Proverbs 6 - Look Out
The biggest threats to your life come not from the world, but from inside yourself.
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Proverbs 6 (ESV)
1 My son,
if you
have put up security for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are
snared in the words of your mouth,
caught in the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son,
and save yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself
like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she
prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart
devises evil,
continually sowing discord;
15 therefore
calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
20 My son,
keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk,
they will lead you;
when you lie down,
they will watch over you;
and when you awake,
they will talk with you.
23 For
the commandment is a lamp
and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you
from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught,
he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery
lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy
makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
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Proverbs 6 Summary
The sixth chapter of Proverbs conveniently divides into six particular sections. All of these sections are warnings from a wise father to his young son of things which suddenly entrap and ensnare people:
v1-5 - Going into debt, especially in the sense of putting off payment till tomorrow for today's enjoyment, creates the potential for lifelong bondage to creditors.
v6-11 - Certainly rest & relaxation are good things, but they must be enjoyed in strict moderation. The wise father contrasts sluggards with the ever industrious ants.
v12-15 - Most of us have experienced people who seem so good and wholesome, only to find out that they were masking evil intent. Always keep an eye out for such manipulators, and certainly don't be one yourself!
v16-19 - The wise father identifies the seven (!) root causes of all sin.
v20-29 - The longest section of this chapter is a call to hold fast to God's commandments and teachings; they are a lamp & light that will guide you through life. Don't let them be taken from you by falling for the world's seductions.
v30-35 - It's bad enough for one to commit a crime of desperation (for example, to steal food to feed a starving family), so it's many times worse to fall into sin by following your appetite.
Dig Deeper
Proverbs 6 provides a huge insight on what God loves by listing the primary things that He hates. Spend time meditating with yourself or those close to you the seven vices listed. Put each into your own words, and then describe the opposite of what's listed: the seven things God loves.
The Lord hates:
Haughty eyes
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
Lying tongues
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
hands that shed innocent blood
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
a heart that devises wicked plans,
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
feet that make haste to run to evil,
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
a false witness who breathes out lies,
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
one who sows discord among brothers.
Examples:
Therefore the Lord loves:
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our wise Father, who hates what is evil and loves what is good.
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the wisdom to live according to God's good design
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
