angela hormberg

Tag: Diligent

  • Proverbs 10:5

    Proverbs 10:5

    What Proverbs 10:5 Teaches About Timing, Diligence, and Learning

    Commonplace –

    “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Proverbs 10:5).

    Proverbs 10:5 is about being diligent in season. It reminds me of a saying we have here in the south, “Make hay while the sun shines”. When a dry, sunny spell arrives, the hay farmer must seize the moment. Rainy weather causes the hay to mold and rot, which spoils the crop. So, the farmer has to keep a watchful eye on the hay to make sure it is ready for baling, and he also must keep an eye on the weather. When the day arrives in which the hay is dry and the weather is sunny, the farmer must be ready to act.

    Today most of us never experience that waiting game; our food arrives packaged and priced, leaving us detached from the rhythm of the fields. Separated from the crops, we lose the important connection of Solomon’s proverb about harvesting at just the right time. Yet, even growing one small plant can help us see the world from a farmer’s perspective. We may not depend on the fruit our little plant produces to stave off our hunger or supply our monetary needs, but taking the time to prepare the soil, plant the seed, and watch it grow helps us realize how much of the process is about the timing and the weather being just right. Through the process, we learn about being diligent and ready.

    Seeing life through the farmer’s lens helps us harvest the universal meaning from Solomon’s proverb. Matthew Henry shares the following helpful, practical wisdom in his Commentary on Proverbs 10:5, where he connects the farming references to life lessons.

    “He who gets knowledge and wisdom in the days of his youth gathers in the summer, and he will have the comfort and credit of his industry; but he who idles away the days of his youth will bear the shame of his indolence when he is old” (691).

    Proverbs 10:5 is timeless and speaks to us across the ages. We all have the potential to learn. Just as a farmer must watch the weather, we must watch the seasons of our own lives, being prepared for opportunity. Do we take the time? Much of my real learning, my self-directed learning, has come late in life. While we still have our wits about us, we can dig in and learn. What are you learning? What are you pursuing? What are you planting? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:5.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:4

    Proverbs 10:4

    Diligence vs. Laziness

    Commonplace –

    “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4)

    In Proverbs 10:4, Solomon addresses the importance of being a diligent worker versus being lazy; a diligent hand makes one rich. Here we see that Solomon is not against wealth. He is against attaining wealth through wicked means, as he previously mentioned in Proverbs 10:2, “Treasures from wickedness profit nothing” and Proverbs 10:3, the Lord casts “away the substance of the wicked”. He encourages his listeners to embrace hard work.

    While the ancient Israelites measured success by the fruit of honest labor, today’s popular discourse often equates a good life with the amount of leisure and entertainment we can pack into it. Much of our modern day focus is on ‘having fun’, which is centered on diversion, which could mean anything, such as: blogging, video games, sports, hobbies, social media scrolling, etc. Diversion can enrich life, yet we must ask: why do we seek it? When considering Proverbs 10:4, it’s important to remember that being diligent is not simply related to acquiring and accumulating material wealth. Whether we’re studying Scripture, pursuing a degree, caring for our families, or fixing a leaky faucet, each task becomes an act of worship when approached with intentional effort. Understanding our objective in our diversions changes our perspective on what it means to ‘have fun’ and how we ‘spend’ leisure time.

    To go along with our discussion, here are some thoughts from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Proverbs 10:4 and who is likely “in a fair way to become rich” (690).

    “those who are diligent and honest, who are careful about their affairs, and, what their hands find to do, do it with all their might, in a fair and honourable way, those are likely to increase what they have” (690).

    Proverbs 10:4 is a call to reflect on our personal activities. We are only allotted a certain amount of time in life. Where we are spending it? Is that the best use of it?

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:4.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg