Proverbs 6
Proverbs 6:1-11:
My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
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Proverbs 6:6:
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise |
Sluggard is used 14 times in the Bible, all of them in the Old Testament, and all of them in Proverbs. And none of them are flattering. Derek Kidner, who wrote commentaries in the Old Testament, said the sluggard’s laziness made him ludicrous, a tragedy.
Kidner goes on to write, “The wise man knows that the sluggard is no freak, but, as often as not, an ordinary man who has made too many excuses, too many refusals, and too many postponements. It has all been as imperceptible, and as pleasant, as falling asleep.” -Rick Reed |
Ant colonies take slaves and fight wars of extinction. Henry David Thoreau wrote of an ant battle he observed at Walden Pond: “They fought with more pertinacity than bulldogs. Neither manifested the least disposition to retreat. It was evident that their battle cry was ‘Conquer or die’.”
The massive and intricate level of cooperation of an ant colony is something to behold. Mark Twain spoofed an ant’s crazy struggles upon discovering a grasshopper leg, lugging it the opposite way from home before she “gets madder and madder, then presently hoists it into the air and goes tearing away in an entirely new direction.” -Rich Lowry
The massive and intricate level of cooperation of an ant colony is something to behold. Mark Twain spoofed an ant’s crazy struggles upon discovering a grasshopper leg, lugging it the opposite way from home before she “gets madder and madder, then presently hoists it into the air and goes tearing away in an entirely new direction.” -Rich Lowry
What is a sluggard? A person who is slow, lazy, and does not like to work hard. He is a pain and risk to those that must rely on him (Pr 10:26). Diligent men, or those that work hard, will be successful (Pr 10:4; 12:24; 14:23; 22:29; 28:19), but lazy men, who avoid hard work, are losers (Pr 6:10-11; 12:24; 19:15; 20:4,13; 24:30-34). Are you a sluggard?
Sluggards are too arrogant to be taught (Pr 26:16), so Solomon mocked them with ants. If they were to watch ants for a few minutes, these haughty bums could learn success, for ants are much wiser than sluggards. A Harvard MBA is not as useful as what is taught in your yard everyday. But sluggards are too proud to learn from the very small teacher.
Sluggards stay in bed, for they love sleep (Pr 6:9-11; 20:13; 24:30-34). They have energy to turn back and forth in bed, but barely enough energy to get food to their mouths (Pr 26:14-15). They want the good things of life like others, but they do not want to work for them (Pr 13:4; Ec 10:15). Lazily staying in bed is too comfortable and pleasant for them. -Let God Be True
Sluggards are too arrogant to be taught (Pr 26:16), so Solomon mocked them with ants. If they were to watch ants for a few minutes, these haughty bums could learn success, for ants are much wiser than sluggards. A Harvard MBA is not as useful as what is taught in your yard everyday. But sluggards are too proud to learn from the very small teacher.
Sluggards stay in bed, for they love sleep (Pr 6:9-11; 20:13; 24:30-34). They have energy to turn back and forth in bed, but barely enough energy to get food to their mouths (Pr 26:14-15). They want the good things of life like others, but they do not want to work for them (Pr 13:4; Ec 10:15). Lazily staying in bed is too comfortable and pleasant for them. -Let God Be True
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Proverbs 6:10-11:
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep-- 11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man |
“Sluggishness often hides beneath that eminently reasonable phrase ‘just a little more.’ What harm could a little do? What’s one more snooze cycle? What’s one more show?...Sluggishness often hides beneath that eminently reasonable phrase ‘just a little more.’ What harm could a little do? What’s one more snooze cycle? What’s one more show?....But an ordinary man becomes a sluggard one small surrender at a time......Over time, how we handle little is no little matter. Little drudgeries, little tasks, little opportunities: these are the moments when the sluggard gains ground in our souls, or loses it.”
- Scott Hubbard |
Those who refuse to work destroy themselves. This doesn’t mean that those who cannot work should face punishment or anything. Solomon assumes that a person can work. Men and women were created to labor in their various vocations. It is through labor that Adam and Eve would have dominion over creation. Solomon’s point, then, is that though our motives are going to be mixed, the alternative of not working is not God-honoring. The Fall in the Garden of Eden came about because Adam neglected his work of protecting and caring for the Garden. -Everett Hene
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Proverbs 6:12-14:
A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; |
These appearances are so convincing that if you have no track record with the person, you will most certainly conclude that you are speaking with a very kind, caring, humble, Godly person. But you are not. You are talking to a narcissistic, abusive individual who is working his game on you...............Truly Godly people don’t necessarily look like it! I don’t mean that they live ungodly lives, but simply that they do not work their disguise on you. The Son of God came and walked among us and many didn’t even recognize Him. But everyone knew who the Pharisees were. --Crying Out for Justice
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Proverbs 6:16-19:
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. |
We can apply Solomon’s words to currently prevalent detestable situations in our country, such as: The Big Lie, the January 6 coup, voter suppression in all its forms, defying the rule of law, destroying confidence in the voting process, which is a vital strength of our democracy, “vigilante laws” that pit neighbor against neighbor – for profit, laws that change election results if the results aren’t approved by the people in power. There are others, but space is limited.
Our democracy is in peril. If we allow these evils and others to persist, our country will no longer be “the land of the free.” We will not be able to “let freedom ring,” because there will be no freedom. An autocracy is waiting in the wings to take control. How can we overcome this devastating downward spiral? We need to use the fundamental values that guide us in knowing right from wrong and truth from falsehood. These problems are moral and spiritual, not political ones. We need to heed Solomon’s wisdom. -Beulah Lowry |
In preparing for a Bible study lesson recently, I was referred to Proverbs 6:16-19. Within the six things that God hates, two involve “a lying tongue” and “a false witness who utters lies.” Fully one-third of a human’s traits that God hates involves human lies. Why are my fellow Christians who are attached to Trump willing to ignore God? Shouldn’t we “hate” what God hates? -Earl Chappell
Proverbs 6:20-35:
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.