1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery has no sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.
The Sixth Proverb has a lot going on. There are warnings against taking on a friend’s debt, what to do if such debt traps you, a few words on the value of hard work, and the dangers of laziness. Proverbs Six also contains:
- A list of seven things the Lord hates.
- The destiny of a wicked man.
- An alarm against adultery.
So, where do we even start? What throughline connects all of the wisdom presented to us by Solomon?
Let’s look at verses 20-24:
My son, keep your Father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,
keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.
While this section of Scripture focuses on Solomon’s warning against adultery, there is a field guide tucked in here to help you avoid the rest of the snares listed in the text. Back in Proverbs Four, we counted all of the times we had already been instructed to LISTEN, and now we realize the importance of keeping what we have heard at the forefront of our minds. How do we avoid falling into the trap of debt? How do we climb our way out of such a misguided trap once we’ve fallen in? How do we internalize the discipline of hard work and fight against the natural urge to give in to laziness? How do we move through life without succumbing to the temptations that would lead us to the seven things the Lord hates? How do we even elude the seduction of sexual sin?
The answer is the same across the board.
We keep the teachings that have been handed down close and let them illuminate the paths we choose of correction and instruction. You may not have grown up in a home where God’s Word was taught, you may not have even had a parent who taught you to live morally, but here’s the good news: in your hands right now is all the wisdom your Heavenly Father wants to impart on you to live a whole and honorable life. Pay careful attention to it, and don’t be persuaded to give even a fraction of it away. Solomon says it this way,
“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?”
Sins like adultery, lying, pride, wickedness, scheming, fomenting conflict, and violence are too costly to leave unattended. Their danger requires a prompt response when we realize we have given in to our sinful nature.
Whichever section of Proverbs Six lands heaviest on your heart today, pay attention to that and thank God that He has met you once again right where you need Him most. Heed His wisdom today, and ask His help to make the necessary changes, admissions, and amends as your heart becomes more and more like your Heavenly Father’s.
—-
Lord God, thank You. Thank You that You have not left me on my own to live a life according to my desires and decisions. Thank You for once again pouring Your wisdom out freely like You said You would. You know the ways I run from You the most. Help me to see those traps before I find myself in them, and by Your power, to avoid them.
