Proverbs 11.1
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”
The Lord loves business practices that are fair and honest. He hates deceptive and dishonest business practices. Truth, integrity, and fairness in business are priorities in the kingdom of God.
Proverbs 11.2
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”
In several places in the book of Proverbs, fools are characterized by pride and the wise are characterized by humility.
The word for pride here is the Hebrew zadon. It refers to arrogance and insolence in response to the God’s standards and authority. This kind of pride is marked by an inflated sense of personal authority (“I am in charge of things around here.”), a rebellious disobedience (“I don’t have to listen to you!”) and willful selfishness (“It’s my life. I can do what I want.”).
Zadon — arrogance and selfishness — is the spirit of our time. A growing number of people live and work in willful disregard for God’s standards and principles. They act not on the basis of timeless truth, but on the basis of personal preference and desires.
And zadon has been institutionalized in American society. The culture-shaping institutions of our nation operate in disregard for and defiance of God’s principles. Judeo-Christian principles are dismissed and marginalized in most of our social institutions. People and institutions in our time are zadon; they arrogantly believe they know better than God.
Scripture says that arrogance / zadon eventually produces disgrace. The Hebrew word for disgrace is qalon, and it means shame or dishonor. This is what eventually happens as a result of arrogant disregard for God’s standards.
The wise person is humble and submits to the direction and correction of the Lord. It is what the prophet Micah says: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
Approach everything in your life with this mindset. At home, at work, in the community … seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4.6
