Dishonesty

Proverbs 11:3
Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.

Honestly is most likely a virtue David passed on to his son Solomon. Often through Psalms David would speak of integrity and honesty of heart. David even said God’s desire was that we have honestly from our most inward parts. Here we see Solomon reflecting on honesty and that it guides the lives of good people, but dishonestly destroys those who use it.

We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. It is an Aesop fable about a shepherd boy who became bored tending the sheep so he would cry out to the villagers that a wolf was attacking. The villagers would come to the rescue only to find the boy was lying in order to pull a dishonest prank on them. Finally confronted by a wolf the boy cried out as usual, but no one came to the rescue as the wolf ate the flock and in some versions of the story the boy also. The moral at the end of the story says, “Even when liars tell the truth, they are never believed. The liar will lie, once, twice, and then perish when he tells the truth”. People lie for many reasons. They want to cover something they are fearful of. They lie in order to increase their low self-esteem. They lie hoping to gain favor. They lie as it has become their nature because their moral fiber has withered and faded away. Dishonesty eventually destroys the confidence of others and even the person themself.