Are Our Souls Neglected?

“I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense; And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns, and nettles were covering its surface, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I considered it well; I looked and received instruction. “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],” Then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want like an armed man.” (Proverbs 24:30-34, AMP)

When we were living in North Carolina, there was a house down the street from us that was always a mess. There were always toys and debris all over the front lawn, junk stacked high on the porch, mattresses tossed in the backyard, a weedy garden, falling down fence, and I’m fairly certain the garage doors were broken because they were always open. Whenever we passed it, we’d grumble and complain about how the homeowner didn’t take care of the home. 

If you looked past all the neglect, it would be a beautiful house. It was a log cabin build with a big, beautiful porch. With a little love and hard work, it would look like a picturesque little property. Instead we cringed, because if the outside was so overgrown and unkempt, we could only imagine what the inside looked like. 

You can probably imagine the same situation, but a different house somewhere you’ve lived. It’s pretty common: living in a nice neighborhood, when a house is so dilapidated, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Ultimately, the disrepair and poor stewardship of the property gives the owner a reputation for lacking somehow, whether it be in workmanship or good health, common sense or appreciation. 

The same is happening in our verses from Proverbs here; a man walks by the field of a lazy man. It is a vineyard that is overgrown with thorns and weeds. The stone wall that marks the field is crumbling down. The man walking by sees this field and mourns its neglect, seeing what it could be if the owner took care of it. Instead, the lack of love is obvious, and the same conclusion is made– the owner is lazy and lacks the sense to nurture the great resource that a field can be.

If you’ve ever seen a vineyard, you can see it too. The vines planted in neat, orderly rows, trained up and outward on wire that holds the grapevines off the ground; somehow making gnarled and twisted branches tidy and beautiful. There are no weeds or thorns in a vineyard; you can walk up and down the rows easily and unhindered. They are beautiful and romantic settings– there’s a reason many vineyards hold weddings and events.

If you can clearly see that beautiful vineyard, then you can understand the disappointment you’d feel to see such misuse of that opportunity. It is a great laziness that would allow such a misuse of that blessing of land. What a shame, what a waste!

Charles Bridges says of these verses, “But let us look at the spiritual sluggard. If a neglected field is a melancholy sight, what is a neglected soul! Such a soul, when it is left to its own barrenness, instead of being sown with the seeds of grace becomes overgrown with thorns and nettles.” 

If we would grieve a wasted field so pointedly, commenting on it every time we pass it, then how much more should we grieve a neglected soul? How much more wasted is a soul that is neglected by the sinner? 

It’s a shame when people talk about their faith as if it were just some other facet of life. As if it was just some other thing that can be hyperfocused on when the mind finds it interesting enough to do so. How many times do we hear others talk about their faith, saying, “Oh, I’ll get more serious about God when I’m older, or have met more of my other goals, or when I’m done having fun doing stuff I know God doesn’t like.” Maybe you’ve said it or thought about it before. 

But it is a terrible waste. Because what other ventures or goals or pleasure could we seek that is worth more than the beauty, peace, and joy found in living in God’s grace? What could this life possibly offer that is worth more than the God that sent His Son to take on the weight and the hopelessness of our sin in exchange for His righteousness? Why would we choose a path that leads to a heart full of thorns, weeds, and nettles? Why would we opt for a road that ends with unkempt, unprotected souls on the way to a place that means only eternal pain and suffering? 

For the Christian, who is on the path of righteousness, passing others whose hearts are in such obvious disrepair, what is our response? Do we turn up our nose at the lack of spiritual care, or do we try to encourage them to look to Christ? Do we even offer a passing prayer, asking God to draw that heart to repentance– to wake that sleeper from their sinful slumber and turn to Christ? 

Solomon is clear about what happens to the landowner who has neglected his field in such a way, choosing his selfishness and sluggishness over taking the care to work over what he has. That man awakes to poverty and want. He rests on his laurels now, but when the winter comes, he will be left wanting for food and provision. 

For the spiritually lazy, the outcome is all the more sobering: That sinner will wake at some point, whether to the depth of His sin by the Holy Spirit in time to turn from it, or at the end of his life when He stands before the Lord in judgment of his life. In that moment, the spiritual sluggard will wish that they heeded all the warnings they got in this life in taking care of the soul they were given by God. They will find themselves cut off from the Lord’s presence, in want and poverty yet unable to partake in that grace.

We should be careful in our spiritual neglect in addressing our sin. To be lax on it is to allow weeds and thorns to take hold; but the Lord is calling us all to be righteous and holy as He is righteous and holy. If we are leaning on our own talents, goals, strength, or intelligence to carry us through life, then we need to repent and turn to Christ. We need to allow Him to be the one that is our Savior and our boast. We need to pray to the Lord and ask Him to give us more grace, convicting us of our sin and helping us to turn away from it. 

And if we find ourselves to be the one passing others, judging them for the state of perceived disrepair that they live out, we need to ask God to forgive us for our pride and arrogance. We need to ask God to give us clean hearts and a merciful compassion for those that are in need of His encouragement. May we be grieved over what grieves God’s heart, and may we be quick to be Christ’s servant and reach out in love to those in need of the Gospel.