How does Proverbs 21:6 warn against dishonest gain and its consequences? Setting the Verse Before Us “Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.” (Proverbs 21:6) What Stands Out in the Text • “Making a fortune” – the drive for wealth is in view, not a modest income but a pile of money gained fast. • “By a lying tongue” – deceit is the tool; speech becomes the instrument of fraud. • “A vanishing mist” – here one moment, gone the next. Riches secured through falsehood evaporate. • “A deadly pursuit” – more than disappointment; there is spiritual and often physical danger attached. The Warning Against Dishonest Gain • Ill‐gotten wealth is temporary. Like fog under the rising sun, it cannot last; see Proverbs 13:11. • Fraud places a person on a collision course with judgment (Proverbs 11:21). • The verse equates the chase for dishonest profit with courting death—reminding us that sin pays wages (Romans 6:23). Real-Life Consequences Scripture Highlights 1. Exposure and loss – “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth is full of gravel” (Proverbs 20:17). 2. Divine opposition – “The LORD detests dishonest scales” (Proverbs 11:1). When God Himself stands against a person’s enterprise, collapse is inevitable. 3. Ripple effects – A lying tongue poisons relationships, erodes trust, and can ruin generations (Proverbs 15:27). 4. Eternal accounting – Revelation 21:8 places “all liars” among those outside the New Jerusalem. The Positive Alternative • Honest diligence – “The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it” (Proverbs 10:22). • Patience and integrity – “A faithful man will abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20). • Openhanded generosity – “Honor the LORD with your wealth…then your barns will be filled” (Proverbs 3:9-10). • Speaking truth – “Speak the truth each one to his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25); God honors truthful lips. Take-Home Applications • Examine motives: Is the desire for gain pushing you toward ethical shortcuts? • Guard the tongue: Refuse half-truths in business, taxes, or everyday dealings. • Trust God’s timing: Better slow, steady increase with integrity than quick riches with remorse. • Celebrate transparency: Make honesty a family culture; teach children by example. • Rest in God’s sufficiency: Contentment dismantles the lure of deceit (1 Timothy 6:6-10). Scripture speaks plainly: dishonest gain may shimmer, but it is only mist; pursue it and you chase death. Choose the path of truth, and the riches God gives will endure. |
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