"Learning From Overgrown Fields and Broken Down Walls" (Proverbs 24:30-34) by Neal Pollard

Somehow, I don't imagine him wearing the robes of his office.

Perhaps he had some of his dad's hand-me-down clothes.

Maybe he put some of those on so that he looked more like a shepherd

than the sovereign of the nation of Israel.

But looking into his life a little further,

we realize that he had plenty of garments all of his own

that he might have put on that would have made him seem incognito

as he went about and he saw the things that were going on in his kingdom.

It's obvious that Solomon knew a lot more about life than just how to run a country.

When we read in 1 Kings chapter 4, we see that God gave him great discernment

1 Kings 4 · chapter mention

and breadth of mind, 1 Kings chapter 4 and verse 29.

1 Kings 4 · chapter mention

And with this knowledge that he is given, we see how he employed that

to come to understand all that there was to know.

In fact, the writer of Kings tells us that he writes 3,000 proverbs

and 1,005 songs over the course of his life, 1 Kings chapter 4 and verse 32.

1 Kings 4 · chapter mention

And he also spoke of trees, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that was on the wall.

And he spoke of animals and birds and creeping things and of fish.

And men came from all nations of the earth in order to hear him,

all the kings of the earth that had heard of his great wisdom,

1 Kings chapter 4, verse 33 and 34.

1 Kings 4:33

And so maybe as he slips around into the villages and the land that was under his control,

it was on this occasion that he made an observation.

He said, I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense.

And behold, it was overgrown completely with thistles,

and the ground was covered with nettles, and the stone wall was broken down.

When I saw it, I reflected, I looked, and I received instruction.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in rest.

Behold, your poverty will come like a robber, and your want like an armed man.

We read that in Proverbs chapter 24, verse 30 through 34,

Proverbs 24:30–34

and in one of the longer observations of Proverbs in the second half of the book.

It doesn't tell us if Solomon knew this man or if he was a complete stranger to him,

if he had any history at all.

We're not aware if this man's home had always been dilapidated

or if this was something that had happened recently.

Yet what we find is that Solomon sees this man as an embarrassment to himself.

He's an embarrassment to his neighbors, no doubt.

He's an embarrassment to Solomon and to the rest of the nation.

So Solomon makes some observations.

When we think about what the Proverbs are,

Proverbs are very simply wise sayings that are brief and graphic and are easy to remember.

When we study a passage like Proverbs chapter 24, verse 30 through 34,

Proverbs 24:30–34

it is clear that there is a literal conclusion to draw with regard to that.

God has given all of us resources that He holds us responsible for.

We're to be stewards of those things, and that includes all that we have.

That includes our houses, that includes our lands.

We should not allow neglect and misuse and misspending of the resources that God gives.

But what he says here seems to me to have a much more profound and a wider impact than just the literal.

When we see what Solomon is speaking of in Proverbs 24, verse 30 through 34,

Proverbs 24:30–34

it makes us think of all that God has given to us in our hands.

God has given to each of us relationships in our lives,

and He sees to it or He wants us to make the best use of and to regard those as actively

and to be engaged in those as much as we can.

God is as interested as our time and our talent as He is with our treasure.

God is looking at how we cultivate and develop our abilities and our character

and our relationship with Him.

Whatever we do or don't know about this man in Proverbs 24, verse 30 through 34,

Proverbs 24:30–34

we can make some deductions.

This man had some responsibilities that he was not meeting.

This man had some resources that he was not taking care of.

This man had some right things to do that he was not exercising.

This man had an accountability that he wasn't taking ownership of.

And apparently it is serious enough that Solomon would categorize it for us as folly,

as foolishness, as one who is lacking in sense.

And if we put that in the context of the entire book of Proverbs,

we find that God does not approve of folly,

and it would be in the category of sin and weakness and mistakes.

What can we take beyond just the application to occupation in our career?

