The Book of Proverbs
Study #11: Honesty
September 12, 2004
Jim Bordwine, ThD
Introduction

This category of honesty covers several aspects of Solomon's teaching. The verses we are going to consider have to do with practicing truth in our commerce and our communication. Solomon also speaks about the value of justice as a guiding principle for life. Whenever he speaks of truth, justice, or honesty, Solomon is standing upon what he knows about the character of God. It is God's character to be truthful and just, so those who exhibit these qualities are pleasing to Him. Being an honest person, therefore, is not about staying out of trouble; it is about reflecting the character of God and that is why this is such an important topic.

Our Memory Verse

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,

but a just weight is His delight.

(Pro. 11:1)

This verse illustrates what I just said about the connection between Solomon's teaching on honesty and the character of God. Without an unchanging standard, without an absolute standard, there can be no such thing as truth or honesty or justice. All of the concepts, if they are to have any meaning, depend on an abiding standard and, Biblically speaking, that standard is the character of God. His nature determines what is acceptable and not acceptable in terms of moral and ethical matters. Conduct that reflects the character of God is labeled as truthful, honest and just in Scripture. Conduct that does not align with the character of God is labeled as falsehood, dishonest and unjust.

Everything Solomon says about this subject of honesty or just behavior is, as I noted before, based on what he knows about the nature of God. God reveals and speaks and upholds that which is reality, that which is; God does not reveal that which is not so, nor does He proclaim that which is not so. In our lives, therefore, we are to imitate His character. This is a simple principle but one that is often repeated in Scripture, especially in this book of Proverbs.

Solomon refers to "a false balance." He has in mind, of course, a device used to measure. Specifically, he is referring to the way in which commerce was done in his day. Currency was weighed to determine its value. It was imperative, then, that the balance being used be accurate. Otherwise, that which was placed on the scale could be under-valued and the buyer would pay too much, or over-valued and the buyer would pay too little. In either case, someone would be cheated. The result would be that a lie had been perpetrated and this would represent a serious moral lapse.

The seriousness of this issue is indicated when Solomon refers to a false balance as "an abomination to the LORD." The problem isn't primarily Solomon's concern for the buyer or seller of goods--his concern is for the character of God. If lies are promoted and deception carried out, then God is being dishonored. Ultimately any offense we commit is an offense only because it is contrary to God's nature and what God has declared. Again, without that unchanging standard, what we do and how we treat each other doesn't matter.

Only the most serious acts are referred to as "abominations" in Scripture. This word (towebah) means "a disgusting thing." It is the term used to describe that which is ritually impure and unacceptable to God, and that which is ethically disgraceful and likewise unacceptable to God. To cheat someone, to mislead someone in the matter of commerce, to deliberately seek to gain an unjust profit is behavior that the LORD abhors. It is an offense, as I noted, directly against His nature. Honesty is not a small matter in the Bible; it is of the essence of Godly morality.

Solomon counters the LORD's reaction to a false balance by saying, on the other hand, "a just weight is His delight." A just weight would be one that gives an accurate measurement. This represents truth in commerce and it is a "delight" to God. This term (ratsown) means "acceptable" but carries a particular emphasis on pleasure or favor. Honesty greatly pleases God--once again because honesty reflects His character and, therefore, honors Him.

This verse, though simply written, represents an enormously significant principle for us. God does not look lightly upon dishonesty. We may live in a day when the truth is shaded and disguised and obliterated without much consternation, but in the eyes of the LORD, that kind of conduct is a very serious matter. Every lie told, every attempt to cheat the consumer, every effort made to defraud one another--no matter what the context--is an offense against God's character and that is what makes this such a fundamental concern.

Additional Verses

He who profits illicitly troubles his own house,

but he who hates bribes will live.

(Pro. 15:27)

As we might expect, Solomon issues some warnings about dishonesty. If it is such a grave matter, then we should anticipate troubling consequences if we practice deception in order to gain an advantage or increase our worth. In this verse, Solomon again uses antithetical parallelism to make his point. First, he warns what will happen to the man who "profits illicitly." And here we learn an additional truth about this subject--dishonesty or deception for the sake of gain had ramifications for others, not just ourselves. In this case, the man who pursues gain dishonestly "troubles his own house."

