Audio Download

Proverbs Chapter 6

Part 1 – Pro 6:1-15 “Take Heed to Thyself“

[Study Aired Dec 12, 2024]

This sixth chapter of proverbs is mainly talking about our interaction with the world, and specifically with the churches of this world. The “friend” of verse one that we are not to intermix with has to do with intermixing our faith with others, “if thou be surety^H6148 for thy friend“[surety – aw-rab’ -A primitive root; to braid, that is, intermix; technically to traffic (as if by barter); also to give or be security (as a kind of exchange): – engage, (inter-) meddle (with), mingle (self), mortgage, occupy, give pledges, be (-come, put in) surety, undertake.].

Being “surety” happens when we inquire or desire to know how others conduct their religious ways and traditions in this world which we’ve been called out of, or if we are unequally yoked with someone (Deu 12:30 , Rev 18:4-5 , 2Co 6:14).

Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

God’s elect are seen in this light by the world: “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot [within their altar of days, months, times, and years], speaking evil of you“, and by no fault of their own they can’t partake of the altar that we eat at (Heb 13:10) and so we are warned to not cast our pearls before the unbelieving (Tit 2:14-15 , 1Pe 2:9 , Exo 19:5 , 1Pe 4:4 , Mat 7:6).

Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

We must die daily now (1Co 15:31), and not tomorrow at the great white throne judgement [second death], and the action of partaking of the traditions of mankind, is analogous with a world that has been seduced by the lips of the harlot system of Babylon of chapter five whose lips “drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil” (Pro 5:1) and whose house is filled with the sensual earthly doctrines that Satan wants the world to continue to partake in (Rev 18:12-17), and if it were possible to deceive the very elect with them (Mat 24:24 , 2Co 2:11). All of this wealth spoken of in (Rev 18:12-17) is symbolic of the false doctrines that have been stored up over the years in Mystery Babylon and will come to nought in one hour!

Rev 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

God’s elect are blessed to have the desire to die daily as we war against our own self-righteousness (Php 3:9) and beastly nature that we fight against with the faith of Christ (1Ti 6:12 , Gal 2:20). That carnal nature is typified with this verse, “If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.” (1Co 15:32)

If our hope is not in the truth that we are raised in heavenly places today (Eph 2:6) and that we are being washed by the blood of Christ (Psa 51:9-13 , Rev 1:5), as sons of God who are being received and purified by the judgement that is upon us now (1Jn 3:1-11 , 1Pe 4:17), then we would have to conclude with these words, “let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die”. By God’s grace we do have a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and see the need for judgment in our lives, as we are being made ready (Rev 19:7) to wash the world of all the sins of Babylon which have “reached unto heaven”, effectively wiping away every tear of mankind in the process (Rev 18:5-6 , Rev 19:7-8 , Rev 21:4).

Psa 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities (Php 3:9 , Eze 33:13).
Rev 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

We can’t be maturing witnesses of God who are engaged in spiritual wrestling matches (Act 5:32) if we hide our light under a bushel and never interact with those around us, however, it is a matter of how we do this (Eph 5:15 = Tit 3:2 , 1Pe 2:1 , Mar 10:15).

Christ is our example, and in this sixth chapter of Proverbs we learn of the need to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves, examining and judging our own selves (1Co 11:31), while always being on guard against Satan’s spirit that we are wrestling against, in the hearts and minds of those who God tells us to beware of (Eph 6:12).

Chapter sixth is jam-packed with wisdom and instruction for how we are to conduct ourselves in this life, “be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” who must “beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them (Act 5:32) and the Gentiles”(Mat 10:16-18).

Pro 6:1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
Pro 6:2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

Pro 6:1 My son, if thou be surety^H6148 for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

Pro 6:1  My son, if you have become a cosigner^H6148 for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge with a stranger, (TLV)

Pro 6:1 My son, don’t make yourself responsible^H6148for another person’s debts. Don’t make such deals with friends or with strangers. (ERV)

Our debt represents our sin, and the way we deal with the spiritual debt of others is that we direct people to Christ, our saviour and advocate (1Jn 2:1), of whom “death hath no more dominion over him”, meaning he is no longer in sinful flesh that he overcame by God’s grace while in it, for our sakes (Rom 6:9-10 , Rom 5:10). Now if we have that advocate working within us (Col 1:27 , Rom 8:9), we will be more than conquerors through him (Rom 8:31-33 , Rom 8:36-39)

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate^G3875 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

G3875 paraklētos par-ak’-lay-tos
An intercessor, consoler: – advocate, comforter.
Total KJV occurrences: 5

Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (He liveth unto God right now in His body Gal 2:20 , Joh 14:20)

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Another use of this Strong’s number translated ‘surety’^H6148 in verse 1, is by the use of the English word ‘meddle’^H6148, reminding us that we are not to get caught up in a situation where we are meddling in the affairs of people that we should not be (Rev 11:2). A sure way to become ‘snared with your words’, is to be speaking where and when we ought not be, “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.” (Psa 141:3)

H6148 ‛ârab aw-rab’
A primitive root; to braid, that is, intermix; technically to traffic (as if by barter); also to give or be security (as a kind of exchange): – engage, (inter-) meddle (with), mingle (self), mortgage, occupy, give pledges, be (-come, put in) surety, undertake.
Total KJV occurrences: 18

Pro 20:19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle^H6148 not with him that flattereth with his lips. (KJV) [Pro 2:10-11 , Pro 2:16]

Pro 24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle^H6148 not with them that are given to change: (KJV)

Ezr 9:1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
Ezr 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves^H6148 with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.[Jer 5:30-31]

Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Pro 6:3 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.