How can we make application to all parts of our life,

these profound words that are found in Proverbs 24, verse 30 through 34?

Proverbs 24:30–34

In the moments that we have this morning together,

I'd like for us just to make three observations from Proverbs 24, verse 30 through 34,

Proverbs 24:30–34

as we look at the field of the sluggard and the ground of the man lacking sense.

As we dig more deeply into this, the first thing we see is their condition.

You'll notice that he says that the field was completely overgrown with thistles,

and the ground was covered with nettles, and the stone wall was broken down.

As we think about what this means by its significance,

we see that this is a plot of ground that was capable of producing something.

The fact that there are thistles and that there are nettles

tells us that the ground could produce.

And by looking at the stones that are laying there in their disrepair,

we realize that those stones were capable of forming a wall that does its job.

As we think about the condition of these things,

we realize that they were meant to do something, and they were doing something else.

You know, in our lives, we are all producing something one way or another,

and the Bible makes that point for us repeatedly.

Jesus liked to make this point.

In Matthew chapter 12, verse 33 through 35, He says,

Matthew 12:33–35

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good,

or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, for you shall know them by their fruits.

You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak that which is good?

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

So then make the tree good, and its fruit good,

or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad.

And then Jesus, in His sermon, you remember in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 16,

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

He says that men do not gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles.

Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit,

and a bad tree brings forth bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit.

And every tree that does not produce good fruit, men break down,

and they throw into the fire.

Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them.

Matthew chapter 7, verse 16 through verse 20.

Matthew 7:16

Solomon would indicate what Jesus would indicate.

If there are thorns, and if there are nettles in any area of our life,

if the wall is broken down around those things that are ours,

we can't shift that blame to anyone else.

So as we expand our horizons from just the land where we live and the house that's on it,

we ask about its condition.

First of all, for example, what condition is your marriage in?

If you're here today and married, I want you to think about that.

How often do you think back to your dating days or the day that you got married?

Or perhaps you think back to the early days of your marriage?

Those were very exciting times.

And if you're like anybody else, you found, you met that person that you fell in love with,

and you chose them over every other person, every other relationship on this earth,

and you either went to the courthouse, or you went into a church building,

or into some venue somewhere, and you declared your love for all time to that person.

And as you think about those early days and those moments,

do you remember how you interacted with one another?

Think about the words that you said to the one that you were trying to win.

You said words that would attract them to you.

You said words that would be words of encouragement.

You did acts of service for them.

You found tangible ways to let them know that you chose them above any other relationship

and any other friendship that you could ever form.

Now, if you weren't good to one another when you were dating in those courting days,

that should have been a red flag for you to have looked at.

But more than likely, there were things that were said and things that were done by you and by them

that was done to maximize their attraction to you.

That's just the way it works all the way back to the beginning of time.

But what happens so often in the process of time?

So often it seems that we stop saying those words to try to build up and encourage one another.

We stop trying to be selfless and put the other person above ourselves

and before we know it, we can find ourselves being roommates

and being business partners rather than soulmates and helpmates.

Just making it to 10 or 20 or 50 years is not an accomplishment

if the relationship has grown with the nettles and the thorns of hurt and betrayal and isolation and resentment.

You know, William Dougherty in his book, Taking Back Your Marriage, says

that we must constantly be building love and marriage rituals.

What rituals do you have to keep the thorns and the nettles and the broken down walls out of your marriage?

Do you set aside time every day in order to talk to one another?

Do you make sexual and emotional intimacy a priority in your married life?

Are you doing those acts that bring you together?

Are you touching base with one another to make sure that you know what's going on?

Are you continuing to serve?

You know, a woman was asked about that she'd been married to her husband for over 60 years.

A woman in Georgia was asked to give her a most precious piece of advice that she could.

And she said in response to that, never be afraid to be the one that loves the most.

As you look into the field of your marriage, what condition is it in?

What condition is your home in?

