Day 38, Year 1 Are You Upright or Deceitful?

“The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.” (Proverbs 11:3 NASB)

Why does God treat the pure with purity? The answer might lie in today’s verse. The word “integrity” in Hebrew is tummah, which also means “uprightness.” The word “upright” in Hebrew is yashar, which means “straight, correct, right, or proper” as well. The integrity of the upright is a good explanation of the pure mentioned before. Thus, you have to examine your heart first to see if it is upright, clean, and pure so as to reap abundantly according to the biblical faith. These three qualities are essential for a faithful person blessed by God. According to the verse, integrity “guides” us in at least two directions. First, to continually keep us away from evil and walk on the path of God’s uprightness; and second, always direct us to see the pure God.

The word “treacherous” in today’s verse, bagad in Hebrew, could be translated as “unfaithful, faithless, or deceitful.” The “crookedness” in this verse, selep in Hebrew, could be translated as “perversion, or crooked dealing.” Treacherous people might distort many things to carry out unrighteous deals to pursue profits. Moreover, it is these deceitful deals that eventually cause their own destruction. They tend to view everything as transactional. For example, family and kinship are precious. Yet, some people like king Saul would exploit these relationships for personal gains, viewing them as profitable tools and turning them into unfaithful transactions (1 Samuel 22:6-7). Contrarily, believers develop a wise sincerity toward God and remove all disloyalty toward Him, including all crooked thoughts and deeds, subsequently distancing ourselves from all deceitful and unjust transactions. This can purify our faith with relevant habits of heart and mind that are crucial for us to experience His purity.

King David was a person of uprightness and integrity in most things he did. But if you or those around you did not grow up in an upright, clean, and pure family, there might be certain crooked or deceitful seeds in your life. It is necessary to repent sincerely before God and adjust your heart and mind, remove all crookedness and deceitfulness alongside the roots through Jesus, cease all unrighteous dealings, and completely surrender to Him. Meanwhile, we need to learn from Jesus and the biblical figures who draw near to God, and nurture within ourselves a love for uprightness and purity so as to draw closer to God and receive His blessings.

Reflection questions:

1) Did you grow up in an upright, clean, and pure family? If not, what problems have you inherited from your parents and how could you resolve them with God’s help?

2) What difficulties do you encounter in pursuing an upright, clean, and pure life? And how would you overcome them with Jesus’ help?