Proverbs 26:14 - Meaning and Application

Having seen the lazy man afraid to work, we now see him loving ease. He lies in bed on one side until he is tired of that, then turns over to the other side, but he is still in bed when the day is far along and work should already be done. He is like a door that moves on its hinges but never leaves its place, so his tasks are neglected and his chances slip away. This shows the character of the sluggard.

He is the kind of person who does not want to get out of bed and seems stuck to it, like a door on its hinges. If bodily comfort is treated as the main goal, it often becomes the cause of serious spiritual trouble. Those who love sleep will one day find that they have loved death.

He also does not care to move ahead with his work. He stirs a little, but it leads nowhere, and he ends up where he started. Sluggish professing believers turn in outward religion like a door on its hinges. The world and the flesh are the two hinges they hang on, and although they go through motions of worship and duty, like a horse in a mill, they make no real progress. They gain nothing, advance nowhere, and come no nearer to heaven, still sinners unchanged and saints not improved.