Posted on 06/26/2022 11:38:55 PM PDT 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).
Now, we've already covered this in 6:1-4 and 11:15. Other passages on it are 20:16, 22:26-27. That 11:15, that’s five times this thing about surety, or being surety for somebody. You know, backing somebody up, and cosigning notes for somebody. But, notice what he says here. This is the last time it's mentioned in the book. It really gives you the key to it. “Take his garment that is surety for a stranger,” in other words, if another guy that owes you money has stood good for somebody else's debts, before you stand good for his you better get collateral. Because the Bible implies that that guy is a fool, and that that stranger is not going to pay, and the fellow that owes you money is not going to pay you; you better get collateral before you loan him anything.
“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.
Why does his friend get mad? It is said the wrong way at the wrong time. It's not really real. It's forced, you know, there's an example of this in First Samuel 15:13.
“And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:13).
King Saul says, “Bless you!” You know he didn't mean it. Why, he didn’t listen to Samuel for five minutes, otherwise he would have obeyed him. Samuel had just told him earlier to kill the enemy of God’s people—man, woman, and child. Saul didn’t pay any attention to Samuel at all. He wasn’t blessing him. This is nothing but false piety. It is flattery that is not appreciated.
That loud voice, you can get that thing connected with a demon in Mark chapter 5. Boisterous, trying to get everybody’s attention. You need to watch that.
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Amen . . . it is all spiritual warfare. Thank God that Jesus Christ IS our armor. We are told to ‘put on Christ’. So many of God’s people just don’t know that the battle is already won on our behalf and we live not by our faith, but His faith, who loved me and gave His life for me. Why? To deliver us from this present evil world. (Galatians 1:1-4).
Bump.
Thank you for helpfully explaining that.
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