WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MARCH 19, 2026
TOPIC: BEWARE OF STANDING GUARANTOR OR SURETY FOR OTHERS
BY T. O. BANSO
“He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, but one who hates being surety is secure” (Proverbs 11:15 New King James Version).
One way people put themselves in trouble is by standing as surety or guarantor for others. This could be in the form of loans, obligations to be performed, or administrative/court bail. Some people are rash; they don’t consider the implications or consequences of their actions. They don’t think about what would happen in case the person defaults. Technically, in law, a guarantor is a debtor because the creditor will turn to him for payment when the principal debtor fails to pay as agreed. The creditor is not bound to sue the principal debtor first before suing the guarantor to recover the debt. Some people have had to repay the loans they stood as guarantor for because the borrowers defaulted.
Similarly, some sureties have been sent to prison in criminal cases because those for whom they stood as sureties absconded and they could not pay the agreed penalty, or they couldn’t produce the person they stood surety for at the police station. If we follow the Word of God, we will save ourselves, most times, from needless troubles.
Don’t be too quick to agree to be a guarantor for a friend’s loan, particularly when they have not proven themselves to you, or you haven’t tested their reliability. You don’t want to suffer for trying to help a friend who then repays your good deed with evil. Avoid guaranteeing a stranger’s debt or standing surety for bail.
There are cases where those who stood surety for bail forfeited the properties or money they pledged as collateral when the defendants broke the bail conditions. Think carefully and know people intimately before you stand as guarantor or surety for them. “He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, but one who hates being surety is secure” (Proverbs 11:15 New King James Version). This means if you love being a surety for someone else’s loan, you’ll be insecure. But you’ll enjoy your peace if you don’t stand as a guarantor for anyone. This scripture is not intended to encourage callousness. No. It warns against harming yourself while helping another.
Be careful of whom you stand as surety for. Proverbs 6:1-5 says, “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. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; for you have come into the hand of your friend: go and humble yourself; plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (New King James Version). Note the phrase “if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger.”
Shaking hands, striking hands, or joining hands was an ancient form of entering into a contract. By that, the person pledged himself to be responsible for another’s debt. Proverbs 6:1-5, in the New Living Translation, reads thus: “My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said—follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.” This scripture warns against getting into trouble or endangering your finances, but it does not forbid helping people.
However, before you help others by standing surety for them, count the cost. There are other ways you can help people without necessarily jeopardising your well-being. As I have said, some people are in trouble today because they stood guarantor for supposed friends who defaulted, or someone they did not know intimately, who either ran away or refused to fulfil the agreements reached.
Proverbs 17:18 says, “A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, and becomes surety for his friend” (New King James Version). The New Living Translation says it this way: “It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.” This scripture does not forbid becoming surety for others; rather, it underscores the need to be wise in doing so. It tells you to exercise caution.
The Bible also says in Proverbs 22:26-27, “Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else. If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you” (New Living Translation).
Some people who stood as guarantors for loans eventually repaid them. Don’t be so nice that you get yourself into trouble. Can you conveniently repay the loans on behalf of those you guaranteed if they default? As I’ve said, some people are in difficulty today because those they stood guarantor for (loans) or surety for (bail), defaulted.
Avoid making emotional decisions about standing as a guarantor or surety. Don’t let your desire to be called a nice person or to please people jeopardise your peace in case of default. Cases of guarantors or sureties eventually being in trouble are common. Don’t ignore the warnings given in the Bible. Don’t stand guarantor or surety for just anybody, especially somebody you don’t know intimately. Even if you know someone intimately, you may still be taking a risk! Think twice.
That’s why Proverbs 6:1-5 discourages co-signing a loan for a friend or guaranteeing the debt of someone you hardly know. The advice is that if you have trapped yourself with your agreement or you are caught by what you said, you should quickly save yourself, just as a deer or a bird tries to escape a hunter.
Proverbs 22:26-27 says, “Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts; if you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?” (New King James Version). The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else. If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you.”
If you’re going to stand as guarantor or surety, be sure you know the person truly well, and be reasonably certain that he won’t default. If not, be sure you have enough to repay the loan or face the consequences of jumping bail! There may be no rest for you if the person you stand surety for defaults.
If someone stands as guarantor or surety for you, don’t repay good with evil. Psalm 37:21 says the wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Repay your debt or loan. Don’t put your guarantor or surety in trouble. Don’t jump bail. Don’t shut the door against others who will need help one day.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, guide me and let me not be a foolish surety or guarantor. Let me not become a surety or guarantor for anyone who will get me into trouble. Help sureties and guarantors in trouble resolve their situations. I will neither repay good with evil, nor cause trouble for my surety or guarantor.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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