Verses 1-4
v1 My son, follow this advice when you make a mistake.
Perhaps you promised to pay a neighbor’s debt.
You thought that your neighbor would return your money.
v2 But your plan failed.
So your words became like a trap for an animal.
v3 Follow my advice, and free yourself!
Since your neighbor can hurt you, be humble!
Ask your neighbor to free you!
v4 Do not delay! Do not wait! Do not sleep!
Commentary
In verse 1, Solomon’s son had good intentions. He wanted to help his neighbor. The son trusted the neighbor. The son tried to do the right thing, but the neighbor would not do the right thing. If his neighbor could not pay, Solomon’s son promised to pay instead. Now, his neighbor has failed to pay. The lender expects Solomon’s son to pay. The son’s plan failed and now he is in danger.
Sometimes we place ourselves in danger. Our own choices can become like traps. Many people suffer from alcohol or from dangerous drugs. Originally, they just wanted to enjoy themselves. When they tried to stop, they failed. Now they must ask God to help them. They must remember that God is greater than them. A doctor could also help them.
We all do wrong things against God. This behavior is also like a trap. We cannot free ourselves. Paul wrote, ‘When I want to do good things, evil thoughts attract me. My spirit loves God’s law. But my body fights against my mind. I am like someone in prison. This is because evil behavior controls my body.’ (Romans 7:21-23) But there is an answer to this problem. God can free us. If we ask God, then he will forgive us. And he will help us to control our behavior. He will teach discipline to us. Paul continued, ‘Thank you, God. God frees me through Jesus Christ.’ (Romans 7:25)
In this poem, Solomon compares our mistakes to a hunter’s trap. When a hunter works, he may build traps. He hides his traps so that animals will not see them. He hopes that the animals will fall into his traps. Then he can kill and eat the animals.
In our lives, our mistakes can be like traps. Perhaps we want to do the right thing. Perhaps our plans are good. But our best plans could fail. Then, like a trap, our plans can destroy us.
Verses 5-8
v5 Free yourself! Run, as a wild animal runs from its hunter!
Escape, as a bird flies from a trap!
v6 Do not be lazy! Think about the ant! (Ants are insects. They live in large groups.)
Learn from the ant, and so be wise!
v7 It has no king.
It has no general and no ruler.
v8 Without any leadership, ants store food in summer.
They also collect the harvest.
Commentary
If Solomon’s son was proud, he could not escape. He is like an animal in a trap. He cannot free himself. He must ask for freedom. He must ask for help.
If we want freedom, then we must not be lazy. We must not delay until tomorrow. If we delay, then we might never take action. We should act quickly, like an animal that runs to escape from a hunter.
Solomon writes about insects. Ants are a common type of insect. Ants work together, in groups. They are wise because they store food. They do not waste their time.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, some Christians refused to work. The church gave food to them. Paul told the church not to do this. ‘If a man will not work, then he shall not eat.’ He added, ‘Do not get too tired to do the right things.’ (2 Thessalonians 3:13)
Paul obeyed this lesson himself. Daily, he spoke about God to the people. However, the church did not provide Paul’s wages. Paul deserved money because he worked for God. Paul deserved money, but he did not accept money from the church. Instead, he decided to work. He made tents. He earned enough money for himself, and also for other Christian workers. He worked very hard. Paul did this, because Jesus taught, ‘God makes the giver even more glad than the person who receives.’ (Acts 20:35)
We also must work to help other people. ‘Belief is good, only if you do good things. Perhaps someone has no food and no clothes. You might tell him, “Go away! I hope that you will be warm. I hope that you get a meal.” But then you do nothing to help. This is not good. Belief achieves nothing unless you help people.’ (James 2:14-17)
Verses 9-11
v9 You are lazy.
How long will you lie there?
v10 You say, ‘Let me have another sleep.
Let me have some more rest. Let me relax.’
v11 Then suddenly you awake. You find that you have become poor.
You have lost everything. It is as if a thief has stolen everything.
