Context No. 3231 of 4322 · Proverbs

Proverbs 11:1-16: in context

1A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but accurate weights are his delight. 2When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom. 3The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them. 4Riches don’t profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 5The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. 6The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but the unfaithful will be trapped by evil desires. 7When a wicked man dies, hope perishes, and expectation of power comes to nothing. 8A righteous person is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked takes his place. 9With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge. 10When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. When the wicked perish, there is shouting. 11By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. 12One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace. 13One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret. 14Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory. 15He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it, but he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure. 16A gracious woman obtains honor, but violent men obtain riches.

These proverbs contrast integrity and wickedness, and several threads run through them. One is honesty in dealings: a false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight. Another is the folly of pride: when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. And a third weighs the true worth of things: riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

God cares about the scales in the marketplace, about whether we deal fairly with one another; a just weight is his delight. He opposes pride and gives wisdom to the humble. And he reckons the real value of things: wealth cannot save in the day of reckoning, but righteousness can. Through all these sayings runs one consistent view of what matters to God, honesty, humility, and righteousness, over wealth and pride. And the community itself flourishes or falls by the character of its people; by the blessing of the upright a city is exalted.

In my dealings, my attitude, and my values, do I reflect what God delights in, honest scales, humility, righteousness, more than wealth and pride?

Sources

Proverbs 11:1: "A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but accurate weights are his delight."
Proverbs 11:2: "When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom."
Proverbs 11:4: "Riches don't profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."