Finding peace and rest is essential in our busy lives, but is loving sleep too much a problem? Let’s explore what the Bible says about balance and the wisdom found in understanding rest. This post will guide you through key verses that address this important facet of daily living.
Bible Verses About He Who Loves to Sleep
Proverbs 6:9-11 – Laziness leads to poverty
“How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”
Proverbs 20:13 – Avoiding poverty
“Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.”
Proverbs 24:33-34 – Effects of Excessive Sleep
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”
Proverbs 19:15 – Sleep causes laziness
“Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.”
Romans 13:11 – Time to awaken
“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
1 Thessalonians 5:6 – Be alert and awake
“So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.”
Ephesians 5:14 – Christ will shine on you
“This is why it is said: Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Proverbs 26:14 – Laziness
“As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.”
Proverbs 10:4-5 – Diligence vs. Laziness
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”
Proverbs 24:30-34 – Overcoming laziness
“I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”
Proverbs 12:24 – Avoiding laziness
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.”
Ecclesiastes 10:18 – Laziness and consequences
“Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.”
Proverbs 19:24 – The lazy man’s plight
“A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!”
Proverbs 12:11 – Hard work brings benefits
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”
Proverbs 26:13-16 – The lazy man’s excuses
“A sluggard says, ‘There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.”
Matthew 25:26-30 – The parable of the talents
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Colossians 3:23-24 – Work as for the Lord
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
2 Thessalonians 3:10 – The need to work
“For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.'”
Proverbs 13:4 – Desire without action
“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
Titus 3:14 – Devotion to good works
“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.”
Hebrews 6:12 – Avoiding sluggishness
“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Galatians 6:9 – Perseverance
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Proverbs 31:27 – The industrious woman
“She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”
Philippians 4:13 – Strength from Christ
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
James 2:26 – Faith and deeds
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Steadfastness in work
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
John 5:17 – God is always at work
“In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.'”
Proverbs 14:23 – Profit from hard work
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Psalm 128:2 – The fruits of labor
“You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.”
Genesis 2:15 – Responsibility in the garden
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Exodus 20:9 – Six days of labor
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”
1 Timothy 5:8 – Providing for family
“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Luke 10:7 – The worker deserves his wages
“Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.”
Proverbs 22:29 – Skills bring success
“Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”
Genesis 1:28 – Be fruitful and multiply
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'”
Proverbs 16:3 – Commit to the Lord
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Matthew 11:28 – Rest in Jesus
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Philippians 2:12-13 – God’s work in you
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
1 John 3:17-18 – Love in action
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”