This is an ironic truth--I mean that the man who seeks to gain by dishonest means does so in order to build himself up and give himself a better life and have more of what he thinks he needs--in other words, this man behaves as he does to realize advantage and put himself in a better position. But Solomon warns that the opposite things occurs. Instead of making his life more stable, the dishonest man makes his life less stable. In pursuing gain by an unjust means, such a man achieves exactly what he thought he was escaping. In his mind, cheating was a way to greater prosperity and greater enjoyment. But cheating or practicing dishonesty cannot succeed ultimately because we are governed by a just God and such behavior is an offense against him and is, therefore, bound to bring judgment in the end.

The two words translated "profits illicitly" refer to a man with a greedy and covetous disposition, a man who will employ violence if necessary to get what he craves. Perhaps these words tell us what is at the heart of cheating others--it is covetousness, wanting what we do not have, longing for that which is not ours at the moment. This, too, takes us deeper in to the theology of dishonesty. If we covet, we are saying we are not satisfied with what God has provided; we are saying that we want something and we are willing to use means God does not approve in order to get what we want. He says we gain by diligence and work; the covetous man wants the reward of diligence and work but he does not want to do the work. So, he cheats others. This is, once again, a fundamentally serious matter when you consider the implications of dishonesty.

In contrast to the covetous man who wants to gain by inappropriate means, Solomon speaks of the one who "hates bribes." This man will be blessed. His character is wholly different. He is not predisposed to cheat--and this is what Solomon means, I think, when he says this man "hate bribes." Bribes represent a perversion of justice; they represent a form of cheating or telling a lie. The man who rejects that approach to life will know God's favor, while the man who embraces dishonesty will know God's judgment--sooner or later.

"Bad, bad," says the buyer,

but when he goes his way, then he boasts.

(Pro. 20:14)

I'll comment briefly on this verse. I include it because it represents a different perspective on this matter of dishonesty. Here, the focus is on the buyer of goods, not the seller. Normally, when we think of cheating in commerce, we think of the buyer being cheated by the seller. But it works the other way, too. Solomon pictures someone making a big deal out of some supposed flaw or negative element in an item being purchased. The buyer doesn't really think the item is inferior, as the second half of the verse makes clear, but he pretends that he is dissatisfied for some reason in order to drive the price down.

Negotiating for the best price is one thing, but lying about the quality of an item or pretending to be disappointed in an item when you really think the price is fair is something else. It is a form of lying and is, therefore, an offense. We may pride ourselves on being bargain shoppers, but if we engage in this kind of conduct, we are going beyond being a careful consumer. The buyer trying to cheat the seller is just as bad as the seller trying to cheat the buyer. God does not allow either type of conduct.

Truthful lips will be established forever,

but a lying tongue is only for a moment.

(Pro. 12:19)

I noted that Solomon writes about honesty in communication as well as honesty in commerce. Here is an example of what he teaches. Honesty always has to do with truth--whether it be truth in selling and buying, or truth is the words we speak to one another. The basis of honesty in both categories is the same: the character of God.

Briefly, then, consider what Solomon says here about honest or truthful communications. He teaches that there is endurance for truth, but no endurance for falsehood. Truth remains because it is that, truth, and truth is that which corresponds to reality. Falsehood, on the other hand, cannot remain forever because it is not reality, but is a deception. Eventually, every deception falls apart because God remains.

One of the oddities of life, however, is that lying tongues do so much destruction and have such profound effects on people. Lying tongues can do incredible damage and cause tremendous grief, but lying, as Solomon teaches, has no foundation and must crumble in time. People lie to gain an advantage, just like the merchant who rigs his scales to cheat his customers. But lies bring only an apparent advantage because all lies eventually give way to truth. That's the way it must be in a world governed by a God who speaks and promotes what is true, and who opposes what is false, just as His character demands.

We may be tempted to lie every day--indeed, we are--but we have to remember that what appears to be an advantage or a comfort gained by lying is momentary advantage or comfort. God honors truth and God honors those who are truthful. God opposes lies and God opposes those who tell lies. It's that simple. If you want God to bless you, speak the truth; if you want God to judge you, tell lies.

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,

but who can find a trustworthy man?

(Pro. 20:6)

This is an interesting verse. It really exposes something about us that we don't like to face. We all want to think that we are honest people. We all want others to think that we are honest people. But Solomon indicates here that while it may be a human tendency to place confidence in our honesty, we aren't really honest people--or at least we aren't as noble a race as we think.

