Proverbs 6

Verses 1-19 of this chapter interrupt the father’s speech to his son about the strange woman. Yet the issues he discusses in these verses are related: they deal with sins that, like adultery, lead to deep poverty (Pro 5:9-11).

A good father is also concerned about his son’s financial position. He speaks of this in verses 1-5, where he specifically warns against becoming surety for someone (verse 1). The son is naive when he becomes surety and has “given a pledge”, literally “clapped your palms”. The father is not so naive as to think his son incapable of doing so. He assumes that his son may be tempted to become surety.

No one is obliged to be surety. Being surety for another is something very different from the usual and permitted way of providing help by lending money to someone in financial need (Mt 5:42). To become surety means that he signs for it – which is done symbolically here by the confirmation with “clapping the palms” – that he assumes the responsibility to pay the debt of another if the other person fails to pay. To this end, he acts as surety.

It is wisdom not to assume such a responsibility. This danger is warned of more often in Proverbs (Pro 11:15; 17:18; 22:26). It is a wrong use of the money God has made available to use for Him.

Whoever gets another to become surety for him has ensnared the other in his words and made him a prisoner of those words (verse 2). It is foolish to become surety, because then you have become a slave to another by your own actions. The person for whom you have become surety will abuse your surety. Gullibility and misplaced generosity can result in the son being a lifelong slave of the person for whom he has become surety.

Whoever is surety has “come into the hand” of his neighbor (verse 3). Therefore, the father’s urgent advice sounds to free oneself from this at all costs. How urgent it is is echoed in addressing his son once again explicitly as “my son”. He must ensure that he is released immediately from the grip of the person for whom he has become surety. He must get himself out, or else he will perish. That is how deadly the danger is.

This will mean that he will do everything he can to ensure that the other person fulfills his obligations. He must go to the neighbor for whom he has become surety. It may mean humbling himself before him. But anything is better than perishing. Let him swallow his pride and let the other trample on him, if only he delivers himself from the grip of his neighbor. He must sacrifice his sleep for it (verse 4; cf. Psa 132:4-5), for delay is fatal. Therefore, he must do it with the speed of a gazelle fleeing from the hunter and of a bird trying to stay out of the hand of the fowler (verse 5). Those animals see the danger and lose no time in getting out of the danger zone.

There is one good surety and that is God Himself (Psa 119:122; Job 17:3). The Lord Jesus is surety of the new covenant (Heb 7:22). He is its fulfillment. We could not fulfill the conditions. The Lord could, He took the conditions upon Himself and fulfilled them. He took our obligations upon Himself, allowing us to partake of the blessings of the new covenant.

Laziness (verses 6-11), like surety (verses 1-5), is a path to poverty (Pro 24:30-34). Surety results in unnecessary loss of money; laziness does not bring in any money at all. The father strongly warns the son about it. It seems that at some point he saw that his son was lazy. Therefore, he urges him to “go to the ant”, that is, that his son should take a good look at that little animal (verse 6). Just as he can learn from the gazelle and the bird in verse 5, he can learn from the ant (Job 12:7). Let him see how her ways are, how she is busy, what her habits are. By this he will be able to become wise.

The ants need no incentive, no stick, to work. There is no “chief” who leads them in their work and whom they can follow to see how he is doing (verse 7). Nor do they have an “officer” who watches over them and corrects them. Nor do they have a “ruler” to whom they must be obedient. Humans, on the other hand, need “the eye of the master”, for otherwise they slack off. But ants work diligently and well together without any urging and accomplish much work without anyone prompting them. Nor is there an ant that does nothing.

The example of the ant is specifically about the zeal with which she works. Added to this is the fact that she works for the future. She prepares food at the appropriate time, which is “in the harvest” (verse 8), in the summer, when it is still warm, and “gathers” food when there is much food to be gathered. This allows her to stockpile food for the time when it is cold and she cannot find food anywhere. Joseph is an example of one who acted in this way (Gen 41:28-36,46-49,53-57).

After the lesson of the ant comes the application in verse 9. The father calls his son to order by confronting him in a reprimanding way with his laziness. The boy just lies down. He is neglecting his duty, because he should be at work. All he is doing is resting. That alone counts. He doesn’t think about the future, he doesn’t worry about it.

How long will he remain so inactive? You never know when a real sluggard will wake up from his sleep. If you think he is waking up, he turns around again. How wonderful it is, we hear the sluggard mutter, to have “a little sleep” and “a little slumber” and lie down with “a little folded of the hands” (verse 10).

