Proverbs 10:24-26 (ESV)
24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
Even the wicked man has a conscience, and deep in his soul, he knows he will reap the consequences of his evil behavior. The righteous person will ultimately see what he longs for: God’s kingdom established. In time, the wicked will be swept away in God’s judgment, but the righteous will live with the Lord forever. Unlike good wine, which was diluted for refreshment in the ancient Near East, vinegar eats away at the enamel of the teeth, hurting the one who drinks it. When preparing a fire for cooking, if smoke enters the eyes, it burns. In the same way, the sluggard brings disappointment, pain, and even harm to the one who entrusts her with a task. When you are asked to do something, do you faithfully accomplish what you’ve been assigned, or do you fail to deliver? The lazy person is not only useless but harmful as well. Resist any desire to be unfaithful to what’s expected of you today.