In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves. – Psalm 127:2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 28, 2022): Psalms 127 & 128

I am a night owl, which means I really don't like mornings. But it is a choice, and I recognize that. So, I suffer through my mornings. Not that I can actually sleep even if I did go to bed early. For me, going to bed early seems to be the recipe for a sleepless night. I believe that we are all wired differently, so our sleep schedules are naturally different. And those differences were exemplified by my grandparents. My mom's parents were the "early to bed, early to rise" kind of people. They would often be in bed by 9:30 or 10:00 at night but were up by 6:00 in the morning. My dad's parents were seldom in bed before midnight and slept a couple of hours later into the morning. (I remember going to my paternal grandparent's house during Christmas break when I was in college and having my Grandmother stay up with me until one in the morning watching old reruns of "MacGyver" with Richard Dean Anderson. Then we would both go to bed, but while I tended to sleep until mid-morning, Grandma was up at about six a.m. making breakfast for all of the people who went to bed at an appropriate time.)

But Solomon isn't talking about my Grandmother or me. He is talking about those who go to bed late and get up early, all in an effort to get ahead. The NIV translation of the verse seems to indicate that these people are toiling to make ends meet. But that is not the intention of Solomon's words. He is not pointing out people who work hard to put food on the table. And he is not saying that we shouldn't work hard. Consider the following instruction also from Proverbs.

Consider the ant, you lazy bum.
    Watch its ways, and become wise.
 Although it has no overseer, officer, or ruler,
in summertime it stores its food supply.
    At harvest time it gathers its food.

How long will you lie there, you lazy bum?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
"Just a little sleep,
    just a little slumber,
    just a little nap."
Then your poverty will come to you like a drifter,
    and your need will come to you like a bandit (Proverbs 6:6-11).

What bothers Solomon is the attitude of those who trust things rather than God. They chase after material advances rather than being content with what they have. They jealously compare themselves with their neighbors rather than being thankful for what God has given them. It isn't just that they are toiling for food; they are eating the bread of sorrow because no matter how much they have, it is never enough. To these people, Solomon argues that part of the gift that God gives us every night is sleep so that we can be ready for the next day. When God has supplied our needs, we have enough, and we need to be content with that. Efforts spent continually trying to get more is against God's intentions, who expects us to work but also understands that we also need a rest from working.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 1