You know, moms and dads, we should never get to the point that we outgrow

that absolutely sobering thought that when we bring children into this world,

we are partnering with God to bring something eternal into existence.

That when we are at the various stages of bringing our children up,

we must remind ourselves that someday they're going to stand before the great I Am

and they're going to hear Him say,

come, you're blessed of my Father, or depart from me.

And while the Bible makes it clear that everybody is going to stand

and give and account for themselves individually,

2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10,

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

the book of Proverbs makes it clear that the home is a field,

that we must be constantly cultivating and making sure that we are maintaining.

And we do that in multiple ways.

One of the ways in which we cultivate and maintain the field of our home is through the training.

It's measured by the training and the discipline that's done there.

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about raising our children

and perhaps none stands above Proverbs 22 and verse 6.

And in that particular passage, there are at least three facets involved in this discipline.

First is the facet of discipline.

Train up a child.

This idea of training is that when children come into the world from the very beginning,

we are establishing values and a view of the world.

In this discipline, we are introducing them to the very first authority figures

that they must obey and submit to in this life.

And so we're setting the tone for the future relationships that they're going to engage in.

And so God wants us to make sure that we are demonstrating for them

their responsibility, their role to those in authority in their lives.

The second area after discipline is direction.

Train up a child in the way he should go.

Here's what I found about direction.

There are times, these are wonderful golden moments,

when it's easy and effortless

that you tell your child something to do

and remarkably they are ready, they're on board and they're going in the same direction.

But most of the time it doesn't work that way.

Usually there is a test of will and resolve

and there's got to be a consistency that keeps us to the task

because there are days when it is difficult

and yet we must still determine the direction.

Then though there is a durability.

When he is old, he will not depart from it.

We're planting seeds that we can't see the end result of now.

We're helping them along the road

And so because that's the case, there are passages that speak to us and encourage us

that he who spoils, hates his son, spoils him or spoils a child, hates his son

but he who loves him, disciplines him diligently.

Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 24

Proverbs 13 · chapter mention

Discipline your son while there's hope, do not desire his death.

Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 18

Proverbs 19 · chapter mention

And so as we are actively at work in the field,

it's measured by discipline.

But it's also measured by the priorities in the home.

You know, Jesus isn't focusing exclusively on the home environment.

In fact, he's not. He's speaking of our relationship to material things.

When in Matthew 6 and verse 33, he says,

Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness

and all these things will be added unto you.

And yet when we apply that to our home, this is a principle that will ring true.

It's a good gauge of measurement as to whether or not the fields are overgrown

and the walls are broken down.

If your family members were polled as to what was the greatest emphasis in your home,

what would it be?

If it was measured in dollars and cents,

what would the inhabitants of your home say was the thing that was valued the most?

You know, these are things that are measurable.

And we can very easily find ourselves by default focusing, shifting our focus to something else.

And while we're preparing our children to be successful economically, to be successful socially,

we've got to ask ourselves,

what are we doing to make sure that we ensure that our homes are cultivated and turned over

and fertilized in the way that it should be?

What is the condition of your spiritual life?

I discovered something that I appreciate more and more the older I get,

and they call it the forgetting curve.

Did you know there was such a thing?

In you receiving new information, there's a forgetting curve that says

that within a week's time, you forget 90% of the new information that you get.

Howard, isn't that a wonderful thing to know?

That in a week, 90% of what we're saying here today is going to be completely forgotten.

50% in the first hour.

75% in the first day.

So psychology today says that there are certain things you can do

in order to try to cut down on that, or to cut into that.

One of the things you can do is to write it down.

If you write it down, you're more apt to remember it.

But you can also, in the things that you receive, try to make connections with them.

And the third and maybe the most important thing is

is that you've got to apply them immediately.

God understands how important remembering is

and how important remembering it is to provoking action in our life.

And so think about how much of what God's Word speaks to our spiritual lives

is about us remembering.

