“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”
Proverbs 11:3
The book of Proverbs typically communicates through contrasts. Here, the contrast is between the upright and the treacherous. Notice that the upright are guided by integrity, while the treacherous are guided by crookedness.
The first thing we might want to do when meditating on this verse is a self-exam. What characterizes my life more, integrity or crookedness?
Admittedly, a self-exam like this is difficult because people tend to evaluate themselves more favorably than others might evaluate them. And by more favorably I mean less accurately. Because of the tendency toward self-deception it is difficult to recognize our own lack of integrity. But we must examine ourselves (honestly!) lest we find ourselves unwittingly on the road to destruction.
The word guide is interesting to me because I do a lot of tour guiding in Israel. And when I guide groups, my function is to lead them to various destinations. In this verse, guide can be used similarly. Here, we see that integrity guides the upright. But where does it lead them? The answer seems clear: to greater righteousness. Conversely, where does crookedness lead the treacherous? To destruction.
Where do you want to end up? As is common in Proverbs, the reader, stands at a fork in the road; one path leads to life, the other to destruction. Which path will you choose? Will crookedness guide you to destruction? Or will integrity lead you to righteousness? It’s your choice. But choose you must. Please choose righteousness.
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