Integrity or Perverseness?
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
(GNB) If you are good, you are guided by honesty. People who cannot be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty.
(GW) Integrity guides decent people, but hypocrisy leads treacherous people to ruin.
There are 2 dispositions set forth in this verse. Integrity and perverseness. Those temperaments which manifest themselves in action come from two types individuals, the upright and the transgressor. The outcome will be either guidance or destruction.
Integrity- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
The honest heart and strong moral principles of the upright will guide them in all decisions. Integrity will determine how we interact with other people. A husband of integrity will not disgrace his wife but rather, will regard her as a special treasure and honor her as scripture teaches him to. A wife of integrity will not belittle her husband but rather, lift him up and encourage him. Parents of integrity will raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD as they are being guided by the truth of the word of GOD. An elder of integrity will shepherd the flock by the principles of honesty and morality that he has obtained from the word of GOD. A brother or sister in Christ of integrity will be led by what is honest and of high moral standing based upon the word of GOD.
Two companion Proverbs to this thought are Proverbs 28:18 and Proverbs 10:9.
Proverbs 28:18 (KJV) Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
Proverbs 10:9 (KJV) He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
Walking uprightly results in salvation and security. The word saved in 28:18 means to be delivered, preserved and victorious. The word surely in 10:9 means a place of refuge, assurance, and hope. This is a reality because the upright is allowing their walk-in life to be guided by the integrity, they have obtained from the word of GOD.
The contrast to the integrity of the upright is the perverseness of the transgressor.
The idea of perverseness is to distort of make crooked.
The walk of the upright is a walk of assurance and victory where one is preserved and delivered. The walk of the transgressor is made crooked by his or her perverseness which leads to destruction. In Proverbs 28:18 while the walk of the upright shall be salvation, he that is perverse or he that has distorted his ways, shall fall at once.
Proverbs 10:9 from the ESV “…he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”
The transgressor is one who deals deceitfully, offends, and acts unfaithfully. There are several ways that we may do this. We may be unfaithful in our marriages, deceitful with our children, offensive with our brothers and sisters in Christ thus making for a crooked, perverse path in all these relationships. This leads to exposure, a fall and ultimately destruction.
Which path we walk whether it be a path that is guided by integrity or a crooked path that is the result of perverseness, every facet of our life will be affected.
- Will be husbands and wives of integrity?
- Will we be parents of integrity?
- Will we be shepherds of integrity?
- Will be teachers and preachers of integrity?
- Will we be brothers and sisters in Christ of integrity?
- Will we be born again believers of integrity?
If so, we can expect security, preservation, hope and assurance. If not, we can expect destruction.
Let us all strive to be people of integrity.