Proverbs 6.1-5
“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 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. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”
In this chapter the Lord speaks into three areas of our lives: how we handle money (vv. 1–5), our work ethic (vv. 6–11), and how we build community (vv. 12–19). He uses negative examples to teach us positive wisdom.
The first section addresses money. “Putting up security” or “giving your pledge” refers to cosigning a loan. It is guaranteeing or underwriting someone else’s speculative risk. God is saying in verses 1 and 2, “If you’ve done this, you’re not in danger of becoming ensnared, you’re already ensnared.”
Scripture is clear about two things with regard to money. One, the Lord wants us to be generous. Two, he does not want us to gamble. Common sense, right?
God expects you to take responsibility for yourself. But if you put your financial future in the hands of someone who is a bad risk, you are acting irresponsibly and encouraging irresponsibility in the other person. If you make promises lightly, at some point you will get burned.
The seriousness of this is expressed in the urgency of verses 3–5. God is saying, “Take decisive action. Get out of that obligation before it’s too late!” The Hebrew verb translated “humble yourself” in verse 3 suggests getting down on the ground and letting the other guy trample all over you, but you go ahead and let him do it and admit how stupid you have been. Make every effort to get yourself out of the trap that you foolishly got yourself into.
Proverbs 6.6-11
“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
A strong work ethic is essential for an effective, fruitful life. It’s also necessary for a healthy, effective society. Everyone wants, but unfortunately not everyone works. Some people are like the ant: diligent and hard-working. Others are like the sluggard: lazy and indolent.
God has created a world where the most important things in life take effort and time. Relationships are built through hard work over time. We become physically fit through consistent exercise over time. Crops are grown and harvested through the methodical process of farming over time. Skill is built through disciplined reps over time.
In order to produce anything of importance in your life, you must do the work. And at some point in the process, it gets tedious. Boring. Difficult. It becomes a grind. The message of scripture is this: embrace the grind. Do the work, especially when it gets hard.
