Pledging security for loan
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.
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. (Pro.6:1-5)
It was fairly common for people to put up some kind of financial security for someone else, that is, to underwrite another’s debts. But the pledge in view here was foolish because the debtor was a neighbor who was not well known, perhaps a misfit in the community. The one who pledged security for this one was simply gullible. The guarantee of a pledge was signaled by a handshake (e.g., 11:15; 17:18; 22:26). The term “stranger" probably refers to a neighbor who was not well-known. Alternatively, it could describe a person who is living outside the norms of convention, a moral misfit in the community. In any case, this “stranger” is a high risk in any financial arrangement.These proverbs describe putting up security (v. 1) for someone else's debt (i.e., promising to pay his debt if he defaults) as a trap in which one's life is endangered. The son is to be tireless in trying to get out of the position in which his labor, wealth, or goods could be squandered because someone else who is ultimately responsible for satisfying the debt has defaulted. The warning is intended to instill prudence in such situations. Therefore it does not imply that putting up security for someone is morally wrong in every possible situation, but rather that it is generally unwise. Wisdom recognizes that in nearly all cases putting up security is ultimately not good for either party involved (cf. 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; 27:13).
The main point of the appeal begins in v. 3: save yourself from the whim of the one in debt and plead urgently with him. The point of such pleading is made clear by the comparison to game caught in a trap: focus all your energy and seek to get out of such a situation and thus save yourself (v. 5) from ruin.
We should not have any business dealings with the strangers who are not of the House of God. In our daily life, we have to enter into business or career agreements with the unbelievers. Our words in agreement with their terms should be carefully understood and legally drafted. We have to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. If we are caught into their snares, then we have to get ourselves freed from their bondage. You have to humble yourself before your opponent and win his heart so that you are made free from this obligation. We should not allow the aggrieved party to go to the court of law to enforce a decree on us. We should prefer out-of-court settlement to a court settlement in this regard. You should not give sleep to your eyes eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids till you settle the matter with the aggrieved stranger. In many organizations, there is a disciplinary procedure for enforcing discipline on their employees through punitive action. The aggrieved employees may take recourse to the courts of law and may win their cases. But ultimately in the long run, their relationship with their employers will not be a solid ground. Without seeking remedies through the court of law, a third person, they should settle the matter with their employers.
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