NOTES for Pro 6:1-35
The advice not to stand surety for one’s neighbor seems strange. Should a person in need of a guarantor really be left to fend for himself while we care only about our own interests? For, in the words of Jesus son of Sirach, “A good man will be surety for his neighbor, but he who has lost all sense of shame will abandon him” (Sir. 29:17).
It seems that this is not about treating someone in need with indifference, but about the need not to be so naive as to allow swindlers to abuse your trust. Such trust makes a person dependent on the one in whom he has placed it. But one may depend only on God.
A person who stands surety often risks being let down by the one for whom he has vouched, and thus makes a sacrifice. But a sacrifice should not be frivolous or reckless. The person unwilling to break free from enslaving bonds is called lazy and is advised to follow the example of the ant, which works without compulsion. Entomologists may dispute the accuracy of this comparison, but it is more important to understand the meaning of the metaphor: a call to free, voluntary labor. Thus, even in ancient times wise people understood that freedom to act is higher than freedom from action.