How well do we do if we get out of the habit of daily diving into the Word of God?

What happens to us spiritually when faithful prayer goes by the wayside?

Have you considered why it is that God has mandated for us

what a privilege it is, but He tells us that He wants us to come together

and to remember His suffering and His death week after week?

Or why He says it's so important for us to assemble together

not just occasionally, but faithfully?

Or what about the importance of thinking back to

when and why you obeyed God's Word and became a Christian

and how you felt when those moments happened in your life?

When we look at this man's field, we see the condition that it was in.

We don't know anything else about this man,

but we know that he was responsible for the condition that it was in.

But then second, as we look back into Proverbs 24

and we see these overgrown fields

and we see these broken down walls,

we see the cause.

Please take note of the fact

that there's nothing overtly evil that's done by this man.

It's not said that he's practicing wickedness.

What is said is that he didn't do anything at all.

He folded his hands, a little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands in rest.

Now we should take note of the fact

that Solomon here is not telling us

that it's wrong for us to take a break.

He's not encouraging us to become raging workaholics.

But this man took a good thing to a bad extreme

and as the result of that, there is a cause.

There is an effect, if you will, that comes as the result.

Because he has folded his hands,

hands that should have been working at a time

when he should have been building and planting,

there are things that are going to happen.

And he summarizes in the way

that we saw in our Bible reading a moment ago

in Proverbs chapter 6, verse 10 and 11.

Proverbs 6:10

It's almost verbatim.

And Solomon will say in Ecclesiastes 4 and verse 5

that the fool folds his hand and consumes his flesh.

Solomon is saying that when we're not taking care

to cultivate and to maintain

and to work the soil in our lives

and to keep the home protected,

that what happens is that those hands are lying dormant.

We'll see more about the effect of that

even further in this lesson.

But isn't it interesting that the New Testament

often refers to faithlessness,

inactivity, indifference, and apathy

by saying it's like falling asleep.

In the New Testament, we find several contexts

where this is said,

and a little sleep, a little slumber,

the unfolding of the hands can spell the difference

in how we do spiritually.

First of all, a little sleep, a little slumber

can spell all the difference.

And whether we are walking in darkness

or walking in light.

Paul would say in Romans chapter 13 and verse 11

Romans 13 · chapter mention

that the time has come for us to wake out of sleep

because our salvation is near

the day in which we first believed.

And because of this,

we are not to walk in the darkness

that he describes in verse 13.

He says, not in carousing and drunkenness,

not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality,

not in strife and jealousy,

but put on the Lord Jesus Christ

and make no provision for the flesh.

Paul is saying that it spells the difference

as to whether we're walking in darkness

or we're walking with Christ in the light.

And when we don't tend to our spiritual lives,

we fall asleep and we wake up

on the wrong side of the world.

The apostle Paul also would tell us

that a little sleep, a little slumber

spells the difference between wisdom and foolishness.

Wherefore, he says,

awake you who sleep and arise from the dead

and Christ shall give you life.

And be not unwise, men, but wise,

making the most of the time because the days are evil.

Therefore, do not be foolish,

but understand what the will of the Lord is.

By actively being involved

in our own spiritual nurturing and development,

we make sure that we're classified by God in wisdom.

And he says,

it's a matter of making sure

that you're using your time to its fullest

to build and to stay at work

on those things that need your attention.

And alongside of that,

he says a little sleep, a little slumber

can spell all the difference

in whether you are ready or you're not ready.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter five,

verse five through eight,

Paul again tells us not to sleep.

We're not like those who sleep,

but we're of the day,

we're not of the night

because men do those reprehensible things

in the night.

Instead, we put on the armor of God.

We put on the armor of faith and love

and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Do you remember,

I guess it was in the tail end of the pandemic,

a story that was really surprising

that occurred down in Surfside, Florida.

It's a Miami suburb.

