Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:13

by David Chadwick

“Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.”

Proverbs 20:13

This is our final week of study through some of our favorite proverbs in the Bible. I pray that our time studying these verses has helped you gain practical wisdom for how to grow and thrive in every area of your life.

Proverbs 20:13 says, “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.”

Before we unpack today’s verse, let me start by saying clearly that our culture is suffering from sleep deprivation. More and more studies are suggesting that we all need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily for good health and to be able to function at peak capacity. As we age, this number jumps to 8 to 9 hours of sleep.

Our culture does not value wholeness, and it is becoming increasingly evident. Nervous system dysregulation is rampant. We are pushing ourselves to work, work, work, with little to no rest. It is healthy and necessary to make sure you get enough sleep!

But this proverb is addressing the fact that the more you sleep, the less time you have to work; and this attitude of laziness leads to poverty. A love for sleep rooted in health and wholeness is wonderful. A love for sleep because of laziness is sinful. As I so often say, “The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.”

As followers of Jesus, we need to open our eyes to see opportunities to work hard. They are all around us. Then we must commit ourselves to hard work. As we do, God will reward our work. We “will have plenty of bread,” as stated in today’s proverb.

In fact, Paul said to the Thessalonian church, as they waited for Jesus’s return and did not work, that if they didn’t work, they wouldn't eat. Hunger is the best motivator for working hard to provide for human needs.

Let me sum it up simply. Work is good. Laziness is bad. Don’t lazily sleep your way to poverty! And hard work rightly done most often leads to blessings.