Proverbs 6:1-19

10. Other dangerous temptations 6:1-19

Solomon singled out a few more serious errors to avoid in addition to marital unfaithfulness. These include assuming liability for the debts of others (Proverbs 6:1-5), being lazy (Proverbs 6:6-11), being untruthful (Proverbs 6:12-15), and seven other practices that need no clarification (Proverbs 6:16-19).

The advice in this section provides a good example of what prudence is. A prudent person is one who is capable of exercising sound judgment in practical matters. He or she is cautious and discreet in conduct, is circumspect, and is sensible. We often describe a prudent person by saying that he or she has common sense. A prudent person can foresee the consequences of possible actions and behaves accordingly. A godly (wise) person can be prudent because God’s revelation helps us see the usual consequences of our actions before we commit them. This is largely what the Book of Proverbs helps us do.

"Surety" (Proverbs 6:1) means "security" in the sense of taking on another person’s obligations as one’s own, as when a person co-signs a note to pay another person’s loan, for example. Paul offered to pay Onesimus’ past debts, but not his future ones (Philemon 1:18-19). "Neighbor" and "stranger" (Proverbs 6:1) together mean anyone; these two kinds of people are not the only ones in view. This is a figure of speech called a merism in which two extremes represent the whole. Solomon strongly counseled avoidance of this obligation. If one finds himself in it already he should do everything he can to get himself out of it before he discovers that he is in even worse trouble (Proverbs 6:3). The writer did not command his son never to become surety for his neighbor; he told him what to do if he had already done this so he could escape the consequences that typically follow such an act. The reader is not disobeying God if he or she becomes surety for a stranger, but this proverb warns of the possible consequences and gives advice about how to avoid them.

Proverbs 6:6-11 warn against laziness. [Note: See Kidner’s subject study on the sluggard, pp. 42-43.] A "vagabond" (Proverbs 6:11) is a "highwayman," namely, a robber. [Note: Toy, p. 125.]

"In that society there were no technological controls or government social programs to serve as a safety net against poverty." [Note: R. Whybray, Wealth and Poverty in the Book of Proverbs, p. 31.]

The person in view in Proverbs 6:12-15 is one who, for the amusement it gives him or her, causes other people to experience inconvenience or suffering. A simple joke is different from joking at someone else’s expense, joking that hurts someone else. The latter practice is what Solomon urged his son to avoid. He called such a mischievous prankster "worthless" and "wicked" (Proverbs 6:12). "Worthless" is literally "of Beliel," a word that became a name for Satan (2 Corinthians 6:15).

The list in Proverbs 6:16-19 repeats some of what Solomon mentioned earlier. It may have been one whole proverb he added because it carried on the idea of other temptations to avoid. The phrase "six . . . yes, seven" (Proverbs 6:16) implies that this list is not exhaustive of what God hates, though it is explicit. [Note: Toy, p. 127.] These seven practices deal with attitude (Proverbs 6:17 a), thought (Proverbs 6:18 a), speech (Proverbs 6:17 b, Proverbs 6:19 a), action (Proverbs 6:17 c, Proverbs 6:18 b), and influence (Proverbs 6:19 b).