Pro 6:2 | KingComments | STEP | of this chapter interrupt the father’s speech to his son about the strange woman. Yet the issues he discusses in these verses are related: they deal with sins that, like adultery, lead to deep poverty ( ). A good father is also concerned about his son’s financial position. He speaks of this in , where he specifically warns against becoming surety for someone ( ). The son is naive when he becomes surety and has “given a pledge”, literally “clapped your palms”. The father is not so naive as to think his son incapable of doing so. He assumes that his son may be tempted to become surety. No one is obliged to be surety. Being surety for another is something very different from the usual and permitted way of providing help by lending money to someone in financial need ( ). To become surety means that he signs for it – which is done symbolically here by the confirmation with “clapping the palms” – that he assumes the responsibility to pay the debt of another if the other person fails to pay. To this end, he acts as surety. It is wisdom not to assume such a responsibility. This danger is warned of more often in Proverbs ( ). It is a wrong use of the money God has made available to use for Him. Whoever gets another to become surety for him has ensnared the other in his words and made him a prisoner of those words ( ). It is foolish to become surety, because then you have become a slave to another by your own actions. The person for whom you have become surety will abuse your surety. Gullibility and misplaced generosity can result in the son being a lifelong slave of the person for whom he has become surety. Whoever is surety has “come into the hand” of his neighbor ( ). Therefore, the father’s urgent advice sounds to free oneself from this at all costs. How urgent it is is echoed in addressing his son once again explicitly as “my son”. He must ensure that he is released immediately from the grip of the person for whom he has become surety. He must get himself out, or else he will perish. That is how deadly the danger is. This will mean that he will do everything he can to ensure that the other person fulfills his obligations. He must go to the neighbor for whom he has become surety. It may mean humbling himself before him. But anything is better than perishing. Let him swallow his pride and let the other trample on him, if only he delivers himself from the grip of his neighbor. He must sacrifice his sleep for it ( ; cf. ), for delay is fatal. Therefore, he must do it with the speed of a gazelle fleeing from the hunter and of a bird trying to stay out of the hand of the fowler ( ). Those animals see the danger and lose no time in getting out of the danger zone. There is one good surety and that is God Himself ( ; ). The Lord Jesus is surety of the new covenant ( ). He is its fulfillment. We could not fulfill the conditions. The Lord could, He took the conditions upon Himself and fulfilled them. He took our obligations upon Himself, allowing us to partake of the blessings of the new covenant.

‏ Proverbs 6:2

Introduction

Pro 6:1-19 of this chapter interrupt the father’s speech to his son about the strange woman. Yet the issues he discusses in these verses are related: they deal with sins that, like adultery, lead to deep poverty (Pro 5:9-11).

Never Become Surety

A good father is also concerned about his son’s financial position. He speaks of this in Pro 6:1-5, where he specifically warns against becoming surety for someone (Pro 6:1). The son is naive when he becomes surety and has “given a pledge”, literally “clapped your palms”. The father is not so naive as to think his son incapable of doing so. He assumes that his son may be tempted to become surety.

No one is obliged to be surety. Being surety for another is something very different from the usual and permitted way of providing help by lending money to someone in financial need (Mt 5:42). To become surety means that he signs for it – which is done symbolically here by the confirmation with “clapping the palms” – that he assumes the responsibility to pay the debt of another if the other person fails to pay. To this end, he acts as surety.

It is wisdom not to assume such a responsibility. This danger is warned of more often in Proverbs (Pro 11:15 ; Pro 17:18 ; Pro 22:26). It is a wrong use of the money God has made available to use for Him.

Whoever gets another to become surety for him has ensnared the other in his words and made him a prisoner of those words (Pro 6:2). It is foolish to become surety, because then you have become a slave to another by your own actions. The person for whom you have become surety will abuse your surety. Gullibility and misplaced generosity can result in the son being a lifelong slave of the person for whom he has become surety.

Whoever is surety has “come into the hand” of his neighbor (Pro 6:3). Therefore, the father’s urgent advice sounds to free oneself from this at all costs. How urgent it is is echoed in addressing his son once again explicitly as “my son”. He must ensure that he is released immediately from the grip of the person for whom he has become surety. He must get himself out, or else he will perish. That is how deadly the danger is.

This will mean that he will do everything he can to ensure that the other person fulfills his obligations. He must go to the neighbor for whom he has become surety. It may mean humbling himself before him. But anything is better than perishing. Let him swallow his pride and let the other trample on him, if only he delivers himself from the grip of his neighbor. He must sacrifice his sleep for it (Pro 6:4; cf. Psa 132:4-5), for delay is fatal. Therefore, he must do it with the speed of a gazelle fleeing from the hunter and of a bird trying to stay out of the hand of the fowler (Pro 6:5). Those animals see the danger and lose no time in getting out of the danger zone.

There is one good surety and that is God Himself (Psa 119:122; Job 17:3). The Lord Jesus is surety of the new covenant (Heb 7:22). He is its fulfillment. We could not fulfill the conditions. The Lord could, He took the conditions upon Himself and fulfilled them. He took our obligations upon Himself, allowing us to partake of the blessings of the new covenant.