TO CHEW ON: "You shall not … deal falsely, nor lie to one another." Leviticus 19:11
In this chapter where God elaborates through Moses on the things that please and displease Him, He repeatedly refers to things we might lump under the heading "Integrity."
[Integrity: 1) Uprightness of character, probity (which means virtue or integrity tested and confirmed; strict honesty). 2) The condition or quality of being unimpaired, sound. 3) The state of being complete or undivided. - Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary.]
In addition to not dealing falsely or lying to each other generally (Leviticus 19:11), the Israelites are to carry this integrity into the various relationships of their lives. Integrity is needed when they deal with:
Neighbours: No cheating or robbing them (Leviticus 19:13); no going about behind their backs slandering them or taking a stand against their lives ("… secure yourself by false testimony or by silence and endanger the life of your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:16 AMP).
Employees: No holding back a worker's wages then they have the ability to pay (Leviticus 19:13).
Family: No secret hatred (Leviticus 19:17), no holding grudges (Leviticus 19:18).
Do these principles still apply in our time? Do we ever speak out of both sides of our mouths as we interact with friends, neighbors, and family members? Do we pay employees fairly and on time? Do we use our own names online in places like Twitter? Or do we use pseudonyms so we can say things that we'd be embarrassed to own in real life? Do we project our lives honestly on Facebook?
I'm not suggesting we endanger our safety by giving too much information, especially online. But don't we run the risk of being found out and losing our credibility with people if we're being intentionally deceptive? Of course we know that we can't pull the wool over God's eyes even if we tried—and He has some pretty strong words to say about liars (Revelation 21:8).
PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see areas in my life where I'm tempted to be less than honest. Help me to be a person of integrity in all my relationships. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)
And then there are times when we wish a person just would not ask because the truth is not going to encourage that one. Sometimes we can side-step answering when the issue isn't important bacause flattery misses the integrity mark too :)
ReplyDeleteGood food for thought, Violet.