Debt

 This week's verses are Proverbs 6:1-5:

My child, if you have made a pledge for your neighbor,
if you have become a guarantor for a stranger,
if you have been ensnared by the words you have uttered,
and have been caught by the words you have spoken,
then, my child, do this in order to deliver yourself,
because you have fallen into your neighbor’s power:
Go, humble yourself,
and appeal firmly to your neighbor.
Permit no sleep to your eyes
or slumber to your eyelids.
Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a snare,
and like a bird from the trap of the fowler.

  These proverbs cover what to do if you've made a mistake or have a debt you can't afford to pay. They also cover how we should handle sin.

If you owe money, like serious money, like you're underwater on your mortgage and the value of your house and all of your possessions couldn't cover the money you borrowed, these verses say you should treat it like an emergency. Drop everything and go to your lender and beg. See if there are terms of bankruptcy that could get you out of being stuck with this debt forever.

Nowadays with bankruptcy being such a streamlined process, and lenders being under obligation to stop pursuing debt once it is declared, it is easy to miss what these verses are saying. Nobody can throw you in jail for not paying your student loans. Nobody is going to send thugs to your house to drag your daughter into prostitution if you don't pay your credit card bill. We treat debt lightly, like it is no cause for concern, like it is business as usual. We barely consider it a legitimate grievance when someone is owed money and we are not paying it.

And money is not the only thing we can owe. Maybe we have made a promise we can't keep. Maybe we have hurt or offended someone without realizing it. Maybe we have sinned against God or our fellow man, and do not have the means to make things right. There are many kinds of debt and we need to take them all seriously.

Jesus uses almost exactly the same language in Matthew 5:23-24:

 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift.

If we are in another's debt, we should drop everything and go sort things out. Even religious obligations are less urgent than seeking forgiveness. It should be our top priority. There is no obligation for our fellow man to forgive us. They could cry out to God for justice, or plot revenge, or even suffer needlessly because of what we do. It is important to end the debt as quickly as we can.

When we sin against God, reconciliation should be the first thing we seek. We should confess our sins to God immediately and seek his forgiveness. We should work out our declaration of bankruptcy as soon as we can, and not leave it unaddressed. There is no third party payment service that we can put between us and God to avoid his wrath other than the blood Jesus shed on the cross. It is our only option, and we must avail ourselves of it quickly while we still have time.

 The verses say not to rest or let time pass but to run like an animal escaping from a deadly trap. Debt is that serious! Take some time in prayer and see if there is anything you need to set right, especially sins you have not yet confessed to God. This is your chance to escape, if you are willing to humble yourself and make it a priority.