Loyal Debtor
17
A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18
It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt
or put up security for a friend.
Verse 17
A real friend does not forget you, if you become poor. He helps you when you have troubles.
A brother or sister should be a true friend. Solomon uses humor here. He says that your brother was born to help you. Even his birth was God’s plan. God knew that you would need help one day.
Verse 18
The unwise man agrees to pay money that his neighbor owes. He is unwise, because he cannot trust his neighbor. If the neighbor refuses to pay, then the unwise man will suffer. See Proverbs 6:1-5.
The first proverb describes what it means to be a true friend. True friends support each other not just when things are going well, but also during tough times when everything seems to be falling apart.
Verse 18 warns against agreeing to be collateral for someone else’s loan (like shaking hands on a deal today). It says this is foolish because if the other person wastes the loaned money, you’ll have to pay it back. This means giving someone else control over your money, which isn’t wise.
Let me ask you: Do you have a close friend who will stick with you through hard times? If you do, you’re very fortunate. Thank God for your blessings.
Struggle to Standing. Available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/ev3YUqw
Website at https://www.wisdomfortheday.org
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