Weekly Devotional14th November, 2025
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 14th November, 2025
Proverbs Chapter Five is written about marriage and the dangers of adultery. Although this is sadly relevant to Christian marriage today and offers practical wisdom, it does not meet our criteria for this devotional. Therefore, in this session, we will move on to Chapter Six.
Proverbs 6:1-4 – “My son, if you have become surety for your neighbour, have given a pledge for a stranger, 2 If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth, 3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbour, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbour. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;”
The warning is against the son taking on the responsibility of paying a debt as a guarantor for someone else. He becomes liable to seizure if the debtor defaults on his payment, right down to his cloak (verse 11:15), which shields him from the cold at night (verse 27:13).
Under what circumstances would a person need someone to pledge for his debt today? It is often required when a person does not have enough money for a deposit on a home, or some other loan where they do not have sufficient collateral or – back in the writer’s day, they may be bankrupt which meant they had to sell themselves in slavery to repay the debt.
Becoming a surety for someone is very unwise because we commit ourselves to the outcome of the future, which we cannot control (verse 27:1). Moreover, we have handed ourselves over to the debtor, who may unmercifully throw us into the hands of the creditor. The wise father is trying to rouse the son into immediate action before the payment is due, which is made obvious in verse 4, where the guarantor is urged not to sleep until he has dealt with it. Securing our release from a foolish obligation may require a price, but it is better to assume the loss than to remain in bondage to the pledge.
What the father is really cautioning his son on is the impact of impulsive actions, presumed goodwill, or any other factor that involves acting as a guarantor or incurring a debt. Many of us can relate to times when this has happened to us and wish we had received or listened to this advice. The response we need to make is to deliver ourselves in any way as soon as possible.
At first, this may seem contradictory because, in Matthew 5:42, Jesus tells us to give to him who asks from us, and Luke 6:38 tells us the same, promising that we will receive good measure back. Without a doubt God’s Word exhorts us to be generous and giving, even to lend to others when we can.
However, and here is the key point, it advises us not to go into debt for someone else. The Lord encourages us to give what we have, but Scripture draws the line at giving what we do not have or giving based on what we expect to have in the future. Many caring, good-hearted believers have put themselves in financial hardship to help others. Wisdom shows that God does not command this, nor does He expect it. Wisdom also recognises that you may be doing more harm than good by enabling them to go into debt. If people do not have the means or ability to buy something themselves, they probably shouldn’t be buying it at all.
May God bless you