Proverbs 6:1-2 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
In Proverbs 6, Solomon warns us about making promises, especially when it involves financial commitments for others.
Suretyship is when you promise to pay someone else’s debt if they can’t. It’s like co-signing a loan. This can apply to co-signing for a house, a car, or any other significant financial obligation.
While helping a friend might seem noble, it can lead to trouble if the person you vouched for cannot fulfill their obligation. This can put you in a difficult financial situation, potentially harming you and your family.
Solomon highlights the danger of rash promises. When we speak without thinking, we can easily trap ourselves. The words of our mouth can become a snare, binding us to obligations that are hard to escape.
Proverbs 22:26-27 also warns us: “Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?” This emphasizes the risk of losing even your basic necessities if you cannot fulfill a co-signed obligation.
Romans 13:8 advises us, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” This verse reminds us that our primary obligation should be love, not financial entanglements.
A simple rule is if you can’t comfortably afford to carry the obligations you are co-signing for, you probably shouldn’t co-sign. Furthermore, you need to understand that if someone doesn’t fulfill their obligation, you will need to repay it, and it will definitely harm your relationship with them.
The Bible teaches us to be cautious with our promises. It’s wise to think before we speak and consider the potential impact of our commitments. This wisdom helps us to live responsibly and avoid the pitfalls of financial entanglements.
