Actions Have Consequences

Proverbs 6:1-35

“My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.  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.  Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.  Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.” (Proverbs 6:1-5)

Many times we feel obligated to help someone else when they are having problems, perhaps co-signing a loan or loaning them one’s rent money to tide them over a bad patch on their promise to repay before the rent is due.  In doing so we make our own future dependent on the person we tried to help.  Unfortunately, once they have what they wanted, many people forget about paying for it.  Many times that is why they are behind on their bills or need a cosigner. 

If you have placed your own future at risk to help someone else, Solomon says you need to go and make sure he will keep his promise to pay.  It may be embarrassing, but until the bill is paid you better keep on their case because it is your future at stake, whether they realize it or not.  You walked into a trap, and it is up to you to get yourself out.

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:6-11)

We can learn a lot from nature, and ants set a good exam[;e.  Though they don’t have a boss or mate or ruler to tell them what to do, they spend the summer working to store up food for the winter.  Because they do the ant colony survives the winter without much difficulty while many other insects die of starvation.   Just a little being lazy, not taking care of business will lead to poverty and need as surely as someone travelling down the same road will get to the same place or as an armed man will take what he wants.  The only way to avoid poverty and need is to get out and work when you can.

“A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.  He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.” (Proverbs 6:12-15)

The old meaning of the word naughty was of a person who is deliberately doing what they know is wrong, like a child pushing to see how much they can get by with.  They deliberately distort the truth, trying to deceive by winking, feinting with his feet and slipping his fingers where they don’t belong.  He is deliberately doing wrong and is constantly dreaming up ways of cheating or stirring up trouble.  It is impossible to live such a lifestyle without making enemies and sooner or later he will have to face the consequences. 

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

There are a few things God just cannot stand.  He cannot stand a person who considers themselves better and smarter than other people.  He cannot stand somebody who habitually lies.  He can’t stand people who have no regard for human life and are willing to kill or have others killed to accomplish their goals.

God hates and cannot stand a person who spends their time dreaming up ways to take advantage of or destroy other people.  People who deliberately look for opportunities to do wrong make God sick.  He hates people who spread malicious gossip and make up stories about other people, and he hates those who deliberately stir up conflicts. 

“My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.  When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.” (Proverbs 6:20-22)

“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.  Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.  For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.” (Proverbs 6:20-26)

If a person learns what his parents tried to teach him and their rules and standards and tries to apply them consistently, they will influence his activities when he tries to accomplish something, and what he dreams about.  When he is awake it will give him something to think about.  It shed light on different situations making him aware, for example, of the dangers of messing around with somebody he isn’t married to. 

She may be very attractive and exciting and her talk makes him feel so important, but such women often ends up costing a man everything he has, so that he is lucky even to have a piece of bread to eat.  A person who cheats on their mate trying to find happiness will never find it, but they leave a trail of broken hearts and messed up lives behind them.

“Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?  Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?  So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.” (Proverbs 6:27-29)

Just as a person cannot wrap up a fire in his clothes and carry it with him or walk barefoot through burning coals without getting burned, a person cannot mess around with somebody else’s wife without it affecting them, and like the person who picked up the fire or walked in the coals, it is their own fault.  They were not forced to go along.

“Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.  But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.  A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.  For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.  He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.” (Proverbs 6:30-35)

A thief who steals when he is hungry can be excused and forgiven for stealing, but he is still required to pay back everything he took, with interest.  A thief who just steals because he can is inexcusable.  Sex is not essential to life like food is, and stealing it from another person is inexcusable.  It destroys the soul, of the person who commit adultery, leaving him with a burden of guilt.  It also destroys his reputation among those around him and often leads to physical fights or killings. 

Jealousy causes people to hold grudges for very long times, waiting for a chance to get even, and no amount of restitution will completely take away anger and sense of betrayal.  Messing around is pretty dumb.