Would you rather to be able to see the future or be able to detect lies? If you could have either what would you do? Would investments be easier? Would you steer clear of things? Both would be some sort of superpower. It would be good if we knew who we could trust. However, if you have lived some time in this world, it is clear that there are some bad actors that do not have your best interest in mind.
Since the start of this year, Scamwatch says $173.8M has been taken from Australians.
People are trying to get you to trust them or invest in their new scheme. There are Nigerian princes out there who want to give you lots of money. There is a part of us that would really like this to be true; if it is, we wouldn’t have to work anymore, it would be grand.
Throughout this series in Proverbs, we are seeing what it is to live wisely in this world. Living wisely is the way God intended us to, it is going back to the garden in the beginning.
Adam and Eve were given the task of stewarding the land they were given. They were told to till and work the earth, and they were told to multiply and build community. These were good things, but now, since the fall, we are in a world where work and community are frustrated.
Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Proverbs is bookended by warnings against adultery, and in the middle we have today's passage. Here we see some other personifications of folly.
We will see that we should not go into debt for someone else, we shouldn’t be lazy, and we shouldn’t stir up conflict.
The Softie: Do not go into debt for someone else
The first person we meet in this chapter is someone whom I’m calling a softie. They might be big-hearted, or naive or maybe even a pushover, so they are put in a situation where they financially back someone else's plans.My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—
and give your neighbor no rest!
Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler. (Proverbs 6:1–5 NIV)
This softie has hastily entered into a deal and gotten into debt. We aren’t told how or why. Maybe because they wanted to help a are friend, or they might have felt sorry for them, or they might have wanted to be their hero. The other party could have also been very good a persuasion, maybe even offering a little cash incentive if they funded their schemes.
This softie has offered their money for someone who is first called a neighbour and then a stranger. They might not be well-known to them.
Whatever the circumstances, the instruction is to not go into debt for something you are not responsible for.
The rest of Proverbs has much to say about putting up security for others, all along the same theme
Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe. (Proverbs 11:15 NIV)
One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor. (Proverbs 17:18 NIV)
Do not be one who shakes hands in pledgeThe danger is, that other people’s debt becomes your debt, and if it all goes south, which you can’t control, you could lose everything.
or puts up security for debts;
if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you. (Proverbs 22:26–27 NIV)
Notice the use of hands here. This person's hands have caused them trouble. They have shaken hands together in a deal, and now they are in the debtor's hands, which have become like a hunter's hand.
The instruction here is; if you have entered this type of deal, you are to end it as fast as you can. Go to the point of annoyance to the neighbour, do not rest; hurry and get out of it. Even if you have to eat humble pie. You are like a wounded animal in a trap, be single-minded to get out of it as soon and as quick as possible.
Technically, this is not a warning against loaning to another but against pledging security for another, perhaps someone you are not close to. (Proverbs Bridging Contexts)
You might co-sign a loan for your child, but not with a stranger you don’t know. How good their credit is, are lying, how well do they save? If the banks, with all their calculations, won’t give someone a loan and they then come to you to help, what makes you think your judgment will be better than the banks?
If you have promised a pledge for an amount that you may not even have at the moment, get out of that predicament as soon as you can. Repay quickly if you have to.
There are many people asking for your money. If you are not responsible for their outcome, don’t back their plans. You don’t know the future of your own finances, let alone someone else's. Don’t speculate on a get-rich-scheme or a side hustle for someone else.
You are to "remain free of entanglements, especially those entered with the idea of quick and easy gain" (Proverbs Bridging Contexts)
This is different to caring for the poor. Being kind to the poor is encouraged in Proverbs (Prov 19:17). It is a task our church does and should be minful of.
With our money, we are to mimic God. God is rich in mercy; He wants to give to His children. He doesn’t want to loan them His grace or give them love that they have to pay back.
Probably the most famous verse in the Bible says:
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)Our God is a giver, and He alone offers us security and life. In Hebrews, Jesus is said to be the guarantor for us for a better covenant (Heb 7:22), that is, Jesus Himself was the down payment for us. He didn’t co-sign our loan. He paid it in full with His own blood, so that we could be saved.
We should use what we have generously, like our God, and not foolishly, by rushing into other people’s debt.
The Sluggard: Don’t be lazy, be an ant
The next person we meet is the sluggard. As their name suggests, they are a bit of slug.Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man. (Proverbs 6:6–11 NIV)
This sluggard makes a few appearances in Proverbs. They are lazy, with no future thinking. They don’t work now, which means down the track, they will have nothing:
To the first person in this chapter, the one who would shake hands in a pledge, the teacher says, “Save yourself, free yourself! Do not sleep, or you will become the prey of a hunter.” In this story, the one who would fold hands in rest, the teacher says, “Rouse yourself! Do not sleep, or you will become the prey of that robber poverty.” (Proverbs Go Learn from the Ant (6:6–11))
Now, we have to be a bit careful in seeing what Provers is saying here. There are very strong warnings that "laziness will make one poor, but Proberbs never claims that the poor are lazy (cf. 24:30–33)" (Proverbs Bridging Contexts)
Not all poverty is the result of laziness (14:31; 17:5; 19:1, 17, 22; 21:12; 28:3, 11). (Proverbs: The Tree of Life Comments on Proverbs 6:1–8:21)
There is oppression that can lead to poverty, circumstances beyond your control that can mean you can not work. Also, if given a choice, sometimes it is even better to be poor.
