he rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7

My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth… Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. Proverbs 6:1-2, & 5

Funny isn’t it? Christians say they believe the Bible is the Word of God, and yet when it comes to many details of life, the Word of God is set aside in favor of the world’s wisdom—if we dare call it wisdom.

This is abundantly clear when it comes to money and indebtedness.

The Word of God calls debt, slavery. Yet statistically, Christians are no less commonly in debt than our unbelieving family and friends. Why isn’t what God’s Word says about debt as important as other biblical issues? It is a faith issue. We do not believe God because we believe the money lenders.

And then there is the issue of cosigning. God’s Word says if you have done this, get out of this financial entanglement with the intensity that a gazelle displays when running from a hungry lion. What is the issue? If debt is a form of bondage we need to stay out of, why would we assist others in getting into debt? Are we helping them? Why isn’t this as important as other biblical instruction? It may be an issue of ignorance since so many people don’t seem to realize the Bible says this about co-signing—which is evidence that some maybe aren’t reading God’s Word much. If we do know what God’s Word says, but engage in cosigning anyway, this too then is a faith issue. We do not believe God.

The book of Proverbs is one we should read over and over again throughout our lives, taking careful notes on the practical lessons God teaches throughout. And then, we would do well to heed His Word.