Solomon writes that you have no problem finding a man who will "proclaim his own loyalty." The word translated "loyalty" (checed) refers to such things as "goodness, faithfulness, kindness." This word describes the kind of man who is distinguished by Godly character. He is a dependable man, a good man, a man in whom you can put confidence--or so he claims. Broadly speaking, this kind of description ties in with our study on honesty. If taken at his word, this is a man who can be trusted; this is a man who deals forthrightly with others.

But notice what Solomon writes next: "but who can find a trustworthy man?" Lots of men want to be viewed as faithful and good and dependable and honest, but Solomon indicates that such characteristics are not as common as we might think. A truly honest man, a man who is honest in all aspects of his life, is rare. In this case, Solomon uses another term (emuwn) that means "truthful." Not everyone who claims to be truthful and honest and dependable is truthful, honest or dependable. In fact, you will not encounter too many people in your life who do exhibit those characteristics consistently. This verse is not just an observation about human nature, it is a warning to us regarding the nature of human beings.

The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,

the wicked does not understand such concern.

(Pro. 29:7)

I've suggested already that this matter of honesty runs deeper than we might think. It is grounded in the character of God. This verse presents a perspective on honesty or truthfulness that helps make that point. Using a straight-forward parallelism, Solomon distinguishes between the way the righteous relate to justice and the way the wicked relate to justice. Concern for honesty or truth or justice is a fundamental mark of the righteous--this is because they are seeking to reflect the character of God in their lives. Those who do not have a relationship with God will not reflect His character.

Solomon gives us a simple formula: the righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, but the wicked not only has no such concern, he doesn't even understand why the righteous man cares about the poor man. It is the vocabulary that Solomon uses that really brings out his meaning.

The word translated "concerned" (yada) means "to know, to understand." The word "rights" (diyn) means "judgment (as in a legal dispute)." And the word "poor" (dal) means "needy, weak." The righteous man knows or understands that the poor man, that is, the man who has no great substance, is not to be denied justice because he is poor. The righteous man knows this because he knows justice is not limited to any class of people but is a universal element that should be implemented no matter what the circumstance because God is just and God expects us to reflect His character in our endeavors. It is always right to deal with a man in a just fashion. The righteous man, because he is a follower of the LORD, wants to see justice done for all men.

The wicked man, as I noted, has no such concern. And you'll note that Solomon uses the word "understand" in parallel with the word "concern" in the first phrase. In the second phrase, the word translated "understand" (biyn) refers to "discernment." The righteous man understands that all men are to be treated justly, but the wicked man, because of his perspective on life, does not have such discernment. To him, advantage is the goal, so if denying justice to the poor man gives him an advantage, he'll do it. He is not bound by commitment to the character of God. The righteous man must be honest because he knows that is what God requires; the wicked man doesn't worry about honesty because his motivation is not the character of God.

As I said, the issue of honesty and justice take us to the heart of men. The spiritual disposition of a man will determine his interest in being honest and treating others justly. God's character is the ultimate ground for thinking on honesty. That is what makes it such a fundamentally important topic. An honest man reflects the nature of God; a dishonest man does not.

The remainder of verses on the list I supplied to the congregation can be studied at your convenience:

He who speaks truth tells what is right, but a false witness, deceit. (Pro. 12:17)

Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. (Pro. 16:8)

A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice. (Pro. 17:23)

A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; all the weights of the bag are His concern. (Pro. 16:11)

Differing weights and differing measures, both of them are abominable to the LORD. (Pro. 20:10)

Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, and a false scale is not good. (Pro. 20:23)

The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, but is terror to the workers of iniquity. (Pro. 21:15)

Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things. (Pro. 28:5)

The king gives stability to the land by justice, but a man who takes bribes overthrows it. (Pro. 29:4)

Practical Responses

Because this issue rests on the character of God, it is, once again, a highly significant matter. Manifesting honesty in every area of our lives is an imperative. "Little lies" here and there, shaving the truth a bit once in a while, holding back information and allowing a false impression, taking advantage of another person--these are all things common to our race but they are all things that dishonor God. We live in a culture where honesty is not valued, not like it was in the past. This is all the more reason for us to commit ourselves to being honest, truthful people in everything we do. It is all the more reason to teach our children to speak the truth always, to refuse to take inappropriate advantage of another.

When we understand that honesty is a reflection of the nature of God, then we will take it most seriously. And when we take it most seriously, we won't cut corners where we shouldn't, we won't be "creative" when we file our taxes, and we'll be forthright in all of our communications.