Poetry – Proverbs 20-21

In today’s passage, we have the Proverbs focusing on integrity and ethical issues in our lives. Take your time to read through it as there is much to think about and reflect…

Bible Passage:  Proverbs 20-21

The Seller

Have you ever gone to the night markets of Hong Kong, Bangkok or even Taiwan?  Or the flea markets of many countries.  While there is an excitement in finding new, interesting, exotic or even exclusive buys, there is also a fear of being cheated or taken advantage of by the sellers.

That is why we would like to have a local with us so that we can at least be warned if something is wrong.  Or we arm ourselves with homework done by talking to friends or research over the internet so that we know the prices of certain things before we even attempt to buy something.

Some bad sellers may tarnish the reputation of many honest sellers .  Just like the recent cases of bad sellers in Sim Lim Square which affected the sales of many other reputatable companies who have shops there.

Today’s Proverbs has specific warnings for bad sellers.  In fact, the same warning was repeated twice in a single chapter!  It must indeed be something very serious!

Diverse weights and diverse measures,
They are both alike, an abomination to the LORD.

Proverbs 20:10

Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD,
And dishonest scales are not good.

Proverbs 20:23

There are sellers who will resort to dishonest means to make a sale.  They will misrepresent their product, the price, or any aspect of their business just to make a sale.

And I am sure many of us have been in the receiving end of such sellers – I know I have as I am one of the most gullible person you can ever find.  And we do not like it when we find that we have been deceived.

And God certainly does not like it as well.  In fact, it is an abomination to Him!  Very strong words.

So this is a very clear warning that we are all most familiar with and can readily agree with.

The Buyer

However, in this same passage in the Proverbs, we also find that there is mention of the buyer and what he must not do…

Proverbs 20:14

“ It is good for nothing,”cries the buyer;
But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

NKJV

“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer;
then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

NIV

The shopper says, “That’s junk—I’ll take it off your hands,”
then goes off boasting of the bargain.

The Message

买 物 的 说 ： 不 好 ， 不 好 ； 及 至 买 去 ， 他 便 自 夸 。

CUSV

After reading the different translations of Proverbs 20:14, it is clear to me what the author was saying.

In this case, the buyer tries to misrepresent the product, price, or any aspect of the item they want to purchase just so that they can buy something cheaply… and then they go off and boast about it.

What do you think of it?  Isn’t this being streetsmart and getting a best possible bargain?

When I first read this passage, this verse jumped up at me.  As I did not fully comprehend it, this has been in my prayer and thoughts for the whole week.  And I have come to a conclusion that I would like to share.  If you do not agree, please feel free to let me know.  Share your views with everyone so that we can learn together.

Telling a seller all the problems with the objective of getting the price reduced and then bragging to friends or family about your great deal seems to me to be lying and stealing.

No matter how much I would like to think otherwise sometimes, God in heaven does care about details.  The Word of God and the true Christian faith include even minor aspects of our lives (Ps 119:96; Deut 22:6-7).

And to me, this also includes how we buy things from others.

From my understanding of Proverbs 20:14, if we take advantage of a seller and boast of it, God does count it as sin.

As we have read earlier, the Scriptures often condemn wicked selling practices, such as false weights and balances (11:26; 16:11; 20:10,23; Lev 19:36; Deut 25:13; Mic 6:11). But here God puts us on notice about wicked buying practices.

It is natural for man to want to buy low and sell high – even for the same thing from the same person.

Men are prone to bargaining – they do not want to pay the asking price. To get the seller to lower his price, we sometimes resort to deceitful techniques. We say, “This thing has problems; it is nothing; it is not worth the price you are asking; others sell it cheaper; it is not what I was looking for; I don’t really need it anyway.”

But when we get with friends and family after buying it at a reduced price, we’ll boast about the great deal we got. Why the change in tune? Why the reversal of story and tone?

Here is the lie. Why didn’t we tell the seller that it was such a great deal? Why did we tell the seller that at the lower price it was barely acceptable?

If we do this, we are liars.  And since we used lies to obtain another’s property, we are thieves.

“Wait a minute!  This is not so serious isn’t it?”

Is it?

Let’s look at the common expression by which we use when we tell our friends of the great bargain we just had…

We boast, “I got a steal!”

Consider it, reader. The thief confesses his crime and sin, while he boasts!

I can hear all your protests now… and I add my own to the list of protesters.

“I didn’t force him to sell at that price.”
“It’s a free market and a free economy. He was a grown man. If he didn’t think it was a fair deal, he would not have sold it to me at that price.”

When we boast about our great deals in circumstances that we had purposely misrepresented the product, we are admitting plainly that we took advantage of the seller, especially if we bought it for less than the asking price.

If we did not take advantage of the seller, then what in the world are you boasting about? Your boasting is clear evidence that you lied and stole the merchandise. Why didn’t you tell the seller, “I can’t believe you are selling it for this low price; and that you’re practically giving it away”?

God is the avenger of defrauding, including buying and selling (Lev 19:11; 25:14-17; I Thess 4:6).

So what should we do?

What is the rule to follow in economic transactions, the rule to follow in all transactions and relations?

The golden rule (Matt 7:12)!

A Christian buyer should treat the seller, as if the roles were reversed.  And in keeping this rule, perhaps we may be not guilty of this offence before God and instead – are able to do all things for the glory of God (Acts 24:16; I Thess 10:31).

When I read and read Proverbs 20:14 again, I am getting reminded that in order to be considered as an honest man, we have to use the same language, and talk as openly, with the seller, as we will with our family or friends.

We will not change our story after making the buy, for we had paid a fair price and did not lie.

We will not go around boasting about what we did to the seller in buying below market.

For we know that God hates all lying, false witnessing, misrepresentation, and defrauding, which are some of the crimes in this proverb (12:17,19,22; 20:17; 26:18-19,24-28).

We must continue to be honest in the sight of all men (Rom 12:17).

Here God tells us just how honest He expects us to be!

We should speak as openly and honestly in business as with friends and family. If we boast like we are taking advantage of people in private conversation, we must be lying and/or stealing in our public practices.

This Proverb further caused me to look into other areas of our lives and whether I have been trying to be streetsmart and save a few dollars.

Somehow as I was thinking about this, I recalled an incident a number of years ago.  My family and I often go to the movies and as you know, all children under 0.9 m must get a ticket of their own.  Well, my youngest always had gone in for free but when she grew taller than 0.9m, I still tried to get away with buying a ticket by carrying my ‘sleeping’ child.  Well, that did not work one day when the ticket collector insists on checking the height of my child.  And was I embarrassed as I was forced to go an buy another ticket.  That was the last time I tried it.

But on reflection… this was a dishonest act that certainly did nothing for God’s glory.  What about other areas in our lives?

Do we overstate our qualifications to get a job, and then boast of getting a job for which we are not qualified?

Do we understate our liabilities to obtain a loan, then boast of getting financing we did not deserve?

Do we tell our boss we are sick to get the day off, then boast of fooling him while out playing golf?

Dear reader, let us measure every word by the rule of this proverb.

Today’s lesson that I got is very important for me.  It emphasized once again how valuable the Word of God is.

No wonder Moses told Israel that God’s statutes (i.e. the Scriptures) are their life, wisdom, and righteousness before the nations.

If such honesty and integrity were practiced, there would be no war or dispute of any kind. But alas, the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it (Jer 17:9)?

Holiness is more than worshipping reverently on Sabbath. It is the strict and careful observance of all God’s laws; it hates compromise with any evil; it applies to very small events of life; and it includes your approach and words.

Let the buyer beware!

May God have mercy on us and keep us in the right way always.

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