Commentary
Solomon emphasizes that we must not be lazy. When it is time to work, we must not sleep. In verse 9, Solomon asks the sleeper how long he will sleep. In verse 10, we hear what the sleeper thinks. He does not want to get up. However, he must wake. It is time to work. It is as if a thief is at the door. The sleeper must act quickly. Otherwise, he is in great trouble. He might lose everything.
1 Thessalonians 5 discusses this idea. However, the situation in 1 Thessalonians is different. The Bible says that, one day, Jesus will return to this world. That day will come suddenly, like the arrival of a thief. Some people will not be ready. ‘We must not sleep. We must stay awake. We must be ready. Sleepers sleep at night. Drunks drink alcohol at night. But we belong to the day.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8).
Verses 12-15
v12 Look out for the evil man! Look out for the thief!
His mouth is speaking false words.
v13 Look out for his signals!
He shuts his eyes. He moves his feet. He taps his fingers.
v14 He is plotting evil plans in his heart.
He starts arguments.
v15 His punishment will be sudden.
There will be no remedy for him.
Commentary
Sometimes, an evil person is easy to identify. At other times, we must be careful. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 mentions a ‘secret’ evil power. The evil man in verses 12-15 is dangerous because his evil plan is secret. His signals are small, but these signals might help us to identify him.
Matthew 7:15-20 explains how to identify evil people. We must look for the results of these people’s actions. ‘A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit.’ (Matthew 7:18) If we see a poisonous tree, its fruit is poisonous. If we see a good tree (for example, an apple tree), its fruit is good.
Consider the actions of the man in Proverbs 6:12-15. In verse 12, he speaks false words. Such behavior is not good. It warns us about the man’s true character. In verse 14, he starts arguments. This man’s behavior is evil. We should not trust him.
We cannot see that the man is plotting an evil plan in his heart (verse 14). However, we can already hear his arguments. And we can hear his false words. The results of his actions are wrong. He is like the bad tree in Matthew 7:18. The man’s actions are evil, so his plan will also be evil.
Verses 16-19
v16 God opposes 6 things. In fact, he hates 7 things:
v17 proud eyes
a mouth that speaks lies
hands that murder
v18 a heart that makes evil plans
the feet of a person who rushes to do evil deeds
v19 a witness who tells lies
a man who starts arguments between brothers.
Commentary
Verses 16-19 use a different style of poetry. The poet writes a list of things that God opposes.
This style is also in Proverbs 30 and in the Book of Amos. The numbers in these lists are not important. However, the subjects are important. Here the poet tells us that God hates these evil actions.
‘Proud eyes’. The poet is describing someone who is proud. He mentions ‘eyes’, because we see other people with our eyes. The evil man thinks that he is greater than other people. Perhaps he even thinks that he is greater than God. God opposes proud people. God wants us to be humble.
‘Lies’ and ‘murder’ are in the 10 commands. God gave this law to Moses. See Deuteronomy 4.
Today we might say ‘mind’ instead of ‘heart’. God knows our thoughts. He knows our secret plans.
Contrast this verse with Psalm 133:1. ‘It is good when brothers live together calmly.’ The evil man wants to start an argument or even a war.
The word ‘Brothers’ does not only mean family members here. It can also mean neighbors and friends. It could even mean nations. Peace is good - it is God’s gift. Sometimes a war might be right, if, for example, one side does a terribly evil deed. However, even in war, we must look after people and try to work for peace. We should always pray for peace.
Verses 20-28
v20 My son, keep my commands!
Do not forget the things that your mother taught you!
v21 Always keep these words in your heart!
Wear these words about your neck!
v22 When you walk, my words will guide you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake, they will speak to you.
v23 These commands are like a lamp.
This lesson is like a light.
Correction and discipline are the way to live.
v24 This lesson will protect you when a married woman tempts you.
It will protect you from her attractive words.
v25 Do not allow her beauty to tempt you!
Do not allow her pretty eyes to attract you!
v26 A man may hire certain women for sex.
These women will make him poor.
