I’m studying the wisdom literature books this year, and not long ago I came across this nugget of wisdom from the inspired Solomon…

He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure. 

 (Proverbs 11:15)

Literally, Solomon says if you co-sign a loan for someone, you might end up regretting it. It’s better to despise co-signing loans. Don’t make that a thing you do, etc.

That’s rather blunt of the wise man, so let’s consider it. First of all, there’s a fine line between helpful and being gullible, and Solomon is right (of course he is): There’s great danger in loaning money or guaranteeing a loan (surety) to a stranger. You don’t know them. You don’t know if they’re frauds traveling from town to town, etc. You might end up paying for it the hard way (smart for it). So does that mean you should just never help strangers? Solomon says it’s better to hate indebtedness (suretiship). So is that it? We should just keep our money to ourselves and never risk giving it away to a bad egg?

I don’t think that’s what we’re supposed to take away from the proverb. I think the solution here is found in the difference between a gift and a loan. A loan carries the expectation of repayment, and being a “surety” (co-signer) also attaches your reputation to someone else’s action or inaction. That’s a gamble you could probably do without.

Instead, just give someone in need whatever you can give them. In that way, there’s no expectation for repayment so no bitter feelings will occur (if they pay you back, that’s just a bonus), and there’s no co-signing, so your reputation won’t be on the line if they fail to pay back the debt to their collector. Obviously, it’s unlikely you’ll have enough to spare to completely pay off someone else’s debt, but you’re not obligated to do that anyway. What can you do? How much can you help? That’s where your obligation lies.

We should be a people who try to help others, but there’s a difference between helping others and being a sucker. Solomon does not discourage help. He just reminds us that being a sucker is unwise.

~Matthew