Proverbs Greatest Hits
A Five Minute Devotional
The video shown below is the devotional from October 16th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News.
INTRODUCTION
Presently, Today’s Good News is doing a series on The Greatest Hits From Proverbs. In this series, each of us is given a Chapter in Proverbs and our assignment is to select what we see as the single most meaningful verse in that chapter and to teach on that verse. For today, I have Proverbs Chapter 11 and I’ve chosen verse 1, that says, “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.”
To set the stage for this lesson, I want to share an amusing story that Pastor Chuck Smith included in his commentary on this verse in The Word For Today Bible:
There was a farmer who was taken to court by a baker. The baker accused the farmer of cutting the amount of butter he was selling him, giving him less than a pound of butter for the price of a full pound. The baker said that the farmer used to always weigh out a full pound but, gradually, he had been giving him less until now the “pound” of butter weighed only about 12 ounces. When the farmer got on the stand, he said, “Your Honor, the only scales I have are balanced scales and I’ve always balanced out his butter with a pound loaf of bread he sold me.” The case was dismissed,
THE FOLLY OF WICKEDNESS
The focus of the first nine chapters of Proverbs contrasts wisdom and foolishness. Chapters 10 through 24 offer themes on ways in which these contrasts can be seen. The theme of Chapter 11 is The Folly of Wickedness. In addition to the folly of using dishonest scales, Chapter 11 also speaks of other forms of folly, such as: pride, hypocrisy, cruelty, deceit, perversity and selfishness. In each case, we’re told how God punishes these behaviors and rewards the opposite behaviors. This is because God is fair and right. He expects us to be fair and right. He is perfect. He expects us to be perfect. As emphasized in Verse 1, He counts cheating or compromise to be an abomination. This word means a combination of disgust and hatred; abhorrence, detestation, loathing. When God considers things to be an abomination, He brings His wrath upon those who practice such things. But, He loves honesty and integrity. He will ruin us personally and professionally, if we cheat. But, He will bless us, if we are just and fair.
BE GENEROUS
The example that Pastor Chuck gave us of the Farmer and the Baker alluded to a time before the age of computers when all merchandising was done with balanced scales. But it still makes it clear how we should conduct ourselves in business dealings today and in fact, how we should apply the wisdom of Proverbs 11:1 to all aspects of our lives. Be careful in all your dealings with others, making sure your motives are just and pure and look out especially for those in need. Be generously other-oriented, not selfishly stingy.
GOD’S STANDARDS
One pitfall that we need to consciously avoid in this is in wanting to be weighed according to the world’s standards. Doesn’t it seem natural to look at others and to want to be weighed according to what is right in their eyes? Typically, though, the world’s standards don’t measure up to God’s standards. Another common and somewhat similar pitfall is found in being OK with the way we conduct ourselves because our behavior doesn’t seem so bad when compared to the behavior of others. Have you ever done that? I know I have. But, of course, this doesn’t measure up to God’s standards either.
Godly men and women strive to be perfectly honest, never taking advantage of others. They’re willing to go beyond what’s required, paying more than their share, if necessary. They keep every term of an agreement. They tip generously. They pay debts on time. They show up on time. They’re never out sick when they are well. They fully disclose all problems with things they sell.
The Lord delights in seeing the pure honesty and generosity of the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives. What a blessing to have Him delighting in our integrity! As noted earlier, while God punishes the folly of dishonesty, He rewards the opposite behaviors. The scope of His rewards are described well in Luke 6:38, that says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
And that is TODAY’S GOOD NEWS!
