Wisdom's Delight
- Strength For Life
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Recently in a question-and-answer session at NorthStone Baptist Church, I was asked what my favorite food is. My wife, Britan, and the keynote speaker of our Outreach Conference, Dr. John Goetsch, were asked the same question. The question could have been asked this way: What food do you delight in? What food do you welcome the sight of, and what taste makes you glad? We can answer this question not only about people, but about attributes of God, like wisdom. Proverbs 11 answers this question for us: What does wisdom delight in? I have entitled Proverbs 11 “Wisdom’s Delight” because the chapter uses the word twice. This chief delight of wisdom is also a major theme in Proverbs 11. Here it is: wisdom delights in honesty.
The chapter opens by pointing out the reality of dishonesty. In verse 1, we see a “false balance“ contrasted with a “just weight.” In Old Testament times, corrupt store owners would rig scales in order to cheat customers. They would give the buyer less than he paid for, and so make more money for themselves. Those merchants were lying to their customers. On the other hand, a “just weight” represents honesty, in the way a merchant would fairly represent the value of the customer’s purchase. Verse 1 tells us that “a false balance is abomination to the Lord.” Underhanded dishonesty was a reality back in Bible times, and it’s a reality even today. The reality is that people lie. But why do we lie?
Proverbs 11 continues by listing reasons that people tell lies. Pride is one reason, according to verse 2. Sometimes telling the truth means that we look dumb, or weak, or guilty. Our pride doesn’t want others to know our faults and so when we are confronted, we try to save face by covering up those faults and lying. It takes humility and lowliness (v. 2) to be a person of integrity, as verse 3 goes on to describe.
According to verse 4, another reason people lie is riches. The crooked shop owner from verse 1 is motivated by money to rig the scales to falsify the balance. He wants to increase his riches. God has an answer for such a man. Later in the chapter the Bible describes the best way to get rich in verses 24-30, and it is not by lying.
Another reason people lie is for recreation. We see this in verse 13, which discusses talebearing. A talebearer is a person who maliciously gossips and reveals secrets. Often a talebearer is bored with her own life and seeks entertainment in talking about the lives of other people. For her it’s a form of verbal recreation. After all, gossip is fun. However, according to verse 13, a talebearer ends up revealing secrets. The talebearer knows that she has been entrusted with a secret. Who faced with the choice of maintaining her integrity by keeping the secret, or telling others, she spills the secret. The talebearer becomes a liar to the person whose secret she promised to keep.
Next, Proverbs 11 describes how lying impacts relationships. Verse 9 mentions a “hypocrite.” A hypocrite is a type of liar who masquerades himself to be one thing, but in reality is another. He’s deceitful about his nature. Obviously, the hypocrite's heart will be full of lies, but so will his mouth. Verse 9 describes this. His lying “mouth destroyeth his neighbor.” A lying mouth ruins relationships with people it lives around or works with. If given enough influence, a lying mouth can overthrow an entire city full of relationships (vv. 10-11). In such an environment where relationships are destroyed, you will find the talebearer as well. In verse 13, he the one revealing secrets and ruining one relationship after another.
Our chapter continues by describing the results of dishonestly. “Shame” as described in verse 2 is a consequence of dishonesty. So is poverty of soul. A person may become rich by manipulating people with his false balance, as we discussed earlier, and build a large bank account as a result. However, they will also have an abundance of poverty of soul. The dishonest and wicked way always results in a fall, as verses 5 and 14 explain. Ultimately, dishonesty results in destruction (v. 3).
Last, we see from Proverbs 11 that liars will be rewarded for their behavior. Notice the “recompense” described in verse 31. If people have been lying to you and been hypocritical with you, or if they have been a talebearer when you trusted them with your secrets, verse 31 offers hope. The verse indicates that “the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth.” To “recompense” is “to make good” or to “repay.” It’s interesting that verse 31 includes the phrase “in the earth.“ Certainly, the righteous will receive recompense in heaven for responding with Christlikeness when wicked people treated them badly, but this text says the wicked will also be recompensed “in the earth.” In most cases, we can’t anticipate exactly how that will shape up. What we do know, however, is that God will provide personal care and special goodness for the righteous, and He will withhold them from the wicked. God will recompense the righteous not only in heaven, but also here in the earth. Trust him, do right, and He will reward you.
The above article was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fl. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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