Remember, it was a 12 story condo

that had been around for several years.

And overnight that condo collapsed

and 98 people lost their lives.

11 were injured.

And as they always do,

they do an after action report

and they look more deeply into what took place.

And not surprisingly,

as they began to examine

the structural integrity of that condo,

they found that there had been a leak

taking place underground,

involved the pool deck.

And there were still reinforcements underground

and because of the water,

it was corroding,

just slowly,

just a little bit by a little bit.

And they said that it was as the result of this

that even though you couldn't tell

the damage was happening beneath the surface

and it weakened and weakened

and over time,

it got to the point

that this entire building collapsed

and almost 100 people

went out into eternity.

When we consider the fact

that so often,

these damages occur

when we're not even noticing them.

Sometimes things happen suddenly

but so often,

it happens little by little.

By not being vigilant

to take care to those areas of our life

where God holds us responsible,

the erosion takes place.

I don't know if you've gone to a house

that's been unoccupied

and you've had to go in.

Maybe Jeremy,

as you're doing an inspection

that hadn't been inhabited for months,

it makes a difference.

You begin to see signs of that.

There are leaks.

Maybe there's mold.

There are pests.

There's rots.

Negligence leads to decay.

Solomon is walking by

this man's property

and as he looks,

he sees the field

and he observes the wall

and he says,

a little sleep,

a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands.

He's addressing times

when hands that are rested

need to be at work

and so we ask ourselves,

are there areas in our lives

where we folded our hands

where we should be busy?

But then third,

as we look into this text

in Proverbs 24,

Proverbs 24:30–34

verse 30 through 34,

we see the consequences.

When Solomon speaks of this,

he says,

as I went by,

I reflected,

I looked

and I received instruction

as I saw this.

What I saw was

that this poverty came

like a robber

and the want came

like an armed man.

It seemed sudden

but it had been building

all of this time.

Now,

Solomon's proverb

has a moral here

He's talking about poverty.

He said,

this poverty came on him

like a thief

and like an armed robber

but it wasn't.

The consequences were sudden

but it had been coming

the whole time.

When we look at

the consequences

that come about,

we realize that

there are consequences

that happen in this life.

That want,

that robber

picture is one

that's very graphic.

I don't know

if you've ever had this happen to you.

Have you ever had

a house broken into?

Happened to us twice

when I was growing up

both times in Georgia.

I don't know

what the moral

of that story is.

One was in South Georgia

one was in West Georgia

and it was both

in the night time.

And I remember

I was a kid

and I felt very helpless.

It was an opening

of a sliding glass door

on one occasion

and somebody

with a flashlight

trying to get into a house

that we weren't quite in

but we were camping in

a few days

before we were

going to occupy it.

It's a scary thing.

When you feel like

your safety

your peace

is being violated

somebody who you've

not invited

is coming in

and that's the picture

that Solomon

is painting for us.

By the way

it's happened twice

since we've been married

and both times

I was out of town

and poor Kathy

had to

I was in a different

time zone.

It's a scary feeling

when somebody

is in your house

and doesn't belong there

and Solomon says

there's the picture.

You want to see

what it's like?

It's like an armed man

who comes in suddenly.

You know

I think about

the New Testament

and that's how

the New Testament

describes Jesus is coming.

It's like a thief

in the night

in the twinkling of an eye

but here

the application is

it's something unwanted.

The consequences.

And think about

how we can suffer

those consequences

in this life.

We stop investing

in our marriage

it becomes cold

it becomes lifeless

and it can even lead

to adultery

and divorce

and death

and death

and death

and death

and death

and death

and death

and divorce.

Or we stop working on

putting the Lord first

in our homes

and we make habits

and decisions

that compound

over the years

and then when our children

leave home

they leave the Lord.