There is an increase in unwillingness to get up and get to work. If “a little sleep” is no longer possible, then “a little slumber” is so wonderful after all. And if that no longer works and you’re wide awake, then “a little folding of the hands to rest”, your hands behind your head or on your chest is so nice, too, after all. Who knows, if they leave you alone, you may still be able to slumber a little again, and maybe you’ll even manage to sleep a little again.

All these ‘littles’ do yield a lot, namely a lot of poverty. The hands are not folded to pray, but make it clear that he has no intention to roll up his sleeves and using them (Ecc 4:5). He does not want to work with his hands.

We often excuse or condone a wrong act or lifestyle by saying that it’s just “a little”. Do you need to talk about such a little something? What do those few minutes of delay matter, those few pennies overcharged, that little lie? But for God, there is no such thing as ‘a little’ deviation from the path of obedience. Disobedience is disobedience.

The son does need to realize that because of his laziness, “poverty” comes upon him “like a vagabond” (verse 11). A vagabond is not in a hurry, but steadily proceeds toward his goal. That poverty causes “need” to come upon him “like an armed man”. An armed man is a bandit bent to overpower him.

Every generation needs to hear these words about the sluggard again. This is certainly true of today’s generation. More and more young people are sinking into aimlessness, hanging around and doing nothing. Laziness is becoming a habit. We see it in society, but we also see it in the kingdom of God. There are lazy Christians. Every free evening is for themselves. They think they have a right to be lazy and do nothing for a change. The Lord Jesus tells a slave to whom He had also given something to do, but who did not go to work for Him, that he is a “wicked and lazy” slave (Mt 25:26). There is plenty of work in the kingdom of God. We will have an eye for this if we live with God.

The third danger, after surety and laziness, that the father warns his son about is “a worthless person, a wicked man” (verse 12). It is a Belial man, as “worthless” can also be translated, that is an evil and at the same time worthless, useless man. Belial is a proper name for satan (2Cor 6:15). A Belial man is a son of the devil. He is associated with laziness and wickedness and is in the power of the devil. He is a man of iniquity; that is his lifestyle. Out of the mouth of such a person only perversity can come. He is a professional deceiver.

Besides the perverse language that comes out of his mouth, he also speaks a dark body language (verse 13). This is evident in what he does with his eyes, his feet and his fingers. Sneakily winking at someone with whom you are plotting to trick someone else. However, this is not an innocent joke, but to harm and hurt someone (Pro 10:10; Psa 35:19). The same applies to giving “a signal with his feet”. He can touch his companion in evil under the table with his feet to say or not say something. He can also signal by a gesture “with his fingers”. His gaze and gestures are insinuating and aimed at deceiving someone.

It is the secret language of darkness understood only by the initiated. It is the language of the man of sin, the antichrist, who is the prototype of “a worthless person, a wicked man”. The antichrist is “the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction” (2Thes 2:3,10). This man is thoroughly corrupt.

The heart of the corrupt man, the center of his being, is a forge of perversity (verse 14; Mt 15:19). He is constantly plotting plans and devising means to sow fear and misery among men. He is “full of deceit and fraud”, a “son of the devil” and an “enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10). What comes out of his heart “spreads strife” (cf. verse 19b) in the most intimate relationships. “Strife” are the messengers he sends out. Where strife is found, He is present and at work. Strife, quarreling, is the opposite of the harmony and unanimity that should be among believers.

This troublemaker and strife maker, bent on the fall of others, will suddenly, without prior warning, be beset by calamity (verse 15). Thus the antichrist will be suddenly struck by Christ’s judgment, as will all who follow him (1Thes 5:3). Instantly he will be totally broken, with no chance of healing (cf. 2Chr 36:16; Pro 29:1; Jer 19:11).

These verses connect to the previous verses about the perverse man and especially to verse 14. To present some of that man’s vices to his son, the father uses for his teaching the form of a number proverb, “six ... yes, seven” (verse 16; Pro 30:15,18,21,24,29; Job 5:19; Ecc 11:2; Amos 1:6,9,13; 2:1,4,6; Mic 5:5). This means that the vices he lists are not an exhaustive enumeration of them. Sexual sins and stealing, for example, are not mentioned. What the LORD “hates”, what is “an abomination to Him”, are things that are totally foreign to Who He is.

The seven things the LORD hates, and therefore we should also hate, are specific personal attitudes and behaviors.

1. “Haughty eyes” (verse 17) are eyes with a proud look that betrays arrogant ambition. It is a “haughty gaze” (Isa 10:12-14).