Pro 6:3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou have come into the hand of thy neighbor. Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor.[ACV]

Pro 6:3 You are under that person’s power. So go to him and free yourself. Beg that person to free you from his debt.[ERV]

Pro 6:4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Pro 6:5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

These verses talk about what we need to do “if thou be surety for thy friend“, and in particular the persistence needed to be freed from the debt of meddling with Babylon. It is God’s goodness that strengthens us to be persistent in this work (Luk 11:8-9), as we’re brought to our wits’ end through those trying times that will even bring us to “Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids“. This is how we “Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler” by God’s power (1Co 4:20 , 1Co 2:5 , Christ asked his disciples, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” knowing that they could not without God’s power (Mat 26:40)).

Luk 11:8 I say to you, though he will not give him, after getting up, because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, having awaken, he will give him as many as he needs.(ACV)

1Co 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Pro 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Pro 6:7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Pro 6:8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

The subject matter has not changed and we are still talking about how we are to ‘come out of her my people'(Rev 18:4). If we love God, we are keeping His commandments that tell us to work out our own salvation which is our reasonable service in our whole sacrificial life (Php 2:12 , Rom 12:1-2).

Having “no guide, overseer, or ruler” is a testament to our diligence in the Lord as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, moving with fear as Noah did to build the ark (Heb 11:7), or as Christ who, in that he feared God, cried out and was heard (Heb 5:7).

If we are given eyes to see and ears that hear then we will give glory to God for all things, for both the sin and the overcoming of that sin, acknowledging that He alone is the one who “Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest” within us as our “guide, overseer, or ruler“. So yes again, we work out our own salvation as though it depended on us, but we acknowledge that it is the Lord who is working in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure (Php 2:12-13 , Luk 12:31-32).

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Luk 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Pro 6:9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Pro 6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
Pro 6:11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

The questions “how long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?” and “when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?” are rhetorical questions as God knows our downsitting^{H3427 = dwell, abide} and our uprising^{H6965 = arise, stand, establish} (Psa 139:2), and it will always be just long enough to accomplish that which the Master Potter is working in each life he is dealing with (Heb 4:13).

We are admonished by this proverb to be the importunate widow (Luk 18:1-8) whose persistence was anything like that of the sluggard whose little sleep, little slumber and little folding of the hands to sleep, would ultimately lead to spiritual poverty: “So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man“. The poverty is revealed in the lake of fire for the world, after having slept through the reign of the saints and coming to realize how this verse applies to them, “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (Mat 25:29).

Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luk 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; [city is a church] and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. [Satan the accuser of the brethren (Jas 4:7)]
Luk 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luk 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? [yes in those few who will be granted that extra oil (Mat 25:4 , Luk 11:13)]

Pro 6:12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
Pro 6:13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
Pro 6:14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
Pro 6:15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

These last verses we’ll look at today are talking about how our old man of sin operates within a self-righteous, confident-in-the-flesh approach through life, that will lead to death (Pro 14:12): “suddenly shall he be broken without remedy^{H4832 = ‘health’, healing’}“. Lord willing, today will be another start to our new man being birthed out of the old man, whose dying daily aorist death is continually on God’s radar, even as our new man remains the apple of His eye (1Pe 4:12 , 1Pe 4:17 , Heb 4:13 , Zec 2:8).

The new man will go “whither thou wouldest not”, as we’re granted to mortify the deeds of the flesh (Joh 21:18 , Joh 6:44), that being the only way we can continually overcome all of these evil attributes: “A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord“, fulfilling God’s will in the process (Php 2:12-13).

The good news is that God is able to make us more than conquerors through Christ by taking away our confidence in our own flesh (Php 3:3), through a chastening, and scourging process of judgement, a gift of God that leads to salvation (Heb 12:6 , Eph 2:8).

We are learning to rely and trust solely on our heavenly Father in this life, despite ourselves, and the wretchedness that flesh is (Rom 7:24 , Rev 3:17 , Rom 8:37), that must be put off, in order to see the new man (Col 1:27 , Rom 8:9) increase within us through much tribulation. That much tribulation will work together for our good as we enter into the kingdom (2Co 1:9 , Act 14:22 , Rom 8:28).

Here are just a few of the all things that “work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things (putting off flesh Php 3:3 , the sentence of death in ourselves 2Co 1:9-10 , much tribulation Act 14:22 , the fiery trials 1Pe 4:12) work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Truly all things are ours in this life (1Co 3:20-23), the light, the darkness, the peace, and the evil, that are all working according to the counsel of God’s own will, and for a good purpose unto those who are the called and chosen, and granted to remain faithful unto the end (Eph 1:11 , Isa 45:7 , Rom 8:28 , Rom 5:5 , Rom 5:10).

1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

God grant us to see that our struggle of coming out of Babylon is not prefaced on isolating ourselves from the world, but rather by being given a heart that desires the wisdom and knowledge from God that we need, in order to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and our neighbour as ourselves, as we are led by God’s spirit to that end (2Ch 1:10-12 , Mar 12:30-31).

2Ch 1:10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
2Ch 1:11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
2Ch 1:12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

Abram, who typifies the Israel of God, comes to learn that God is “thy exceeding great reward”(Gen 15:1). Solomon is told, “I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like,” typifying the mind of Christ that is given to the elect (2Ch 1:12 , 1Co 2:16).

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.