Proverbs 6:1-5 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.
Some things get better with time. The flavors of chili always taste better the second or third day after marinading together. Lasagna and spaghetti sauce always taste better with some time between when you make and eat it. Some things just should not be rushed.
Often I hear that time heals all things, but there is one thing with which time is very destructive: bad decisions. Time only intensifies bad decisions. In Proverbs 6 Solomon tells his son that good intentions for guaranteeing another person’s debts is a very dangerous and bad thing. You can give money away, but to be the guarantor of other’s debts is a bad decision. He gives the mental picture of an animal trap.
The fowler’s snare was something that was hidden. With a deer stand, a hunter tries to remove all human smell that could give away his presence. Solomon says that if you out of pity or kindness become a guarantor for your neighbor or friend, you are caught by your own words.
Solomon spends one verse describing the problem and four verses instructing how to remedy the mistake. Although time does not fix bad decisions, humility and action can.
Recognize your mistake ( you are in a trap). Your kind genture may take years to repay and may endanger your family.
Admit your mistake to your friend and plead to be released (for them to pay immediately or refinance). Allow yourself to be “trampled on” so that you can avoid the much greater trampling.
Don’t let time go by – do it right away.
It is a common mistake to try to avoid embarrassment and to let bad decisions “ride.” Honesty, humility, and immediacy are important steps to delivering yourself from compounding a bad decision with disaster.