2. “A lying tongue” is a misleading tongue, a tongue that speaks words that create a false impression in the listener, leading him astray. We see this with the false prophets, who mislead God’s people (Jer 14:14). A false tongue causes injury (Pro 26:28), but it will one day silence (Pro 12:19).

3. “Hands that shed innocent blood”, are killer hands that killed an innocent person. King Manasseh “shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another” (2Kgs 21:16; 24:3-4).

In these three characteristics – pride, lying and murder – we see the deadly sins of satan who fell into pride and is therefore “a murderer of men from the beginning” and “a liar” (Jn 8:44).

4. “A heart that devises wicked plans” (verse 18) is another abomination to God. It is in the heart that deliberations take place. Other people do not see these, but God does. He abhors when people devise sins in their hearts.

5. “Feet that run rapidly to evil” (Isa 59:7; Rom 3:15), testify to a dark enthusiasm and devilish speed to carry out the evil contrived and cause suffering in others.

6. “A false witness [who] utters lies” (verse 19), we can connect with the previously mentioned false tongue (see 2.). No body parts are now used to denote persons, but it concerns the whole person. Here we are concerned with violation of the ninth commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exo 20:16).

7. “Who spreads strife among brothers”, is a general description of one who causes and stirs up division and strife (cf. Rom 16:17-18). Possibly this is a depth of things the LORD hates.

In verse 16 we can see in the phrase “yes, seven” the special emphasis placed on this seventh evil. Strife among brothers is the result of the foregoing. The abominations 1-6 culminate in this.

The counterparts of these seven hateful abominations are (1) humility, (2) speaking truth, (3) preserving life, (4) pure thoughts, (5) being zealous to do good things, (6) honest witnesses, and (7) peaceful harmony.

After the teaching on various topics in verses 1-19, the father continues from verse 20 with teaching on the sin of harlotry with which he began in Proverbs 5. This teaching continues through Proverbs 7. He describes two new aspects of that sin. In Proverbs 2 he talks about the relationship between the harlot and her husband, and in Proverbs 5 he highlights the relationship between the adulterer and his own wife. In the now following verses, he exposes the relationship between the husband of the adulterous woman and his son if he commits adultery with the adulterous woman. His son will have to deal with that husband in case of adultery.

The father is very practical. Adultery is not just a matter about which the church needs to discipline. That is an important aspect, but there are more aspects to this sin. As we saw earlier, the father speaks of the financial consequences of adultery. Another practical aspect is that the son will have to deal with that woman’s husband. He is going to speak about that now.

Before he does so, he first introduces to the son the importance and beauty of the commandment of the father and the teaching of the mother (verse 20). This again underscores the importance of the education provided by the father and mother at home. Father and mother together raise the children. If the children listen to their teaching, it will preserve them from an immoral life.

For this reason, the father urges his son to bind the commandment and teaching “continually” on his “heart” (verse 21). If the heart is the repository of the teaching of the parents, it will be able to exert its protective function on the actions and ways of the young man. He should also tie them around his neck (cf. Pro 3:3; 7:3). That will keep him from turning his head toward a beautiful, wicked woman to give her attention.

It will govern the total life of the young man (verse 22). It guides him when he “walks about”, it watches over him when he “lies down”, and it speaks to him when he “awakes”. It summarizes everything he does (Deu 6:7; 11:19). ‘Walking about’ is the daily activity. ‘Sleeping’ he does after his daily activities. After he slept, he ‘awakes’ to ‘walk about’ again. But before he goes, it is important to seek counsel for the day ahead and let the commandment speak to his heart. We can apply this to having ‘quiet time’ for reading God’s Word.

The “commandment” of the father (verse 20a) and the “teaching” of the mother (verse 20b) function as “a lamp” and “a light” (verse 23; Psa 19:9b; 119:130). It makes things clear and public, showing what is right and what is wrong, so that we know what to do. The “reproofs for discipline” that belong to upbringing are a way that leads to “life”. Those who follow the admonitions achieve life.

Light and life belong together. They are deepened in the New Testament (Jn 1:4-5). The Word of God is a lamp and a light (Psa 119:105). A lamp illuminates the next step; the light shines far ahead, all along the way. The lamp and the light correct what is wrong and educate in what is right. If we follow the Lord Jesus, we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn 8:12).

