Go to the Ant

One of the themes of the book of Proverbs is that we should not be slothful. Perhaps the most famous statement on this subject is this one: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8). Ants work hard without having anyone to tell them what to do, preparing their food for the future, and we should do likewise. In another passage we read, “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Proverbs 13:4). This reminds me of Paul’s words to the Saints: “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Another proverb similarly suggests that without work one will not have anything to eat: “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing” (Proverbs 20:4). Another passage highlights again the need for labor: “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour” (Proverbs 21:25). In another passage we get an image of what it looks like to be slothful: “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction” (Proverbs 24:30-32). Two proverbs use the image of a lion to discuss the slothful. The first says, “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets” (Proverbs 22:13). The second says this: “The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets” (Proverbs 26:13). I think what those are both saying is that in the face of a problem, like a lion roaming the streets, the slothful man will despair but do nothing about it. The lazy are not motivated to action as they should be even in the face of danger.

            Another proverb about the slothful says this: “The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth” (Proverbs 26:15). Here the slothful person is so lazy that they do not want to eat because it takes too much work to put the hand to the mouth. This reminds me of a story that Elder Christofferson related several years ago in general conference: “The story is told of a man who simply would not work. He wanted to be taken care of in every need. To his way of thinking, the Church or the government, or both, owed him a living because he had paid his taxes and his tithing. He had nothing to eat but refused to work to care for himself. Out of desperation and disgust, those who had tried to help him decided that since he would not lift a finger to sustain himself, they might as well just take him to the cemetery and let him pass on. On the way to the cemetery, one man said, ‘We can’t do this. I have some corn I will give him.’ So they explained this to the man, and he asked, ‘Have the husks been removed?’ They responded, ‘No.’ ‘Well, then,’ he said, ‘drive on.’” The story probably isn’t something that actually happened, but it reminds us that the Lord expects us to work, as much as possible, to provide for ourselves. He gave this commandment from the beginning to Adam: “By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground” (Moses 4:25). In this dispensation the Lord put it this way: “Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:42). He also declared, “Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways” (Doctrine and Covenants 75:29). With the inception of the Church welfare system, President Grant made this famous statement: “Our primary purpose was to set up, in so far as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership.” This was in the context of helping others in need, and he then quoted these words of Brigham Young on how they were to help the poor: “Set the poor to work—setting out orchards, splitting rails, digging ditches, making fences, or anything useful, and so enable them to buy meal and flour and the necessities of life.” Even in the context of giving to those in need, work is a primary principle. When we are tempted to be lazy and to get others to do work for us that we should do for ourselves, we should remember the words of the proverb: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” (Proverbs 13:4).