Idle Hands
Have you ever heard the saying: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”? I remember hearing this when I was given to just laying around as a teenager. I thought it was in the Bible, because those who said it said it with such conviction. No, you will not find this saying in the Scriptures, but the principle is based on Biblical teaching. Idleness is doing nothing when you should be doing something. It is being lazy. Paul addressed this behavior at various times in his letters to the churches and to his disciples. To the Thessalonians he writes: “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” (II Thessalonians 3:11) They were busy, just busy at doing what they should not be doing.
A car that is idling is a car that has its motor on but is not in gear. It is going nowhere just making noise. Paul told Timothy to correct the young widows who had learned to be idle, and that they were going around from house to house as busybodies and gossips. (I Timothy 5:13) Their lack of productive activity gave room for their flesh to go unchecked. In this “workshop”, the devil has quite a time. Here, the idle mind begins to imagine all sorts juicy tidbits about other peoples’ lives. An idle mind also tends to concentrate on controversial speculations of future events, legalistic interpretations of certain words used in the Bible, conspiracy theories, and questions of nonimportance. Paul told Timothy that this only served to create friction between people and had no semblance of the truth. (I Timothy 6:4-5)
Being idle is not the same as resting. The Sabbath was given as a day of rest. On this day, the people of God are to cease from their normal daily activity and concentrate on God. It is the time we set aside to “set our minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2) We do not empty our minds to rest, but we fill our minds with the Word of God. As Psalms 37:7 says: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…”, and in Psalms 116:7: “Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Resting in the Lord is when we are being built up spiritually. Idleness is when we cease to be about our Father’s business and coast into fleshly thoughts and behavior.
I have found that idleness comes to those who have neglected their calling and divine commission. Jesus told us to go into all the world to preach the Gospel, to make disciples of all nations and to do good and minister healing to all who are oppressed by the devil. When we stop being busy extending the Kingdom of God, we lose our purpose. With no purpose or goal in mind, we become easily distracted and the devil provides us with many wayward thoughts and meaningless occupations by which we waste the time we could have used in helping others. It is a destructive lifestyle and should be avoided. Proverbs 18:9 says: “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.” Idleness is the devil’s workshop.
Paul set a good example for us to follow in that he was diligent in working hard for the betterment of the Church. He didn’t just stand around finding fault in the lives of the believers and leadership. He didn’t go house to house spreading rumors and false doctrines. This is what he did to destroy the devil’s workshop: “We were not idle when we were with you…on the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we could not be a burden to any of you.” (II Thessalonians 3:7-8) Let us do the same.
Scriptures to meditate on:
II Thessalonians 3:11; I Timothy 5:13; 6:4-5; Prov. 18:9; Luke 2:49; 10:2