Proverbs 6 (Listen)
Practical Warnings
6:1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
caught in the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, hasten,1 and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,2
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, 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 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals3 with his feet,
points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 There are six things that the LORD hates,
seven that 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 make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
Warnings Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they4 will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,5
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.6
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,7
but a married woman8 hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
Footnotes
[1] 6:3
[2] 6:5
[3] 6:13
[4] 6:22
[5] 6:24
[6] 6:24
[7] 6:26
[8] 6:26
(ESV)
Proverbs 6 Commentary
In Proverbs 6, Solomon offers wise advice on a range of topics. He warns against putting up security for a neighbor or making agreements with strangers, urging quick action to free oneself from such entanglements (Proverbs 6:1-5). He advises hard work and diligence by using the ant as an example of preparation and wise living (Proverbs 6:6-8). Solomon also warns about the dangers of laziness, saying that poverty will come quickly to those who fail to work (Proverbs 6:9-11). The passage then describes a worthless person who is deceitful, manipulative, and always seeking to stir up trouble (Proverbs 6:12-15).
The Lord detests certain behaviors, including pride, lying, violence, and sowing discord (Proverbs 6:16-19). Solomon instructs his son to honor his parents’ teachings, as they will guide and protect him from evil, especially from the temptations of a seductive woman (Proverbs 6:20-24). He cautions against lusting after her beauty and the consequences of adultery, comparing it to the danger of touching fire (Proverbs 6:25-29). Adultery is a foolish act that leads to personal destruction, dishonor, and irreversible consequences (Proverbs 6:30-33). Finally, Solomon warns that a jealous husband will seek revenge and will not be appeased by gifts or bribes (Proverbs 6:34-35).
The Harvester Ant
True satisfaction comes when we do what we ought to do. Taking care of our responsibilities and prioritizing those responsibilities in light of God’s Word brings purpose. Proverbs 6 encourages us to take our cues from one of God’s smaller creations—the ant (Proverbs 6:6-8).
The harvester ant would have been familiar to the readers of Solomon’s time. It is a prominent insect found throughout regions like Israel and the broader Mediterranean area. In their natural habitats, harvester ants work in large colonies, often numbering in the thousands. Their foraging behavior is not random; it follows well-organized patterns where the ants leave their nests in search of seeds. They focus on collecting a wide variety of seeds from grasses, shrubs, and plants, which they carry back to their nests to store in underground granaries.
These storage sites are critical for ensuring the colony’s survival during periods when food is scarce, such as winter or hot, dry summers. The ants use their mandibles to collect and carry seeds, which they transport back to their nests where the seeds are stored in carefully arranged piles. Their primary diet is seeds, so these colonies work tirelessly to acquire and store them in their granary. According to research, the stored seeds have a shelf life of 1-2 years!
Consider the fact that these creatures are working together for the benefit of the colony, not for themselves. Their work is not selfish. It is directed at sustaining their entire family with nourishment. God provides the food, but it must be harvested and stored. There is a “wrong time” and “right time” to harvest and store food, and the ants waste no time getting to work when the conditions are optimal. In fact, sometimes when the midday sun is too hot, the ants cannot work and so they rely on what has been previously harvested.
Agricultural Ants
But there is something else to consider in all this. These harvester ants are also known as agricultural ants. The foraging of seeds naturally creates plant life. Some seeds are carried to areas they would never be able to reach without the ant’s help. In this way, these workers become seed dispersal agents. Though they are working to take care of their colony and store up food for their survival, God is also using their hard work to produce new life (Mat 13:23, Mar 4:20).
Are the ants aware of the new vegetation that has sprung up deep into the savannah because of their hard work? Probably not. But the fact remains that many plant species depend on the diligence of the ants to disperse their seeds. Scientists have found that these plants have adapted their seed releases to maximize the effort and timing of the harvester ant.
So what does all this mean?
God’s Worker
The harvester ant is an example of God’s worker who diligently tends to the spiritual fields of this life. Using the wisdom from Proverbs 6, a harvester-ant-mentality would continue to chip away at the work that God has given us. Taking care of our family is the obvious one, but this example also brings to mind foresight, diligence, and determination (1 Co 15:58, Col 3:23). God expects His children to do what they ought to do. Just like God is the initiator of the seeds with the ants, He brings us in contact with people and situations that require our greatest effort (Rom 8:28, Php 2:13).
The other factor to consider in all this is the seed dispersal of your life. Often, we have no idea of the new life that God is forming through the daily tasks of His children. However, the seed dispersal does not take place on its own. God uses ordinary creatures going about their day with maximal effort to bring forth new Kingdom life (Mat 28:19-20, 2 Co 9:6-8).
God created us to have purpose. Proverbs 6 reminds us that even when we just think we are doing something we’ve done 1,000 times before, He will use our diligence, foresight, and perseverance to bring glory to Himself in remarkable and unexpected ways (Rom 12:1-2, 1 Co 10:31).
A Strong Warning
Proverbs 6 also contains a severe condemnation for anyone who sows discord within the body of Christ. In Proverbs 6:16-19, the passage uses a numerical progression (six things, even seven) to highlight the things that the Lord detests, with the number seven emphasizing the severity of the final item.
- Arrogant eyes (Pro 21:4)
- A lying tongue (Pro 12:22, Rev 21:8)
- Hands that shed innocent blood (Gen 4:10-11, Pro 12:6)
- A heart that plots wicked schemes (Pro 16:27, Mat 15:19)
- Feet eager to run to evil (Isa 59:7, Rom 3:15-16)
- A lying witness who gives false testimony (Exo 20:16, Mat 15:19)
- One who stirs up trouble among brothers (Pro 17:14, Rom 16:17)
This rhetorical device helps to build a sense of importance and weight, drawing attention to the escalating seriousness of the offenses. The term “abomination” is used in the final item, signaling the strongest possible condemnation of wickedness, especially in comparison to other verses like Leviticus 18:22. The last item on the list (causing discord among brothers) receives the greatest disapproval from God. This stands in stark contrast to the peace and blessing that come from unity, as seen in Psalms 133:1.
Thank you for sharing this profound article! God bless your ministry work for His cause!
SDA Hymnal