some kind of productive activity, he is usually voracious and ravenous in his table manners. They are always the first ones to line up to the buffet table and the food that they have taken on their plates are like con-shaped mountain in appearance. The persons behind them on the buffet table have to be content with the skimpy portions of food left. Their plates are like Mt. Pinatubo, the volcano that imploded and collapsed inwardly, sucking and burying beneath the top of the mountain including all the trees, dirt and stones.

Cone-shape Mountain
Philippines

Mt. Pinatubo in Pampanga, Philippines

I read somewhere that “idleness is a nursery of crimes” and “Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.”  There is also an article which I read a while back that says "an idle brain is the Devil's Workshop."

Let me illustrate this by relating to you the story of David and Bathsheba.  The account of the whole story is found in 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Chronicles 20. At that time the army of Israel was in war, led by Joab, David’s commander. But David remained in Jerusalem. After having taken a nap in the heat of the day after dinner; he indulged himself the luxury of refreshing himself, it still being the cool of the day by walking at the roof top of his house. The houses in the land of Israel as in the Middle East have flat roofs enabling one to walk upon. (See Deu.22:8).

From the roof he saw a very beautiful woman (with a fine shape and good complexion and comely countenance) washing herself on the roof top of her house. David perhaps lustfully exclaimed what he saw “Naliligong Babae Abaw.” When the phrase which is in Tagalog is translated into English meant is exactly the name of the beautiful woman he saw – Bathsheba. “Naliligong” means Bath-ing; “Babae” is She, female gender; “Ba” an expression of elation and euphoria. You know the rest of the story. He thought about her, watched her and asked about her to others. He then sent for her and committed adultery with her. Later, Nathan the prophet confronted David of this terrible sin.  The Devil took advantage of his David's idleness as a workshop for evil that led David to commit adultery with Bathsheba and even engineered the death of her husband Uriah.   He allowed his idle time to nurture the seed of lust which is planted in the garden of his mind which eventually led him to commit the sins of adultery, deceit and finally murder.

David watching Bathsheba taking a bath

In Psalms 51, we read David’s prayer for forgiveness after Nathan the prophet rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba. It’s a beautiful prayer of contrition—a deep and genuine feelings of guilt and remorse. God had forgiven David and called him still “a man after God’s own heart.”

The apostle Paul said that HISTORY was written and stands written for us comprising the end-time generation--for our learning, examples, admonitions and instructions so that we would not repeat the mistakes committed by our forebears. And also give us comfort and hope that if we have committed mistakes and the sin that always beset us, upon repentance God would forgive us. Also, the beloved apostle John testified in 1Jn. 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It may well for us to take heed the example of David on how not to use the bits and pieces of idle times that we give to ourselves.

The Beauty of Idleness

Idly Watching the Sunset

We are familiar of the work ethic. “Work ethic is a set of values based on hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. A work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative, or pursuing new skills. Workers exhibiting a good work ethic in theory should be selected for better positions, more responsibility and ultimately promotion. Workers who fail to exhibit a good work ethic may be regarded as failing to provide fair value for the wage the employer is paying them and should not be promoted or placed in positions of greater responsibility.” (Source: Wiki)

Hard work, diligence and productivity are highly-praised as important values and virtues the modern man must possess.  That’s why this philosophy has driven man to work even harder and longer making s/he workaholic.

The Bible is replete with praises for diligence and denounces slothfulness and idleness:  Prov. 10:4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.  Prov. 12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.  Prov. 12:27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.  Prov 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.  Prov. 19:15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.   Prov. 21:5  The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.   Pro. 22:29  Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Also, the apostle Paul in 1Th. 5:14 urged the Thessalonians to admonish the idle among them.   Apparently some members of the Thessalonian church are sloth, lazy and idle -- working not at all, busying themselves with other men's matters, and living upon the church's stock.  He reproves them for their sloth, exhorts them to work with their own hands, to do their own business, and with quietness eat their own bread.

So perhaps it comes as a surprise to you that I titled this article The Beauty of Idleness.  It looks like I am contradicting the plain truth set forth in the Bible.

But, what kind of idleness I am referring to, that is beautiful and beneficial for us?

I remember an old but familiar proverb that states “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”  This famous quote is from Howell’s Proverbs, written by  James Howells (1594 – 1666), a 17th-century Anglo-Welsh historian and writer.  (Source: Wiki)

This proverb simply means that without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring. It is not good to work all the time. It is not healthy for someone to work all the time and never play. You need to get out and have fun.

Taking vacation leaves, even sabbatical leaves and periodic time off from work in the course of our working years is proven to be beneficial to our whole being.  Introspection (the process of looking inward and examining one's self and one's own actions in order to gain insight) and the "contemplative habit of mind" requires an idleness in which we become lighthearted, playful and able to engage in free chosen activities, which are at the same time constructive and satisfying.

In my own experience as a busy pastor, even a day off from my daily routinely duties of caring for the church afforded me an opportunity to leisurely and idly pass the time away.  Breaking the monotony of work by engaging ourselves into some kind of activity is always refreshing for our body, mind and soul.  After the times of idleness and just loafing around and leisurely savoring our lives in introspection and contemplative thinking and engaging ourselves with lighthearted and playful activities, we would always come back to our work with renewed enthusiasm, zeal, zest and gusto.  Such times as these, they enrich our creativeness, productiveness and effectiveness in our work.

Idly Enjoying Zabeel Park, Dubai

In the Old Testament, God gave Israel a very special law regarding the land -- a commandment to allow the land to rest from active agricultural production every seventh year.  It was called the "land Sabbath."  Observance of this seventh year rest for the land allowed the land to rejuvenate itself.  It prevented the exploitation, and forcing and abusing of the ground.  It allowed the land to re-gather its strength and fertility.  But the land Sabbath was also a benefit for man, the tiller of the ground.   It gave the farmer an opportunity to devote his time to repairs on the farm, fences, barns, or even time for travel, education, and to do future planning.  It was as well a "Sabbatical year" to pursue the study of God's Word in a more active way.

That's why there is beauty in idleness.  What the Bible condemns is "walking in idleness" or our way of life is spend in idleness.  But the occasional interval of idleness or just loafing away time is one of the ways we can have abundant life.  Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  And God richly provides us with everything to enjoy, including idleness.  Idleness then is one way to spice our frail lives during the days of our earthly pilgrimage.