Posted on 02/27/2021 12:13:52 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him” (Proverbs 27:13-14).
“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger,” so, a stranger walks in and says, “Hey! Will you sign on a loan for me?” “Well sure pal! Uh, what's your name?” Well, somebody like that, you might as well just take something away from him, because he's going to lose it. Right?
“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.” he might as well. It is the equivalent of just take something from him and go buy a loose woman with it, because that is what this guy is going to wind up with. He is he is a wreck. He has no wisdom. In light of, in the shadow of, a prudent man he has no prudence. He has no foresight. He can't see that when the guy walks in and says, “Hey! Can you loan me some money? Can you sign a loan for me?” “Well, sure!” Well, duh.
Verse 14, “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,” should be shot. That is in the Hebrew. “. . . it shall be counted a curse to him.” This is a friendship issue where if a friend doesn't have any sense about certain things, then eventually it is going to affect the friendship. If he has no prudence, no discretion about content of conversation, that sort of thing, if we are brash and proud and always putting somebody down. Guess what? One of these days it is going to come back and haunt us, and maybe nobody will beat you up, but eventually you are going to find yourself alone because folks are not interested in some of that nonsense. Right? So, it says there “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.”
“Take his garment,” see, there's your collateral for you. I mean, if he's been surety for a stranger he's about to get ripped off. I told you the reason they want collateral for a loan is that the bankers really don't feel that that guy can pay, and when they want a cosigner, what they are saying is we don’t think he can't pay, and we need somebody who will. Ask any banker, to be honest about it, that's what a cosigner is for. If you cosign, you are a surety for a stranger. That’s really all you can say about it.
I'd just be careful about loaning money. Even to a best Christian friend, just be careful about loaning money. You want to make enemies fast? loan Christians money. Just do the best you can. Just tell him you haven’t got it to loan, that you don't want to lose him as a friend. Do you know what you are better to do? Just give it to him, free and clear, give it to God and walk away from it. That's the best thing to do.
Perhaps that is why this verse was written: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Proverbs 19:17).
You'll be the last guy on the face of the earth that they'll pay off. I mean, you're their friend. Just give it to him. Don't let the devil sit on your shoulder.
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