Proverbs 6:1-5 — It's a Trap!

READ THIS: Proverbs 6:1-5

1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2 you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth. 3 So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion — and give your neighbor no rest! 4 Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. 5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?
 
This is a great passage to stop for a second and think about what it means for something to be a proverb. If something is called a proverb, then it means that it is a general saying or piece of advice. That means that it might not be true every time, but most of the time it is. For example, a common proverb (not from the Bible) is "many hands make light work." Overall, that's true! The more people doing a task, the less time it takes. Most of the time. But sometimes, it just makes it longer and harder. That's where we get phrases like "too many cooks in the kitchen." Having thirty people clean a tiny closet might actually take more time and energy than if just five people were doing it. 

So, here, what Solomon is saying is that, a lot of the time, promising to pay off someone else's debt is not a good idea. You get trapped in something you can't control, so you should beg to be released from that promise, just like an animal would fight to get out of a hunter's trap. 

But, what's crazy, is that there's someone who willingly promised to pay off YOUR debt, and He didn't fight to get out of it at all. Every time we mess up, we are kind of racking up debt in a way, but we don't have to pay it back because Jesus already did by dying on the cross for us! 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. How is sin similar to being in debt?

2. Why is it a trap to have to pay off someone else's debt?

TRY THIS:
 
Try to keep a tally of the times you mess up today or tomorrow. At the end of the day, intentionally thank Jesus for paying those debts!!! (If you don't believe Jesus actually took those debts from you, try asking God if Jesus really did die for those debts!)




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