Proverbs 24:30 I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. 31 I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: 32 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 33 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
There is a trend in which toddlers are trading in their pacifiers for toys. These brave little ones are handing over their known security for the next level of maturity in their lives. All the while, the parents of these courageous children are recording the event on their IPacifier devices. It seems that parents cannot let go of their devices because they are hooked on this type of digital cocaine. The warnings of doom scrolling and hours spent wasting time on these devices are said to be causing a dumbing down and laziness within society. The exchange of passive digital use is becoming the thief of reading, exercising and experiencing the quiet and wonder of nature. The Ipacifiers are stealing our resolve to get out and do something beneficial and spiritually advantageous for the heart and soul of man. We are becoming lazy in our hearts. Prov. 24:32 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 33 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
Distractions are costing people and taking their wealth, health, and relationships, because this false comfort is breeding delusion. The enemy of our being is hell bent on bringing distractions and numbing diversions to cause us to look to other resources for our well-being and spiritual health. Zech. 10:2 Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that provide no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd. We become susceptible to spiritual attack because we have replaced the Shepherd of our souls with devices of convenience. There is nothing wrong in being efficient and looking for better ways of being productive and finding the best life for our families; however, what price are we paying to have these conveniences replace our exercising of thoughts, and the ability to think through the challenges in life?
Finding something to numb our senses to escape the tediousness of the day is not new. In the book of Daniel, we read the story of King Belshazzar, who entertained thousands of high-ranking officials and partied excessively. Dan. 5:1 King Belshazzar prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of them all. This kind of passive drunken living made the king dull of mind. He brought the treasure of golden and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple, that had been ransacked in Jerusalem. The thing about having a pacifier when we should be at the age of reason is that we make stupid choices and declarations. With the holy instruments of God’s temple, Belshazzar starts toasting his gods with the Lord’s holy temple-use cups. Dan. 5:4 While they drank from them, they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
King Belshazzar must have been dumbfounded when he saw the hand begin to write on the wall. Dan. 5:5 Suddenly, the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. He might have blamed the excessive wine consumption for the vision appearing before him, but he sobered up quickly when others started pointing at the wall. Dan. 5:6 Then the king’s colour changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. God does know how to get our attention and make His point clear to all. When the queen hears about the commotion that has pushed the king into a state of terror, she tells the king that there is a man of God who can interpret divine mysteries. Dan. 5:12 This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.
Daniel explains the words of prophetic relevance for the king. Dan. 5:25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. The translation was to the point. Daniel says, “King Belshazzar, you have been weighed by God, and your days are numbered. Your kingdom will soon be taken over by the Medes and Persians.” All the king’s pacifiers and comforts could do nothing to change his inevitable downfall. Had King Belshazzar become a product of the partying lifestyle, so that he let down his guard against mediocrity and sloth? Is that what we as a society are doing by the constant upgrades of technological aids and the overuse of all our devices? I’m asking these questions because I need the answers for my life and for those I love. Am I being set up to become so comfortable that there will be no fight in me when the enemy of all Christians makes war on the church? Will we be so numbed out that we won’t even care that the church is under attack?
Once we recognize our spiritual disease, we need to enter into Jesus’ healing so that we can function and wear the armour of the Lord while using the authority God gave us to overcome all distractions. We need to be focused and intentional in our pursuit of maturity as Christians. Solomon said that he went by the field of a slacker and could see there would be trouble. Prov. 24:30 I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. 31 I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: 32 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 33 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit. We are called to be diligent and sober-minded so that we recognize the slow burn of complacency that Satan leads many into. 1Pet. 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Let us exchange our pacifiers for the gifts of God and be as courageous as the children who turned in theirs for something better.
Wow… I never thought of my phone usage (scrolling) as a household god before… I am guilty of this… wow!!!! Father – forgive me. I need Your help to break this addiction in Jesus name.
Hi Michelle
We are all going to have to deal with this idol. It has become a stronghold in many people’s lives.
2Cor. 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
Amen.