Proverbs 22:26 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Proverbs 22:26

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Well we know what this is about because, in chapter 6 and over five verses, Solomon elaborates much more on this very thing. Somebody may very foolishly go surety for the debts of another, and guarantee and stand behind them. Sometimes, it legitimate to do such a thing, if you know a person very well indeed, and you know what you are doing, and you can afford to stand behind them. If, in the unlikely event in your view, anything goes wrong, you can afford it and you would be willing to do it, maybe for a family member. But certainly not for somebody you hardly know, somebody you cannot vouch for or rely on, and anyway, you have not got the means. Then why would you do it? Well there must be some foolish pride; it is certainly irresponsible. You are assenting to something that you cannot cope with. But apparently this was not such a rare event: ‘Be not thou one of them.’ It sounds as if it was happening quite a lot. ‘That strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debt. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he [the one to whom the debt is owed] take away thy bed from under thee?’ – house, home, everything. The bed surely stands for that. Why should you pay for someone else’s foolishness? You should not have done that. You should always be careful to maintain your independence of action for the Lord and not endorse another person like that who you cannot be sure of. ‘Be thou not one of them that [easily] strike hands.’ Avoid making such an extravagant, ostentatious gesture. It makes you look big or it gets you some advantage, some favour from the person with whom you agree to do it, but it ties you to them in a very dangerous way. Do not stand behind something which is not right because you think your kinship counts most, or your loyalty. It might put you in a difficult position. Honour the Lord and do what is right and be faithful in what you say.

Application

Many Christians see great danger in business partnerships or even professional partnerships, unless they are very carefully written up and protected, and your joining in such a partnership does not make you responsible for the actions of the person you cannot depend upon. This also applies to Christian denominations. People join or remain in denominations and they cannot speak for that denomination. They say to you, well I am an evangelical. I am a conservative evangelical. I believe the Scripture and will defend the Scripture. And yet they have thrown their lot in with a denomination which is largely theologically liberal, and they are going to be judged on the basis of that denomination, and they appear to endorse it. But in reality they cannot answer or take responsibility for it. What of the evangelical clergymen in the Church of England? As year by year things get worse and worse, and ultimately they will be allowing same-sex marriage, it will all come, and one thing after another. And there they are, endorsing the whole organisation and representing it. You should not do that. You should not have a close connection and involvement with something which you cannot really endorse.

It is the same as giving support in a dispute. Sometimes within churches – it is rather sad – somebody does something wrong, and it may have to be faced, sadly and unfortunately by the church. There may be other people who stand with the defender, maybe a husband, a wife, instead of saying, ‘My dear, you did wrong. I will help you, but we should face this. You did wrong.’ No, instead they respond, ‘This is my husband, my son, my wife, my whatever. They cannot do wrong. You cannot accuse them.’ And so things go from bad to worse, and there is acrimony and division.

The proverb even applies to some pastors who are asked, ‘Will you endorse a Bible translation?’ and it is a bad one. ‘Yes’, they say. They have not read it from cover to cover, they do not know that they have endorsed something they are in no position to endorse. Be careful, be responsible, be honest before the Lord.

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Proverbs 22:26 Commentary and Bible Study