Proverbs 11:1-5 (ESV)

[1] A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,

 but a just weight is his delight.

[2] When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with the humble is wisdom.

[3] The integrity of the upright guides them,

 but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

[4] Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

 but righteousness delivers from death.

[5] The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

Wisdom and integrity walk hand in hand. Foolishness shows up in dishonesty, arrogance, and the pursuit of wealth through any means possible. Foolishness is self-focused and self-centered. The epitome of foolishness is the desire to satisfy self at the expense of others. But it never delivers in the long-run. Hebrews 11:25 talks about “the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Moses chose “to be mistreated with the people of God (rather) than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” In the short-term selfishness and a lack of integrity appears to pay off. Over the long haul it never does.

We serve a God of integrity.  Proverbs 11:28-30 (ESV) makes it clear that the God of integrity will not allow the lack of integrity to flourish indefinitely.

[28] Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

[29] Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

[30] The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and whoever captures souls is wise.

God has called us, as believers in Jesus Christ, to be a people of integrity. Like the Pharisees, who are accused of “straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” (Mt 23:24). We too “tithe our mint and dill” while neglecting the “weightier matters” (Mt 23:23). Do we insist on honesty, but meet the very minimum standards required? Maybe we even fudge a bit on that. Do we condemn lust and immorality while blaming others for our own impure thoughts? Do we expect a standard of honesty and obedience from our children that we fail to live out ourselves?

 We always have an excuse, yet we fail to show grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love, while holding others to the letter of the law in any contract or agreement made. We have forgotten, or ignored Jesus’s teaching on turning the other cheek, praying for those who persecute us, and going the extra mile. Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to love God and love others, but we reinterpret what it means to love. We celebrate a God who never fails. We worship a God of integrity. We preach integrity. But do we live it? “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf” (Prov 11:28).