Two-minute read.
Solomon’s referring to debt in this passage. When we put up security for a neighbor or make a pledge to a stranger, we enslave ourselves to them. The author wants us to free ourselves from the obligation as quickly as possible, forgoing rest until we do.
If you’ve ever watched a gazelle run, they reaches speeds of 60 mph when running from a predator. Although cheetahs can run faster, the antelope’s endurance and agility allow them to escape. Living in herds, a gazelle becomes most vulnerable when it gets separated from the pack.
Like a gazelle escaping a cheetah, Solomon instructs us to move quickly in erasing our debts, not sleeping until we do. Financial Peace University teaches the same principle: get out of debt first and foremost. Their average graduate is debt-free in two years or less.[1] Living without the hindrance of debt allows people to create the future they want, not one determined by outside influences.
In my early thirties, I completed Dave Ramsey’s nine-week course and became debt-free as a result. No longer did I toss and turn at night, wondering how I would pay my credit card debt. When I married Ron, I did so without adding financial burden to our relationship. We continue to follow the principles I learned in Financial Peace University.
Move like a gazelle chased by a cheetah to pay off debts. Don’t make pledges that will enslave you to the lender. Instead, apply Biblical principles to your finances and discover the freedom that comes from them.
Journal Question:
What debts do you have?
What Biblical principle would help you most in eliminating debt?
What things can you do today to help you become debt-free?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for teaching us how to handle money and rid ourselves of debt. Please outline the steps we need to take to eliminate our pledges. Give us the tools we need to find victory over our finances.
IJNIP. Amen
[1] https://www.ramseysolutions.com/money/financial-peace?srsltid=AfmBOopHzpE2boLYIaAMWUX-fqH18cWTsHj16lV_JwN89lOtJQfXuWXk
