“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. (2) When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. (3) The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” – Proverbs 11:1-3
When I worked for Tesco I witnessed the company increase the way it assessed and improved the way it observed legal requirements. A task someone in each store had to regularly complete was to check the accuracy of the weighing scales. If a customer found they had been charged for more than they had purchased, due to the scales being inaccurate, there were serious repercussions (strangely, customers rarely, if ever, complained if they got more than they paid for).
Solomon’s instructions thousands of years ago carry weight for all times and cultures (see what I did there?) They are always relevant because any moral instruction reflects the eternal character of God.
Many people do not work in an environment that literally uses scales, but integrity is still vital in every person’s life. Without integrity your word means nothing, your motives are questionable and every relationship in your life will suffer.
Integrity is so vital, that later Proverbs tells us,
“Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.” – Proverbs 19:1
Under the old dispensation, the Old Testament often equates God’s blessing with material wealth. But the writer of Proverbs knew that no wealth is worth losing your integrity. In actual fact, there can be no blessing from God where there is no integrity.
At its most basic integrity means innocence, honesty, sincerity.
It takes integrity to repent and receive Jesus as our Saviour. It takes integrity to walk daily with Him and to serve Him.
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