Proverbs 12:27
“The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.”
Hunting
I am not a hunter. I am a gatherer.
Unlike some of my more outdoorsy friends and relatives, I am not much for going out and killing things, even for food. Don’t get me wrong, though, I have gone hunting in my younger years; it’s just not something I enjoy. I’d rather go to a restaurant and hunt down a steak.
The biggest gripe that I have with hunting, however, is having to dress the animals you kill in the field. If you don’t know what am talking about, that means gutting the animal that was just an hour before frolicking in the wilderness.
I do not enjoy the smell of blood in the morning, especially mixed with sweaty camouflage.
Wasted Kill
This proverb makes mention of a hunter, but the hunter is a lazy man, one so lazy that instead of preparing the slain animal for food, he just lets it spoil. What could have been food for his family and himself is allowed to rot and go to waste. That’s just wrong.
Some people kill just for sport, which I believe is unethical.
However, there are others who never kill anything, but they waste life, nevertheless. How sad is that?
Life is Precious
I believe that all life is precious, even the life of the animals used for food. It’s not that God gives deer and squirrel souls, but He is responsible for the life within them. After all, He was their Creator.
An ethical hunter knows this, and that is why the above proverb says, “but the substance of a diligent man is precious.” A lot goes into the hunt for game, including time, money, and skill. A wise man doesn’t waste what opportunity he has been given; he puts it to use.
The “Game” of Life
What is it that you have been working for all your life? What have you gone to school for, or practiced for? Was all of that for nothing? Did you hunt down time, only to let it lie there and rot in the forests of life?
Don’t waste the opportunities or talents God has given you. But more than that, don’t let go to waste the things for which you have hunted and caught. What a waste of life if you do.