Proverbs 26:15 (ESV)
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
How sad!! This proverb may be one of the saddest as to the character of mankind. It would be a sight to see this in real action (or, in-action as the writer states). A lazy person, who has food right in front of him, will not even lift what he has to his mouth to get sustenance. When a person has the character of the sluggard we see them refuse to simply take what is right in front of them. You can give them work but they won't do the work because they are lazy and fail to demonstrate the energy to do the work. In our society today we have created a system that rewards those who have no energy. Yes, there are poor people who need assistance. However, there are people who are more like people who are simply sluggards who like the hand-out system ... since they can't raise the hand up. This is a good verse to base our catch-phrase about a hand-up. The sluggard can't do that. Even though God gives good things to all mankind they refuse to lift their hand from the bowl to the mouth to get what they need. In the Old Testament the nation of Israel was commanded to never glean all their crops. They were told to leave the edges of the crops for the poor to glean, for food. The story of Ruth is a perfect example of this command being worked out in real life. However, according to this verse, some will never even take the food left for them. God does not tell us to “give” food to the poor. God provided a way for the poor to “work” for their food. This proverb tells us that some people would not glean food left in a crop field. They are too lazy. Even if the food is right in front of them.
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