Proverbs 6:1 (Mini Sermon)

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1.      Pro 6:1 – “My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,”

1. Having spent a whole chapter instructing his son about the dangers of entangling himself with a strange woman, Solomon now switches topics and warns him to not entangle himself in becoming a financial guarantor of his friend’s debt.
2. My son, if thou be surety for thy friend,
   5. Surety n. – II. Means of being sure. A formal engagement entered into, a pledge, bond, guarantee, or security given for the fulfilment of an undertaking.  7. A person who undertakes some specific responsibility on behalf of another who remains primarily liable; one who makes himself liable for the default or miscarriage of another, or for the performance of some act on his part (e.g. payment of a debt, appearance in court for trial, etc.); a bail: = security 9.
      1. A man that is surety for a friend has put himself under legal obligation to guarantee the payment of his debt or other obligations.
      2. A man who is surety for another assumes the blame if the obligation is not fulfilled (Gen 43:9).
   6. For the next four verses, Solomon warns his son of the danger of being surety for another’s debt, and he exhorts him to do whatever he can to save himself from that obligation (Pro 6:2-5).
      1. A stupid person strikes hands and become surety in the presence of his friend (Pro 17:18).
         • His friend is present when he does it which implies that he is striking hands with a third party for the benefit of his friend.
         • This is what the remainder of this verse (Pro 6:1) goes on to say.
         • A man that becomes surety for his friend is stupid (void of understanding) (Pro 17:18).
           1. It is a good way to go broke if something happens and your friend can’t pay (Pro 22:26-27).
           2. It is a good way to lose a friend if he can’t pay.
           3. It is a good way to get sued or killed if you don’t have the money to pay your friend’s debt if he defaults.

1. If a man that becomes surety for a friend is stupid, then a man that becomes surety for a stranger is exceedingly stupid.
   • A friend will be more likely to be sure to pay his debt so you’re not left on the hook for it.
   • A stranger has little to no incentive to pay it because he doesn’t know you and will likely never deal with you again.
   • Thus, he that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it (Pro 11:15).
     1. Smart – 1. intr. Of wounds, etc.: To be a source of sharp pain; to be acutely painful.
     2. Solomon is trying to spare his son pain.
   • If a man is stupid enough to be a surety for a stranger, you better take some collateral from him to hedge against the likelihood that neither he nor the stranger will pay (Pro 20:16).
2. He that hates and therefore stays away from suretiship is sure (Pro 11:15).
   • Sure adj. – 1. Free from or not exposed to danger or risk; not liable to be injured or destroyed; = safe a. 6, secure a. 3.
   • It is always a safe bet to not be a guarantor of someone else’s debt.

• It should be a very rare situation that you should even consider being surety for someone else, even if he is family.
  1. A person should not be going into debt for anything with the exception of buying a house or starting a business (and even borrowing money for these things should be avoided if at all possible).
  2. All other things including cars, home maintenance and upgrades, appliances, tools, equipment, furniture, four-wheelers, motorcycles, boats, other toys, etc. should be paid for in cash.
     • If a person doesn’t have the cash to pay for something, he can’t afford it, and he shouldn’t buy it.
     • You certainly should not be surety for a loan for any such thing.
  3. If a man wants to finance a house or a business startup, the bank will determine if he is creditworthy.
     • If he is not creditworthy and they will not give him a loan, then you would be a fool to be surety for him.
     • If the bank is dumb enough to give him a loan but he can’t afford the down-payment, then you would be a fool to loan it to him.
  4. if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
     1. There are three parties involved when a man becomes surety for another.
        1. In this case there is 1) the friend that is in debt or wants to go in debt, 2) Solomon’s son who has agreed to be surety for him, and 3) the stranger who is the lender.
        2. Solomon’s son is being warned against striking hands with a stranger to be the guarantor of his friends debt.
     2. People strike hands when they become a surety (Job 17:3).

• To strike hands is to shake hands.
  • Strike – 69. to strike hands (said of two parties to a bargain): To take one another by the hand in confirmation of a bargain; hence, to ratify a bargain with (another). Hence †to strike one’s truth, to pledge one’s truth by ‘striking hands’
  • Giving one’s hand is confirmation of a promise (Ezr 10:19).
  • Shaking hands is a confirmation of a covenant (Eze 17:18).
  • A handshake should be honored with the same commitment as a signed contract.
  • Striking hands can be done for good or evil (Pro 11:21).
  • Therefore, we should think very carefully before shaking a man’s hand and agreeing to something.