Stuart's Daily Devotional: Honesty—the best policy?

"Honesty is the best policy" is a well-known aphorism. But it does not convey what Richard Whately, the Archbishop of Dublin, actually meant. 

It is better to be poor and honest than rich and crooked. — Proverbs 28:6 "Honesty is the best policy" is a well-known aphorism. But it does not convey what Richard Whately, the Archbishop of Dublin, actually meant. The complete quotation is as follows: "Honesty is the best policy; but he who is governed by that maxim is not an honest man." In the Archbishop's mind, to say "Honesty is the best policy" is to speak from a purely pragmatic point of view, not necessarily to be guided by the principle that honesty is intrinsically right and dishonesty is innately wrong! It is true that "honesty is the best policy" can be nothing more than a hard-nosed, calculating conclusion. The person who believes "honesty is the best policy" may not be making a moral statement at all, and he may even be ready to engage in dishonest behavior if he thinks it will pay dividends. That is how a fundamentally dishonest man can subscribe to the idea that "honesty is the best policy." Proverbs says, "It is better to be poor and honest than rich and crooked" (Prov. 28:6). This is not to suggest that all the poor are honest or that all the rich are crooked. But, all things being equal, being crooked has been known to lead to economic advantage, and being honest has at times been a financial disadvantage. The point at issue, however, is that the advantages gained by dishonesty demand a heavy price from the dishonest man. That price is the disturbance of conscience, the fear of disclosure, the compounding of the problem by cover-up and further lies, and the ultimate accounting to God. The honest man pays no such price—while he may be financially impoverished, he is morally rich. Dishonesty in financial dealings is robbery, and dishonesty in business is arrogance. What could be more arrogant than the attitude of the liar who lies to gain advantage and says, in effect, "You do not deserve the truth and I am the one who determines what you deserve"? Dishonesty in the marriage bond, though, is destruction. The adulterer uses the body of his paramour without thought for her person and destroys her self-esteem. He abuses the love of his wife without thought for her heartbreak and destroys her ability to trust. It is fundamentally wrong! The honest man will pay his taxes and be poorer, will deal fairly in business and may miss a deal, and will be true to his wife and never taste forbidden fruit. But he will know that in the eyes of his God he did right, that he did not contribute to the "moral rot" (Proverbs 28:2) of his society, and he did not lead "the upright into sin" (Proverbs 28:10 ASV). For him, it is not a matter of pragmatic policy—it is a matter of spiritual integrity. Stuart Briscoe For further study: Proverbs 28:1-13 Was this forwarded from a friend? CLICK to receive Stuart's devotional directly in your inbox each day. Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Men, Copyright ©2000 by Stuart Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Subscribe Download our app Hear today's message New this month: Copyright ©2024 Telling the Truth, 12660 W North Ave, Brookfield, WI 53005 Phone: 800.889.5388 - Email: info@tellingthetruth.org Trouble viewing images?

BIBLE VERSE Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah1:5 Get $100 off a Logos 10 base package (first-time base package purchasers only)   Shop The Exclusive Offer for Logos 10 Save up to 20% on a Logos package, plus get five free bonus books.  10% off of various Logos packages + 5 free digital books  Shop for Publisher Spotlight Logos Monthly Free Books, Ebooks and Audio Books For month of March 2024 https://www.logos.com/product/5419/new-international-encyclopedia-of-bible-words New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words https://www.logos.com/product/42192/christianity-on-trial-a-lawyer-examines-the-christian-faith Christianity on Trial: A Lawyer Examines the Christian Faith by W. Mark Lanier https://www.logos.com/product/221391/calvin-on-the-christian-life-glorifying-and-enjoying-god-forever Calvin on the Christian Life: Glorifying and Enjoying God Forever (audio) by Michael Horton    Ongoing Free item strategy: Try this link: https://www.logos.com/free-book Now this link: https://www.logos.com/free-ebook Next try this link: https://www.logos.com/free-audiobook    Try these Logos Bible Software Discount codes GOLL   WGR9    Shop for Logos Monthly Sale Faith Gateway: *FREE U.S. shipping with code MARFS   Furnished by Rick Livermore Webmaster220 San Juan Capistrano California –  Publisher Information This blog post was furnished by Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  other blogs by the same person: The_New_Rick_Livermore_Site (Discontinued) Discontinued Rick Livermore Webmaster220