It was unloving to the family or community for someone who was able to work and didn’t f,or they would then have to look after them, as there was no government safety net.
The sluggard is instructed to go outside and pay attention to nature and the world around them, by visiting the ant's nest. They are to change from being a slug to an ant.
The ants show wisdom in how they work. They have self-discipline and diligence. They go about their day tirelessly without a boss looking over their shoulder all the time.
They build up their food provisions in summer, so they will be able to live through the winter. The lazy does not prepare for the future, so scarcity will come at them.
To the extreme, this is not justifying someone to be a workaholic. That isn’t the solution. That is going too far in the other way of not resting. People over work for profit, or identity or avoidance of other things, such as their home life.
To those who are busy, they may feel trapped by their busy schedules, but it would be worth considering what our commitments are and asking if they give us an excuse to neglect what is most important in life (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
We should "avoid those responsibilities that are not ours so we can be free for those that are." (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
For us, good commitments might include the rest and worship of God, unhurried time with family and friends to build strong relationships, and schedules planned far enough in advance to ensure that what we do, we do well. (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
I want to say something here, but not as a boast or a complaint or for sympathy, as it can come across that way, but I want to say this as a confession. Most months I see a professional supervisor, and when I started, very early on, he told me that I am responsible for my timetable. And this week, I haven’t had a full day off. I can try and justify why this happened, but I am responsible for what I do and I need to get the right balance again.
Work and rest are good things from God, as long as they are rightly ordered. Too much of either will bring ruin in different ways. So, including me, lets have a wise balance of rest and work; avoid being lazy and a workaholic.
Sluggards do not plow in season;They even make silly excuses as to why they can’t go to work
so at harvest time they look but find nothing. (Proverbs 20:4 NIV)
The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!If the sluggard doesn’t do any work now, they will come into poverty later.
I’ll be killed in the public square!” (Proverbs 22:13 NIV)
To the first person in this chapter, the one who would shake hands in a pledge, the teacher says, “Save yourself, free yourself! Do not sleep, or you will become the prey of a hunter.” In this story, the one who would fold hands in rest, the teacher says, “Rouse yourself! Do not sleep, or you will become the prey of that robber poverty.” (Proverbs Go Learn from the Ant (6:6–11))
Now, we have to be a bit careful in seeing what Provers is saying here. There are very strong warnings that "laziness will make one poor, but Proberbs never claims that the poor are lazy (cf. 24:30–33)" (Proverbs Bridging Contexts)
Not all poverty is the result of laziness (14:31; 17:5; 19:1, 17, 22; 21:12; 28:3, 11). (Proverbs: The Tree of Life Comments on Proverbs 6:1–8:21)
There is oppression that can lead to poverty, circumstances beyond your control that can mean you can not work. Also, if given a choice, sometimes it is even better to be poor.
What a person desires is unfailing love;
better to be poor than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22 NIV)
Better the poor whose walk is blamelessWhen dealing with the sluggard, their issue is they have opportunity and they do not use it. They are lazy and only consider their immediate comfort and not what is down the track. Like most of Proverbs, wisdom is thinking things through, and not just the immediate, even if it seems to taste good.
than the rich whose ways are perverse. (Proverbs 28:6 NIV)
It was unloving to the family or community for someone who was able to work and didn’t f,or they would then have to look after them, as there was no government safety net.
The ants show wisdom in how they work. They have self-discipline and diligence. They go about their day tirelessly without a boss looking over their shoulder all the time.
They build up their food provisions in summer, so they will be able to live through the winter. The lazy does not prepare for the future, so scarcity will come at them.
To the extreme, this is not justifying someone to be a workaholic. That isn’t the solution. That is going too far in the other way of not resting. People over work for profit, or identity or avoidance of other things, such as their home life.
To those who are busy, they may feel trapped by their busy schedules, but it would be worth considering what our commitments are and asking if they give us an excuse to neglect what is most important in life (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
We should "avoid those responsibilities that are not ours so we can be free for those that are." (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
For us, good commitments might include the rest and worship of God, unhurried time with family and friends to build strong relationships, and schedules planned far enough in advance to ensure that what we do, we do well. (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
I want to say something here, but not as a boast or a complaint or for sympathy, as it can come across that way, but I want to say this as a confession. Most months I see a professional supervisor, and when I started, very early on, he told me that I am responsible for my timetable. And this week, I haven’t had a full day off. I can try and justify why this happened, but I am responsible for what I do and I need to get the right balance again.
