Proverbs 18:9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
The slothful person (Hebrew: raphah) is lazy, careless, or neglectful in what they are supposed to do. This isn’t about inability; it’s about apathy and lack of diligence.
The “great waster” (Hebrew: mashchit) is a destroyer, someone who actively ruins or squanders resources, opportunities, or responsibilities. This Proverb links the lazy person with the one who destroys, saying they are effectively siblings in outcome.
Though the slothful may not intend harm, their negligence causes just as much damage as the deliberate destroyer. Waste by laziness is as ruinous as waste by aggression.
Neglect is a form of destruction. Failing to care for what is entrusted to us, our work, relationships, and responsibilities, is not neutral. Inaction leads to loss. Laziness and destruction may wear different faces, but they walk the same path.
Don’t excuse laziness as harmless. Evaluate where neglect might be silently ruining good things. Be faithful with small things, neglect compounds, and the damage can be long-lasting (Luke 16:10). Diligence preserves what others carelessly waste.
This verse speaks not only to individuals, but to organisations and leaders: negligence is complicity in decay.
Living the Word 