Proverbs 6:1-19--Practical Warnings

Proverbs 6:1-19
English Standard Version

Practical Warnings
6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
    have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
    caught in the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,
    for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
    go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
    and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
    like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
    points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
    in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

16 There are six things that the LORD hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.

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Solomon warns his son about going into debt (even with a verbal oath that was just as binding as a signature on a loan document), even from a neighbor.  The warning was that the one in debt is essentially enslaved to the one he borrowed money from.  Solomon tells the son to go and plead earnestly with his neighbor who was not supposed to charge interest to a fellow citizen of Israel to let him pay what he could and let the rest of the debt be cancelled or considered a gift.  Solomon told him to do this immediately, because otherwise he would be like a hunted animal caught in the traps and snares of the hunter.

Solomon says that instead of putting oneself in the situation where they constantly run after borrowed money to pay for things, a person should look to the ant who stores up extra food and is disciplined to not eat it all right away so that it has something in the winter.  This is a good lesson for us to put money back in savings for the hard times that we know will come and then we will not be in as much need to borrow money when something bad happens--things may still happen that exceed the amount of savings that you have, but hopefully you hare part of a church community that has a benevolence fund to help people in really dire circumstances (like if your house floods or catches on fire and you need help with housing, meals, and so on for a while).  Solomon contrasts this with a sluggard who he will later call a sloth who only wants rest and relaxation in the moment.  Solomon isn't calling someone to burn the candle at both ends as he'll warn about that later, but he is saying that men should take advantage of the hours in which God gives them to work while still paying attention to their families and other obligations.  Minimize vacation time and be willing to work a little overtime here and there if you are in a situation where you know you are trying to save for something.  You can even let work know that you want to pick up some extra shifts if someone calls out (assuming you're in an hourly position without a fixed schedule).

Solomon now changes topics and goes to the fact that a wicked person is always projecting the evil things in their hearts onto others (even people who are righteous and innocent) and they point the finger at others and make trouble and sow discord.  They try to get others to join them in their evil deeds and may even try to instigate others to do the evil things in their heart for them.  Watch out for such people.  Don't get caught up with them.

Last, but not least, Solomon warns his son about the things that the LORD hates--which He calls abominations.  Many of these things have to do with lying and dishonesty because the LORD is Truth.  First a proud look or haughty eyes.  God opposed the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.  Second, a lying tongue, "Though shalt not bear false witness" or "Though shalt not lie."  Third, Hands that shed innocent blood (there's a long passage in the Noahic Covenant after Noah and his family come out of the Ark about this very thing and God says that any man that kills and innocent man should die).  Fourth, a heart that devises evil and wicked schemes--we just talked about that one in this proverb.  Fifth, feet that run towards evil.  This is talking about all kinds of evil, but we talked about some examples already in this proverb and we'll talk more about other things we should stay away from in other proverbs.  Do not run towards the things that the LORD tells you to stay away from.  Sixth, a false witness that breathes out lies.  This one is so hated by God that it was worth mentioning again even though we already mentioned "A lying tongue."  Last, but not least, the seventh thing is one who sows discord among brothers.  That also is something we talked about already.  We should be making peace and aiming for unity among our brothers and sisters of the faith whenever possible.  It is the enemy, the devil, that wants to steal, kill, and destroy, and he is a liar and the father of lies from the beginning.  We should not be acting like children of the devil if we claim to be children of God.