Or perhaps we have

a disagreement with

an argument with

if you will

a brother or sister

in Christ

and it doesn't take long

that that grows

beyond just

that one-on-one

situation

the Lord says

take care of it

Matthew 18 15-17

and we find

that it begins

to impact

our spiritual health

and even

our relationship

with the Lord

because it's impossible

for us to be right

with Him

and not be right

with each other.

Or perhaps

we've stopped working

on our spiritual

relationship

with God

and as a result

of that

the Hebrews writer says

we can liken that

to drifting

and we are

neglecting so great

a salvation

Hebrews chapter 2

Hebrews 2:1–3

verse 1-3

and so

thankfully

as we look at this

there are warning signs

in this life

and God

wants us

through passages like this

to see those

and to take the steps

you think about

what makes good soil

it's not just

good soil by itself

it has to be fed

it has to be watered

it has to be turned over

it has to be fertilized

but you know

there's consequences

that come

ultimately

if we're not

heeding this principle

that Solomon

is mentioning here

of actively

being at work

in our own lives

Peter says

if after they have escaped

the pollution

of the world

through the knowledge

of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ

they are again

entangled therein

and overcome

the latter end

is worse with them

than the beginning

for it would have been

better for them

to have never known

the way of righteousness

than having known

it to turn away

from the holy commandment

delivered unto them

but it has happened

to them according

to 2 Peter 2

2 Peter 2:20–22

verse 20-22

and so

Solomon shows us

there are consequences

now

and eternally

if we're not

actively at work

in nurturing

our own spiritual development

and those

that God has put

into our lives

so what's the point

Neil

is it hopeless

are once fields

overgrown

with nettles

and thistles

is that all

that can be done

can walls

that are broken down

can they be built

back up again

I believe

the very existence

of this

that these verses

are in

the Bible

tell us

that God says

that we can do

something

but this is a warning

for us

it's an encouragement

that we can repair

what's been broken down

we can begin again

anew

full confession

I'm not an

HGTV fan

or I guess

it's Magnolia network

now

but

this is one show

that we watched

on occasion

they were

seem to be

a wholesome couple

and that show

was called

Fixer Upper

with Chip and Joanna Gaines

if there's

stuff I don't know about them

then don't tell me

but

that's what they

are said to be

you know

and she's very talented

and he was a funny guy

and so they take a house

that was in need

of great repair

structural problems

and she would design it

and he would build it

and according to Zillow

houses that were

fixer uppers

exceeded

the market

expected value

by 30 percent

there is

a

there is

a master

of the makeover

Chip and Joanna Gaines

have absolutely

nothing on him

he majors

in taking

those things

that have

fallen into

disrepair

those individuals

who have

fallen into

disrepute

who have

stumbled

and failed

and he is

the master

of their makeover

Paul says

you've not

learned

Christ

if so be

you've learned

the truth

which is

in Christ Jesus

that you

put off

the old man

which is being

corrupted by

the deceitful lust

be renewed

in the spirit

of your mind

and that you

put on the new man

which after God

is created in

righteousness

and true holiness

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:20–24

verse 20

through 24

I think it was

instructional for us

that Solomon

took his little walk

that day

and when he did

he came across

this field

because he shows

that we are

conditioned

not just

that our

occupation

and our

career

can be in

but in

every aspect

of our life

and he wants

us to see

the cause

and that's

when we

fold hands

that need

to be busy

and the

consequences

if we

don't

change that

will be

felt in

this life

and in

the life

and in the midst

of that prayer

he talked about

the heart

of an individual

who sees

the will

of Christ

and wants

to rise

to walk

in newness

of life

maybe that's

where you

find yourself

this morning

ready

to make

that decision

to put your

Lord on

in baptism

believing

that he

is the son

of God

willing to

confess

to you

of such a

nature

that you

need us

to pray

alongside of

you

to take

your concerns

and your

needs

to the throne

of God

and to have

prayers

collectively

on your

behalf

maybe

there's

something

you're

struggling

with

that has

outgrown

your ability

to work

as we stand