Be Not Ones Who Strike Hands - Proverbs 22:26

In the book of Proverbs Solomon said, “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man you shall not go: lest you learn his ways, and get a snare to your soul”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse twenty-six of Proverbs Solomon said, “be not you one of them that strike hands” where we read,

Be not you one of them that strike hands,

or of them that are sureties for debts,

The verse begins, “Be not you one of them that strike hands, ...” Solomon began with the words, “be not you one of them” or “do not, readers and listeners of Solomon's words, be like the people whether male or female” “that strike hands” which means “who clap, blast, thrust or give a blow of the physical hands”. Solomon instructed his readers and listeners not to be as people who clap their hands together as in making a covenant, contract or agreement. 

The verse goes on to say, “... or of them that are sureties for debts,” Solomon continued with the words, “or of them” or “or pertaining to the people whether male or female” “that are sureties” which means “who exist as pledges, undertakers, security and guarantors” “for debt” or “on behalf of loans”. Solomon told his listeners and readers not to exist as guarantors or co-signers for loans.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Solomon how we are to conduct ourselves with business transactions. Solomon told his readers and listeners not to make agreements or be guarantors for another person's loan. More relationships and financial difficulties have arisen because people committed themselves to a deal too quickly or agreed to guarantee a loan for someone else. God wants us to be wise with our relationships and with our finances, and because He loves us, He gave His Only Begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay our debt for sins. When we yield our lives to Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and teach us how to be wise in our business transactions and any commitments we make on behalf of other people. 

Next time Solomon shares about, “if you have nothing to pay”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".