PROVERBS 6:1-5

Q: Do not be a man who strikes hands in a pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.” There are several proverbs similar to this. What exactly is the wisdom being conveyed? It seems to be saying one would be foolish to put up a deposit on something, which seems to be common practice today.

There are several ways in which these passages have been misunderstood or misapplied by Christians.

First, it is clear that Proverbs 6:1-5, 11:15 and 17:18 are specifically dealing with the issue we today would call co-signing for a loan. This especially applies to co-signing for someone we do not know very well. Thus, they do not at all address the separate issue of whether or not we should pay cash only for our purchases and avoid taking on any personal loans.

I witnessed one example of someone taking the valid principle of these proverbs too far. The youth minister at a former church refused to write a character reference for a very godly college student at our church because he said it was forbidden by these passages in Proverbs. This was even though the letter would not have committed him to any financial obligations at all. The student was understandably very hurt and confused by this minister's actions.

This brings up the larger point regarding the proverbs in the Bible. They are to be taken as good general guidelines on how to act wisely, and do not necessarily deal with spiritual or moral issues. The proverbs cited above fall into this category. Also, taking them too literally can cause violation of other proverbs such as Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.”

Also, as New Testament Christians we need to heed the words of Christ and Paul, both of whom taught that sometimes we need to put our own needs aside and do foolish things in the eyes of the world in order to obey the higher law of love for others.

Now, as to the specific proverb (22:26-27) you quoted above, there the language is a little more ambiguous than the others bundled together in The Chronological Bible under the category “Surety for Another.” However, most commentators would agree with the editors of The Chronological Bible that this passage also refers only to taking on the debts of others, not of your own. One reason is that the language is almost identical to that used in Proverbs 11:15, which definitely refers to co-signing for others

To address your specific question of whether we are enjoined not to take on any sort of personal debt, we would have to look at other proverbs where that might be actually taught and then put the teaching into its proper literary and historical context.