Lesson 11 Proverbs

Honesty is the Best Policy Honorable, held in respect That will not lie, cheat or steal; truthful; trustworthy Showing fairness and sincerity; free from deceit Honesty manifested In spite of an apparent easy way out, honesty demands the truth. Honesty requires us to correct an erroneous perception. Though one’s perception is theirs only, it is influenced by the trail of clues we leave or don’t leave.

Honesty will Guide and Deliver Pr. 11:3, 5 “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. … The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.” ES V “Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. …The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.” NLT Acts 5 – Ananias and Sapphira And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 

Honesty is a Blessing Passed Down Pr. 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.” Pr. 20:7 – “The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!” Pr. 10:7 – “We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away.” NLT King David is remembered as a man after God’s own heart. Ahab is remembered for his wickedness. In particular his behavior surrounding Naboth’s vineyard.

Dishonesty is Common in: Business (False Weights) Pr. 11:1 – “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.” Pr. 16:11 – “It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.” Pr. 20:10 – “Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.”

Dishonesty is Common in: Business (Usury) Pr. 29:8 – “Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.” NLT Mt. 21:12-13 – “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Dishonesty is Common in: Business (Get-rich-quick) Pr. 28:20,22 – “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. … A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.”

Dishonesty is Common in: Business (Taking advantage of the poor) Pr. 22:16,22 – “Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. …Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.” Pr. 20:17 – “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.”

Dishonesty is Common in: Speech Pr. 12:22 – “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Pr. 10:18 – “The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.” Pr. 23:6-8 – “Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.”

Dishonesty is Common in: Speech Pr. 14:5 – “A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.” Pr. 14:25 – “A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.” Stealing Eph. 6:8 – “Let him that stole steal no more.” “The thief who finds no opportunity to steal thinks himself an honest man.” (Talmud)

Fruits of Dishonesty Just reward Stealing Gal. 6:7 – “whatever a man sows that he will also reap.” Stealing Eph. 6:8 – “Let him that stole steal no more.” “The thief who finds no opportunity to steal thinks himself an honest man.” (Talmud)

Honesty is the Best Policy Modern Proverbs that convey the value of honesty “Honesty is the best policy.” Benjamin Franklin “You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” “Honesty pays, but it does not seem to pay enough to suit a lot of people.” (Kin Hubbard, The New Book of Unusual Quotations, 162B) “Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into a failure.” James Altucher “Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.” Mother Teresa