PROVERBS 6

Parental Counsel

1 My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, have given a pledge for a stranger,

2 If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth,

3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;

5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise,

7 Which, having no chief, officer or ruler,

8 Prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.

9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

10 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”—

11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

13 Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who points with his fingers;

14 Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, who spreads strife.

15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

16 There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil,

19 A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.

20 My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

21 Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.

22 When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.

23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

26 For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?

28 Or can a man walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?

29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry;

31 But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; he must give all the substance of his house.

32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it.

33 Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out.

34 For jealousy enrages a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

Reflection

A key part of wisdom that Proverbs addresses again and again is wisdom that comes from our parents. Oftentimes, our parents know and want what is best for us, and they have been put in authority over us. We are told to “keep [our] father’s commandment and forsake not [our] mother’s teaching” (verse 20). Our parents are not perfect, but God has given them to us to teach us and guide us as we walk through life. Not all of our parents are following the wisdom found in the Bible, but we should still respect them and know we can learn from them.

Reflect

Look at verses 20-23. What do they say about keeping our parents’ commandments? (A commandment is a rule. Most of us don’t like the word “rule,” and some people think the Bible itself is just a rulebook, but why do we have rules? To protect ourselves and others! God is a good Father who sets guidelines so we can keep out of harm’s way.)

Engage

What are some rules your parents have given you? How have they taught you? What are some ways you can hold on to that wisdom that you’ve learned from them?

An Extra Mile