The unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity

Proverbs 11:3 - Evil breeds evil. We never accomplish God’s best by using Satan’s tactics.

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“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

After Sunday’s look at a verse from the Gospel of Luke, we’re back to Proverbs. Today’s devotional is rather short; the wisdom in Proverbs is often short and sweet.

Two words stand out in this verse; integrity and duplicity. The definitions of each word provides more meaning to the verse:

Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

Duplicity: deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter; double-dealing.

Matthew Henry said this in his commentary on the verse:

1. The integrity of an honest man will itself be his guide in the way of duty and the way of safety. His principles are fixed, his rule is certain, and therefore his way is plain; his sincerity keeps him steady, and he needs not tack about every time the wind turns, having no other end to drive at than to keep a good conscience. Integrity and uprightness will preserve men, Ps. 25:21.

2. The iniquity of a bad man will itself be his ruin. As the plainness of a good man will be his protection, though he is ever so much exposed, so the perverseness of sinners will be their destruction, though they think themselves eve so well fortified. They shall fall into pits of their own digging, ch. 5:22.

Another Matthew, Matthew Poole, commented that:

The integrity of the upright, their sincere obedience to God’s laws, shall guide them; shall keep them from crooked and dangerous courses, and lead them in a right and safe way.

The perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them; those wicked devices by which they design and expect to secure themselves, shall be the instrument of their destruction.

This is very similar to David Guzik’s commentary from Enduring Word:

The man or woman who lives with integrity — a trustworthy life lived without shame or secrets — is recognized as upright and will have their integrity to guide them.

The perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them: The false and crooked ways of the unfaithful will bring those who practice them to destruction.

This made me think of people from both ends of the integrity-duplicity spectrum that I have been acquainted with throughout my life. Those who have had a strong moral compass, who were honest in all of their dealings with others, and who had faith in God were well thought of by many people and were almost always successful and contented. Others were duplicitous, perverse, false and crooked, and their lives did not — in many cases — go well. I’m sure we can all think of similar examples of friends, relatives, or co-workers we’ve known who would fit one situation or another.

GotQuestions.org cited this verse in an article about libel, and provided a succinct summary of the wisdom in Proverbs 11:3 : “Evil breeds evil. We never accomplish God’s best by using Satan’s tactics.”

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Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Guide me with Your wisdom and integrity. Let my actions reflect Your truth and righteousness. Help me to walk in honesty and uprightness, so that my life may be a testament to Your glory. Strengthen my heart to follow Your path, and keep me steadfast in Your love. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

BibleHub was accessed on November 11, 2004 for commentary on Proverbs 11:3

Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author