Proverbs 6
King James Version
Advice Against Guaranteeing a Debt
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
This passage pertains to standing good for the debts of another. While it absolutely forbid it,it does strongly suggest the wisdom of thinking carefully before such is done. The word”friend”means a neighbor who is a stranger.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
On the surface,this would speak to the entanglement of guaranteeing the debt of others and the freeing of oneself from such as quickly as possible.
The Ant and the Sluggard:Laziness Condemned
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
That the Holy Spirit chose the ant as the example portrays the minute detail which God gave to even the most delicate of His glorious creation.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
As the Holy Spirit speaks to the lack of diligence concerning the affairs of life,even more so,He speaks to the danger of spiritual lethargy. The balance of the chapter bears this out.
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
The word”naughty” means ‘worthless” or man of “Belial”(Satan)the word”froward”means lying mouth.
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
This would appear to be the”apostate”(stranger) of verse1 .As the Holy Spirit divulges the heart of such individuals,He is, at the same time,portraying the heart of those who proclaim false doctrine-anything that turns one away from the word of God.
Seven Signs of the Wicked
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
The phrase”six things”,”yes seven”, is a figure of speech arresting attention and signifying that the list is not exhaustive.
17 A proud look, (pride leads to the list)a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,(this pertains to murderers,however,it also pertains to those who murder someone’s character)
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, The”heart”of the “proud”devises”wicked imaginations”because the heart has not been changed. feet that be swift in running to mischief,as pride is deceptive,this sin is,therefore cloaked;it actually believes it is doing right.
19 A false witness that speaketh lies,the difference in the “lying tongue” of verse 17 And the ”false witness”of verse 19 is that the”lying tongue”will only tell the truth if it suits his advantage;otherwise he will lie;the “false witness”premeditates lies;he concocts schemes that are made up of lies,in order to carry out a perfidious evil design. he that soweth discord among brethren.individuals who”sow discord”do so for the purpose of carrying out schemes.
Warnings Against Spiritual Adultery
20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:Religious rather than moral,evil is warned against in this fourth,and last,section of the chapter(vs 20-35)
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
The Bible governs the heart and adorns the neck. It gives outward beauty of life and inward wealth of principle.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
The three persons of the Trinity appear in this verse.God the Father,guides(Pslm 32:8,Jr 3:4)God the Son guards(Pslm 121:4,.God the Holy Spirit teaches(Luke 12:12,Jan 14:26)
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
This verse repeats the triplet;the Lamp guides,the Light guards, and reprooof teaches; there is no”Lamp”or”Light” in the world other than the Bible.
24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
There is an attraction to false teaching as in outlined in this passage.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
False religious teaching always has an amazing attraction. The majority of the world follows this”strange woman”with only a few following the Bible.(Matt 7:14)
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
As immorality leads to destruction ,so does a false way of salvation;hence the term used is”the prescious life”.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
Once again, the Holy Spirit likens the infidelity of marriage vows being broken to spiritual immorality(Rom 7:1-4)
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
In verses 30-35 ,the Holy Spirit presents an argument that is irrefutable.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
While this passage definitely addresses itself to physical adultery,still the tru meaning has to do with spiritual adultery, i.e.,forsaking Christ and the Cross for another way(Rom Chapt 1-4)
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
This illustration vividly pictures the spiritual ruin which results from turning away from Christ to”another gospel”(Gal 1:6,2Corinth.11:4,Rom 7:1-4
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