The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
—Proverbs 11:3
One of Norman Rockwell’s fabled illustrations pictured a genial butcher weighing a turkey for an elegant elderly lady.
The butcher had his thumb on the scale, pressing down; the woman had her finger underneath, pushing up. The eyes of both were focused on the scale’s display.
Neither was aware of the other’s deception, neither disturbed by their dishonesty, neither concerned about God’s perspective: “The Lord hates cheating, but he delights in honesty” (Prv 11:1).
Dishonesty takes many forms: product misrepresentation, shoddy workmanship, loafing, lying, and cheating.
“If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it” (Gn 4:7).
The dishonest conceal their deceit from others—
and often from themselves.