I wrote in my post on the ants in Proverb 6:
At some point, I will share my argument that sleeping in and missing work is the least of the problems Solomon is addressing. His larger point with sleep is that we need to pay attention to our lives and what we need. If we’re sleep walking through life we are not providing for our future needs because we’re not aware of them.
So let’s look again at what Proverbs 6 says about sleep:
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger,
if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
caught in the words of your mouth,
then do this, my son, and save yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
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.
And then this from Proverbs 10.5:
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Proverbs 19.15:
Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.
20.13:
Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
and then full circle in Proverbs 24:
I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
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.
So far so clear, but I wonder…
In the Bible, sleep as rest is not a bad thing. In the same chapter 6 we read:
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
Likewise Proverbs 3.21-24:
My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
So, let me make an intuitive leap. Maybe there are ways of sleeping while one is upright, walking, or sitting on the couch. Maybe loving “sleep” isn’t just sleeping in too late. Maybe it refers to the escapist witless stuff we all do rather than deal with reality. Remember what it is that destroys fools: “the complacency of fools destroys them” (Proverbs 1.32). And Proverb 19:15 obviously does not mean a literal “deep sleep.” Slothfulness and idleness are not always about being unconscious, but rather about being unconcerned and unaware of one’s situation and the future it is leading to.
The warnings about loving sleep are exhortations to stay aware of the things you have control over and are responsible for–to “open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.” Trusting good things to happen automatically can be an attitude of entitlement, not living by faith.
Proverbs 27:23–27
Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
When the grass is gone and the new growth appears
and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,
the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field.
There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and maintenance for your girls.
The temptation is that people don’t want to face up to their situation. They would rather just forget and watch some TV.
Keeping track of your situation and working hard doesn’t always automatically or obviously lead away from bad circumstances. Your situation can appear entirely hopeless. But you have to trust God and show the diligence in the stewardship that he wants from you.