Work and rest are good things from God, as long as they are rightly ordered. Too much of either will bring ruin in different ways. So, including me, lets have a wise balance of rest and work; avoid being lazy and a workaholic.
The Scoundrel: Avoid schemers, don’t cause conflict
Lastly, we move on to someone who is called a troublemaker and a villain. In the NRSV, it translates the word “troublemaker” as “scoundrel”, so that worked with the alliteration of these points. This scoundrel is to be avoided; this person is not someone you are to become. We read:A troublemaker and a villain,This scoundrel, or plotter, also appears a few times in Proverbs, never in the positive.
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
who winks maliciously with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.
Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. (Proverbs 6:12–15 NIV)
A scoundrel plots evil,This “scoundrel” is someone who works to undermine social and personal relationships for his own benefit (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs Laziness (6:1–11))
and on their lips it is like a scorching fire. (Proverbs 16:27–30 NIV)
Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer. (Proverbs 24:8 NIV)
They use their body, their mouth, eye, feet, fingers to stir up conflict. They are seeking political capital to undo the harmony of the community for their own desires. They may signal and motion or gesture to others secretly to help with this division.
And like the person caught in others' debt, or the sluggard, this troublemaker will also find disaster, and this time, suddenly. We aren’t told how, but we do know that in the end, those who do things that God hates will face the punishment for them. As we see in this last bit:
There are six things the Lord hates,This framing of 6 things and then 7, is a common literary device; it appears three times in Proverbs 30 and in Job and elsewhere. It is a way of saying something is not a complete list. You could probably add some more in here, like stealing or adultery. The meaning is ‘there is a number of things the Lord hates; for example …’ (Proverbs: Everyday Wisdom for Everyone 4. Seven Deadly Sins (vv. 16–19))
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. (Proverbs 6:16–19 NIV)
In the 6th century AD Pope Gregory I refined a list of vices to seven, giving us the seven deadly sins. Here, more than a 1500 years before that, we have what might be "considered the Israelite version of the seven deadly sins." (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs Laziness (6:1–11))
"The first five things the Lord hates are body parts set in a sequence that moves generally from the head to the feet (eyes, tongue, hands, heart, feet), and the last two are specific types of persons (the false witness and the troublemaker)" Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs Laziness (6:1–11)
Lying, murder, scheming, evil - these are things God hates. We may not like the idea that God hates something, but this is a good thing. It is good that God doesn’t just accept everything. God only likes everything that is good. He is against evil. And if you do evil, if you lie to others or stir up conflict in the community, God is against that.
We should "begin to hate what God hates so that we can love the way God loves." (Proverbs Contemporary Significance)
"When reading this list, we must not think of others. If these sins are a part of our lives, we need to look within our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to convict us" (Proverbs (King James Version) G. The Wise Path of Life (Part 7): Avoid the Pitfalls of Life, 6:1–35)
Ask yourself, what goes on in my heart? How do I use my imagination? What arguments am I playing over in my head so that I can win and beat my opponent? Do I set people against each other, or try and show that I am better than whoever I am talking to?
But tapping deeper into this, truth and unity are best for all, because that is who God is. God is the Truth and God is united in Himself. God is at the heart of the universe, and so the universe works when we are more like Him.
Jesus, in his wise sermon on the mountain, gave us the beatitudes in Matthew 5, in these we can know the traits of what God blesses, they are the opposite of what God hates. Blessed are those who are meek, those who look to do good, those who show mercy and those who are peacemakers. They are the ones who will see God, who are His children, who will live in the kingdom of heaven.
Through Jesus, we can now have peace and unity with God and each other. Jesus Himself is our peace. He has brought us together as a church, as one new group of people to be made one with God through the cross (Eph 2:14-17 ish).
It is hard to be united, as we all jostle and try and get our own way. But it is on Jesus’ own heart that we be united. Just a few hours before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed for those who will believe in Him. He prayed to God for us. He prayed “that all of them may be one” (John 17:20-21).
The Summary
So this week, we have much to consider as we try and navigate our lives, and seek to walk in a wise way.Consider the warnings here. Free yourself from another person’s debt. Do not be lazy; instead, make provisions for the future, and do not scheme and cause conflict. All of these ways will end in disaster.
Instead, steward what you have, see the opportunities in front of you and take responsibility for them. Work and rest in a balanced way, and seek to build peace and community. In doing these things, we will be living how God intended us to.
We may fall short, and slip into debt, grow lazy and cause division. But remember the good news: Jesus has stepped in as our guarantor. He has paid our debt of sin, He strengthens us when we are weak, and He has made peace through His cross. In Jesus, we can find forgiveness when we fail, and in Him we can find the wisdom to live as God intended us to.
Let's pray.
Mercify Lord,save us from foolish decisions that may ensare us in debt.Teach us not to be lazy or to overworkKeep us from those who have wicked intent and who stir up troubleHelp us to build peace and community,Caring for one another, and stwearding what you have given usThrough Jesus Christ our Lord,who you gave for us. Amen.
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