Honestly

1. Truthfulness

Proverbs 13:5 NASB95

5 A righteous man hates falsehood, But a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully.

lit. “Hates a false thing.”

Do you hate falsehood?

Act disgustingly = “cause a stink”

Proverbs 12:20 NASB95

20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.

Proverbs 24:26 NASB95

26 He kisses the lips Who gives a right answer.

He = those who rebuke the wicked

Illustration

Proverbs 26:18–19 NASB95

18 Like a madman who throws Firebrands, arrows and death, 19 So is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “Was I not joking?”

2. Accurate Weights

A. How God Feels

Proverbs 11:1 NASB95

1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.

Proverbs 20:10 NASB95

10 Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the Lord.

Proverbs 20:23 NASB95

23 Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, And a false scale is not good.

These are wrong because it is stealing

B. He Owns It

Proverbs 16:11 NASB95

11 A just balance and scales belong to the Lord; All the weights of the bag are His concern.

Amish man, Honest John putting rock in the middle of a bag of potatoes.

3. Boundary Stones

Proverbs 22:28 NASB95

28 Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set.

This is another form of stealing. /today this would be akin to changing the survey markers on your property.

Proverbs 23:10–11 NASB95

10 Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless, 11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.

4. Wrongfully Obtained Gains

Proverbs 10:2 NASB95

2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death.

Proverbs 13:11 NASB95

11 Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers by labor increases it.

Proverbs 20:17 NASB95

17 Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

Sports cheaters:

Although gambling on a sport you play or coach is now considered unacceptable in nearly all levels of sport, it was relatively common among those connected with baseball in the early 20th century. Some of baseball’s most talented and well-known players, such as “Turkey” Mike Donlin and Hal Chase, as well as manager John McGraw, who publicly won $400 dollars when his New York Giants won the World Series in 1905, were often suspected of gambling on their own games. Chase was considered a dangerous man to have on a team because of his willingness to make extra money by dropping fly balls or misplaying first base. This all changed, however, after the White Sox purposefully lost the World Series in 1919 for a payoff from gambler Arnold Rothstein. Outraged, a group of baseball’s faithful–including American League Commissioner Ban Johnson, former player and manager Christy Matthewson and White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, among others–made it a priority to clean up the game and repair its reputation. Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a former federal judge, was hired as Major League Baseball’s first commissioner to crack down on corruption.

One of Landis’ first moves was to ban eight White Sox players found to be involved in the World Series betting scandal from the game for life, including Chase and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, one of the greatest players in baseball history. Major League Baseball Rule 21(d) now states that a player faces a ban of one year for betting on any baseball game, and a lifetime ban for betting on his own team. In addition, signs posted prominently in every clubhouse remind players that gambling is not permitted.

Proverbs 20:21 NASB95

21 An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning Will not be blessed in the end.

Prodigal Son. Luke 15 11-18

Jesus overcame the temptation to gain His inheritance before its time when he was tempted by Satan. Matthew 4 1-10 “1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these thin…”

5. Bribery

A. The Seduction of Bribes

Proverbs 17:8 NASB95

8 A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

B. The Purpose of Bribes

Proverbs 17:23 NASB95

23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To pervert the ways of justice.

Exodus 23:8 NASB95

8 “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

C. The Product of Bribes

Proverbs 15:27 NASB95

27 He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.

Deuteronomy 27:25 NASB95

25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

D. The Effect of Bribes

Proverbs 21:14 NASB95

14 A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.

Not condoning bribery here, just stating a fact.

Instead...

Luke 16:9 NASB95

9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

Ephesians 4:22–25 NASB95

22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.