Evaluating and Avoiding Risk

The father, after warning his son about strange women in chapter five, now warns him about friends in chapter six. A surety is like a person who cosigns for a loan and in this case it would mean if your friend can’t pay the money back then you promise to do so. You should immediately see that this could create real problems and strains on ones friendship. The caution here is in evaluating the risks when binding ones self to fulfill the obligations of others (and not just monetary obligations). Some things to take into consideration include:
1. What is your relationship to this friend? Proverbs 18:24 tells us:

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

All friends require a degree of commitment but there are friends who are like members of the family and then there are friends who are acquaintances whom we don’t know well. This appears to be the case here because he is compared to a stranger.
2. How reliable is this friend? If you are cosigning for his loan is it probable that you will kiss the money good-bye? Are you willing to do this or will it destroy your friendship?
3. What is the nature of the risk to you? If your friend defaults on his obligation and you do have to cover for him, will it ruin you? Will it cause you to fail to keep your own obligations to others?

Do you see that taking on this kind of risk and obligation could destroy a family legacy? The father’s warning in this circumstance is strong words. Removing yourself from this risk is more important than sleep. Do not delay. Swallowing your pride is more important than passively accepting the risk. He likens it to the life and death of an animal being taken in the hunt. How much better it is to never get into this situation. There are other ways help our friends who are in need and they are summarized in Ephesians 4:28.

"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."

We need to be diligent and productive so that we can help others out of our abundance.