Episode 6 – 505: Wisdom Series- Guarantees & Discernment
Let’s talk about Proverbs, Chapter 6:1-2 & Chapter 7:21,23 – Guarantees
& Discernment
In chapter 6, we receive some instruction about the importance
of our word and making agreements AND we learn about avoiding slothful behavior. I wanted to focus on the beginning of the chapter of Proverbs, verses 1 & 2 that speak to the importance of our word. The verses read: (1) “My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou has stricken thy hand with a
stranger, (2) Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. From these verses we can take several lessons, and one I take is that when it comes to being
indebted, we should not take on more than we can be sure to handle. The second is that once we have given someone
our work, we are bound by that word – we must be willing and able to “Guarantee” what we commit to fulfill.
In chapter 7, we receive a warning about being wary of fair
and flattering speech, that may just lead us to difficulty and loss. And we also learn that we are responsible to deal with the consequences of our decisions. In chapter 7 we see the story of a
young man that is seduced by an adulteress and suffers consequences after knowingly hooking up with the wife of a man who is away. Verses 21 and 23 read as follows: “(21) With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, wit the flattering
of her lips she forced him And Verse (23 Till a dater strike through his liver, as a bird hasted to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.” So, one of the important things I take away from this chapter is being wary of flattering speech. When people come to us with information or propositions, we need to be discerning. If we are not discerning, we risk losing it all.
So, in these two chapters, we see the power of speech. We have the power to take on responsibility with our speech and we can be beguiled by crafty speech. In both cases, there are outcomes and consequences that we can expect to manage.