The Word gives guidance and protection. The main point here is that the Word will keep the son and protect him from the wicked, adulterous woman if he listens to the commandment and teaching (verse 24). The young man will not then be deceived and seduced by the smooth and flattering tongue of this wicked woman (Pro 2:16). She is “the adulteress”, literally “the foreign woman” someone who does not belong to him, but to another.

The first warning for the wicked, unknown woman concerns the heart of the young man (verse 25), for from it [flow] the springs of life” (Pro 4:23). In the heart, temptation is born (Jam 1:14-15). He must not allow lust to take root in his heart because of that woman’s beauty. Immoral actions begin with a covetous look (2Sam 11:2; 13:1-14).

As soon as such desire wants to rear its head, it must be judged immediately. Whoever harbors lust sins and commits the act of adultery (Mt 5:28). Therefore, he should not look at her eyes, for they act like ropes by which he can be bound. For committing the sin of adultery a high price must be paid (verse 26). It brings to the deepest poverty, “a loaf of bread”, and even to death: his “precious life” is hunted.

There are two kinds of wicked women here. There is “a woman who is a harlot”, that is someone who offers her depraved ‘services’ for the sake of money. Those who get involved with her are impoverished by it. There is also an “adulteress”. She is bored with her husband and seeks someone else for sexual satisfaction. Getting involved with her is even more dangerous than getting involved with a harlot, because whoever gets involved with her is no longer sure of his life. He is completely in her power. In addition, the jealous husband will hunt down his “precious life” to kill him. The woman will hand him over to her jealous husband with a brazen face (cf. Gen 39:16-20).

The foreign woman is to be shunned like fire (verses 27-28). The clothes of whoever does engage with her will catch fire (verse 27). Applied, this means that the behavior of the fornicator and adulterer, his prestige and dignity, of which the clothes speak, becomes contemptible (Gen 38:13-18). There is not only a ‘burning smell’ about him, which sometimes seems so for a moment, but his whole conduct and dignity are gone. He becomes despised.

A person will not be so foolish as to walk on hot coals and then think that his feet will not be scorched (verse 28). ‘Walking’ indicates a repeated occurrence; it does not refer to something that happens incidentally. It refers to ongoing sexual contact, to someone who is a fornicator. It is impossible to do such a thing without damaging oneself. The father applies this to what happens when his son gets involved with the wife of another man. He must then bear the consequences. There is no escaping this. They are the “natural laws” of fornication. At the end, destruction awaits.

In verse 29, the father gives the conclusion. Going to the wife of his neighbor has the meaning of having sexual intercourse with her. Touching her has the same meaning. One who is so intimate with another’s wife, one who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, will not go unpunished. The punishment for the adulterer is inevitable.

In verses 30-31, the sin of adultery is compared to the sin of stealing. If a thief steals to satisfy his hunger, this is understood, although what he does is wrong (verse 30). If they catch him, he must pay severely for his crime (verse 31; Exo 22:1; Lk 19:8). It may cost him his entire property. But when he has paid his debt, he is a free man again.

For someone who commits adultery, it is totally different (verse 32). There is understanding for someone who steals because he is hungry, but there is never understanding for someone who “steals” the wife of another. The young man, when “hungry”, could have gone to his wife. He is not without bread, but “without sense”, or as it literally says, he lacks heart, he is without heart. What he does looks like pleasure, but it is suicide. He “destroys himself”.

Adultery provides him with momentary ‘pleasure’, but what he finds is “wounds and disgrace” and a “reproach” that cannot be blotted out (verse 33). It is impossible to go unpunished. Only vengeance remains. There is nothing that can remove that defamation. It is a hateful sin before God, and there are horrible consequences for those involved as well. So practical is the father, so practical is the Scripture.

The word translated “touches” in verse 29 is translated “wounds” in this verse. We see here that the relationship between sin and punishment is shown by a Hebrew pun. Whoever affectionately touches an adulterous woman will be harshly touched by the wounds that will come upon him.

He will face a man inflamed in jealousy who is furious with him (verse 34). The pity that may be there for a thief who steals from hunger is completely lacking for an adulterer with the man with whose wife he has committed adultery. On the day of revenge, that is, the day he discovers the adultery, revenge is the only thing in which he can find satisfaction. The man who has committed adultery with his wife must be judged.

Unlike the thief, the adulterer can make no recompense for his sin (verse 35). The jealous husband does not accept any compensation. No matter how large the amount would be, this matter cannot be bought off with money. The adulterer can do nothing to make up for what he has done. He cannot reverse his sin. He has to live with that sin for the rest of his life, at least if he stays alive and is not killed by the jealous husband.