But if the man has sex with another man’s wife, it will cost him everything.
In the end, it will lead to his death.
v27 Do not light a fire against your body!
It will burn your clothes.
v28 Do not walk on hot coals!
They will burn your feet.
v29 The same happens if you sleep with another man’s wife.
If you even touch her, that man will punish you.
Commentary
We should love wisdom. Wisdom should be in our hearts and in our minds. We cannot physically keep wisdom in our hearts. We might not physically carry wise words about our necks. But we can live in a wise manner.
Life is like a journey. Wisdom will guide us each day. Wisdom will help us to make the right decisions. At night when we sleep, our wise decisions will protect us. As we wake, we can think about wisdom.
The relationship between us and God must be like this. God will guide us to make good decisions every day. The Bible will teach us the right way. At night, God watches over us. He protects us. As we wake, we should think about God’s word.
This is similar to Psalm 119:105. ‘God’s word is like a lamp for my feet. God’s word is like a light for my path.’
Solomon is writing about sex, but he is also writing about other evil actions. Sometimes an idea about an evil action attracts us. Sometimes we want to do evil things. But we should refuse to do evil things. Solomon has taught this lesson to us before. See Proverbs 2:16-19, and Proverbs 5. He will also explain the same lesson in Proverbs 7. He repeats the lesson because this is important.
In Proverbs 6:25-29, Solomon explains about punishment. A husband will punish the man that sleeps with the husband’s wife. In the same way, our evil behaviour leads to punishment. God will always punish our evil behaviour. There are punishments in this world, for example, prison. The Bible teaches us about heaven and hell after we die. Everyone has done evil things, so everyone must turn to God. We all must trust God, because only God can forgive us. When Jesus died, he suffered our punishment.
If a man has sex with a woman, she might use him for her advantage. She might ask for money. She might put him in danger. He might even die.
Fire is dangerous. It can burn you. Use fire carefully!
Sex is also dangerous. You should only have sex with your husband or wife. Otherwise, it is dangerous. Be careful!
Our evil actions are dangerous. These actions can send us to hell. Escape from evil things! Trust in God!
Verses 30-35
v30 We can understand why a hungry thief steals food.
v31 However, if we catch him, he must pay 7 times over.
He might lose all his money.
v32 The man, who sleeps with another man’s wife, has a worse fate.
He is making a wrong decision.
He is destroying himself.
v33 He will receive pain and insults.
His shame lasts always.
v34 The woman’s husband will be jealous and angry.
He will not forgive.
v35 He will refuse money.
No gift can take away his anger.
Commentary
This thief is hungry. He has no food. His family also has no food. So, this thief steals, because he needs food. We can sympathize with him. However, the law will punish him. The law does not forgive. The law does not ask if he needed food. His punishment is severe.
Some people do wrong actions because they hate God. Other people sincerely want to do good things, but they still do evil things. Everyone must trust in God because everyone does wrong actions. ‘If you obey one law, but not another, then you are still guilty. Your actions are against the whole law, not just one part.’ (James 2:10-11)
The thief (in verse 30) suffered a severe punishment.
The man (in verse 32) will have a worse punishment. This man had sex with another man’s wife. The husband will punish him. There is a double punishment for the man who had sex with the wife. He receives punishment because his actions were evil. He also receives punishment from the angry husband.
The Bible says that God can be angry. He is angry about our evil behavior. He is angry when our actions are unfair. He is angry with us, if we turn against him. A man’s anger may be terrible. God’s anger is much worse.
‘God’s anger comes from heaven. He hates people’s wicked actions. Men hide the truth when they do wrong things.’ (Romans 1:18) ‘God’s anger is against the people who do not obey God.’ (Ephesians 5:6)
God is angry, but he also loves us. Micah prays this to God: ‘There is no other god like you. You forgive the evil things that your people have done. You are not always angry. You want to love us. You will care for us again. You will forgive our wrong actions. You will forgive completely. You will act as if you threw the records of our evil deeds into the sea.’ (Micah 7:18-19)
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