Proverbs 11:1-15
1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
But a just weight is His delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of the unjust perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
And it comes to the wicked instead.
9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace.
13 A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer,
But one who hates being surety is secure.
This continues the contrast of the righteous and the wicked. It begins with honesty in place of deception for personal gain as illustrated by altering weights for measurement to sell others less than it appears when weighed. It is deceptive sales tactics to gain more money by misrepresenting the true amount, with the effect of leaning on a bathroom scale while someone weighs themselves to make them think they have more than they really do (Deuteronomy 25:13-15). Pride and humility then are addressed, for the humble alone learn true wisdom in their honesty and in confession when they are dishonest. The proud have only boasting in what material gains they acquire, and they it dishonesty in stealing from others leads to shame when they are eventually exposed (John 3:20-21, Ephesians 5:13). The hallmark of the righteous is integrity, doing what is just, right, and fair even when only God sees you. The smear on the unfaithful is their perverse nature to deal crookedly without any sense of justice or fairness, only personal gain at any expense. That is the opposite of integrity to believe that darkness hides their deception, for they refuse to acknowledge that God sees all and that we are all accountable to Him according to His word. Those ill gotten gains are of no eternal value when facing the final judgment, but the righteous acts of humble sincerity are deliverance from judgment when that righteousness is Christ’s as the motivator. That righteousness guides us along the right path through the narrow gate while the unrighteous and unrepentant stumble and fall in the broad path they run down (Matthew 7:13-14). This righteousness we live and walk in delivers us, while the misplaced desires of the unrighteous have consequences of their own trap they lay. In the end when the wicked dies, his expectations of gain perish with his life and the unjust who cheated others loses all hope for eternity. The judgment falls on the unrighteous while the righteous in Christ are saved from the trouble and anguish of adversity. The righteous man then pursues knowledge for wisdom to do right in following God, while the hypocrisy of the unrighteous seeks to throw all the blame on others to misdirect his own selfish wrongdoing against them. Not always, but often the public will cheer on the ones doing right while celebrating when the wicked are taken away, either to prison or death. Even so, the slander and lies of the wicked can overthrow the blessings which the upright bring in doing good to them. Lies can shift public opinion against what is good for all at their own expense. Understanding leads us to hold our peace in conflict (Romans 12:18, Hebrews 12:14) while those without knowledge and wisdom only hate their neighbors. We are instead called to love our neighbors, even when they are enemies, praying for them to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1, 4). This means avoiding gossip, not sharing personal or embarrassing truths (or making assumptions which are not true) about others. If we are faithful to God who does not expose everything we do to everyone, we follow His example of grace and love in return. All this means we seek godly counsel to hone our knowledge and build wisdom, for we all fail in different ways and need encouragement and rebuke for our good. This also means safe counsel from more than one source to ensure it is rightly for God, for we all fail in many ways, including those who give that advice and guidance. The final piece of godly counsel from this half of the chapter speaks of not being surety for another to avoid suffering, that is not taking their responsibility for misdeeds on ourselves (Galatians 6:1-2, 5) as if we are a mortgage on their lives. Only Christ can stand between man and God as our Mediator. These are contrasts of the righteous and the wicked to build our knowledge and feed our wisdom.
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