Proverbs 22:13 commentary; there is a lion in the street

13 ¶ The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

Solomon, with the understanding the Holy Spirit has given him, had a lot to say about the slothful man. Let’s review.

Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

Proverbs 12:27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

Proverbs 15:19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

Proverbs 18:9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

Proverbs 19:24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Proverbs 21:25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

The slothful person is extremely lazy, so much so that he or she will not help themselves. Christians are told not to be slothful in business.

Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Christ makes it clear you can be slothful in your service to Him by hiding the abilities you’ve been given and not using them for His glory and honor in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.

This Proverb points out how ludicrous our excuses can be. For the Chistian’s application of this I think you could point out all the reasons we come up with not to worship, not to unite with a church body of believers regularly (even if in our own home with two or three), not to read the Bible, not to pray, and not to witness. Plus, it’s usually easier to sin than to do right because your flesh wants to sin. It doesn’t want to do right. Getting revenge, lying, improper sexual thoughts, anger, are all easier for the natural man and require little effort because that’s the way we are naturally.

The generation of Hebrews that left Egypt did not get into the Promised Land that God had prepared for them because they stated that the inhabitants of that land were too strong for them. And yet, God had shown them His awesome power in defeating the army of Pharaoh and in sustaining them in the wilderness. If their excuse for not obeying God wasn’t valid then why do you think yours are? God has already defeated the lion in the street, Satan. So, what are you waiting for?