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Archive for the ‘Loans’ Category

How Do We Make Godly Decisions? – Study of Proverbs 11:15 Watch Whom You Cover

In Advice, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Debt, Decision Making, Guidance, Lifestyle, Loans, Money, Poverty, Proverbs, Prudence, Uncategorized, Wisdom on June 15, 2022 at 8:41 pm

The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.

Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew or Greek definition(s).

15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

Watch Whom You Cover

Oh the perils of money, especially when we believe we do not have enough of it and seek to borrow money. The development of debt is dangerous. Debt enslaves the borrower. However, money, debt, another person’s debt can enslave the lender or the one that secures the funds for another person.

“surety” in the Hebrew language is defined as:

6148. עָרַב ˓ârab, aw-rab’; a prim. root; to braid, i.e. intermix; tech. 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.

“smart” in the Hebrew is defined as:

7321. רוּעַ rûwa˓, roo-ah’; a prim. root; to mar (espec. by breaking); fig. to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy):— blow an alarm, cry (alarm, aloud, out), destroy, make a joyful noise, smart, shout (for joy), sound an alarm, triumph.

It is very unwise to get involved in another individual’s finances. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be helpful to another human being but once money, especially borrowed money, becomes involved often relationships are fractured. In a situation with a person that you do not know well it is even worse. Money has destroyed many relationships.

It would be far better overall to simply give a person money than it would be to loan them money or become a co-signer for them to borrow money from a financial institution. To risk our indebtedness in order to secure a debt for another is to put our life, our future, in that person’s hands.

“suretiship” is defined as:

8628. תָּקַע tâqa˓, taw-kah’; a prim. root; to clatter, i.e. slap (the hands together), clang (an instrument); by anal. to drive (a nail or tent-pin, a dart, etc.); by impl. to become bondsman (by handclasping):— blow ([a trumpet]), cast, clap, fasten, pitch [tent], smite, sound, strike, × suretiship, thrust.

“sure” in the Hebrew language means the following:

982. בָּטַח ach, baw-takh’; a prim. root; prop. to hie for refuge [but not so precipitately as 2620]; fig. to trust, be confident or sure:— be bold (confident, secure, sure), careless (one, woman), put confidence, (make to) hope, (put, make to) trust.

Debt is a hopeless hole that can suck the life out of you and nothing you bought that created the debt will take away that draining feeling and burden that debt brings. However, being without debt provides a sense of peace, security, and safety that can only be experienced by having little to no extensive debt.

Wisdom does not loan money, wisdom does not borrow money if it is at all possible, wisdom does not indebt itself so it can drive the latest and greatest, and wisdom does not run up credit card debt buying things that are not truly needed.

Do you want to be a slave to those credit cards, a slave to that overpriced vehicle you bought for show, a slave to that huge home that is far more than you actually need, or do you want freedom?

Throughout this study, if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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How Do We Make Godly Decisions? – Study of Proverbs 6:1-5 – To Loan or Not to Loan

In Advice, Anxiety, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Godly Counsel, Loans, Money, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on April 25, 2019 at 9:00 am

The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.

Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew definition(s).

1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 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. 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

To Loan or Not to Loan

You are a Christian, you have a Christian friend, you love your Christian friend, your Christian friend needs money – what to do.

Some people would argue we are to help those in need, therefore, of course you give your friend the money. Other people would say loaning money to a friend is sure trouble. What does godly wisdom say?

Verse one and two tell us that if we become “surety” for a friend we will find ourselves “snared” in a situation we should not be in. Most of you know what it means to be snared, we become entangled in a negative way.

What does it mean to be “surety” for a friend? In the Hebrew language “surety” means the following.

“surety” =

6148. עָרַב ˓ârab, aw-rab’; a prim. root; to braid, i.e. intermix; tech. 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.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that “surety” means the following.

“surety” =

guarantee b : a basis of confidence or security
3 : one who has become legally liable for the debt, default, or failure in duty of another

The New Living Translation of the Bible puts verse one this way, “My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—" – so this about money; giving money or being security for money a friend borrows.

When we become the financial security of a friend by loaning them money, we put ourselves in a position within their life that God never intended for us to have. We also find that more times than not, if you loan a person money once, they will come back for more, and if we loan them money twice, they will come back often. We are not meant to be the financial security for our friends.

When we co-sign a loan for a friend, we put our own financial health at risk. If we have a family, we put our entire family’s financial health at risk. We put our credit at risk.

The loaning of money or securing a loan for a friend is not an act of godly wisdom. Nor is it godly wisdom for us to ask a friend to do such for us. We are to humbly and with loving kindness explain to our friend why we cannot become involved in their financial situation (v.3).

Money is on the top of the list of things that will come between two friends. Money has such power over people that when we mix money and friendship the results can be anger, hurt, ugly words, and one less friendship, not to mention the potential loss of money. Therefore, I know you love your friend, but I urge you to think carefully and consider God’s wisdom on the matter before loaning money to a friend.

Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.