How does God respond to dishonesty? - Dishonesty - TouchPoints

Psalm 5:4-6You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.

Proverbs 12:22The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Proverbs 20:23The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales.

Isaiah 59:1-4, 12-15Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. . . . Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption. No one cares about being fair and honest. The people’s lawsuits are based on lies. . . . We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.

God hates dishonesty!

Deuteronomy 19:16-19“If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime, then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person.”

Joshua 7:10-12The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.”

2 Kings 5:19-27Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, “My master should not have let this Aramean get away without accepting any of his gifts. As surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after him and get something from him.” So Gehazi set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he climbed down from his chariot and went to meet him. “Is everything all right?” Naaman asked. “Yes,” Gehazi said, “but my master has sent me to tell you that two young prophets from the hill country of Ephraim have just arrived. He would like 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them.” “By all means, take twice as much silver,” Naaman insisted. . . . Gehazi took the gifts from the servants and sent the men back. Then he went and hid the gifts inside the house. When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “I haven’t been anywhere,” he replied. But Elisha asked him, “Don’t you realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants? Because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever.” When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.

Isaiah 29:20-21Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.

Jeremiah 7:8-10Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and . . . then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again?

Jeremiah 9:4-9“They all fool and defraud each other; no one tells the truth. With practiced tongues they tell lies; they wear themselves out with all their sinning. They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,” says the Lord. Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “See, I will melt them down in a crucible and test them like metal. What else can I do with my people?”

Jeremiah 14:14-15Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets.”

Jeremiah 28:15-16Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You must die. Your life will end this very year because you have rebelled against the Lord.’”

Acts 5:1-10There was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died.

2 Peter 2:1-3There were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them . . . and their destruction will not be delayed.

God judges dishonesty as the terrible sin it is!

Exodus 20:16“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.”

Exodus 23:1,7“You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. . . . Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.”

Leviticus 19:12“Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the Lord.”

Psalm 34:13Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!

Matthew 5:33-37“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! . . . Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”

Ephesians 4:25So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

Colossians 3:9-10Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.

God condemns dishonest words; they are an indication of a dishonest heart.

Exodus 20:15“You must not steal.”

Leviticus 19:13“Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.”

Deuteronomy 25:13-16“You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise, and you must use full and honest measures.”

Proverbs 11:1The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.

Isaiah 33:15-16Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—these are the ones who will dwell on high.

God will judge dishonest actions; they are an indication of a dishonest heart.

Leviticus 19:35-36“Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume. Your scales and weights must be accurate.”

Psalm 62:10Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.

Amos 8:4-8Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy! You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales.

Micah 6:10-13What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?

Habakkuk 2:6-9“But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, ‘What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You’ve become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?’”

God condemns all dishonest gain. It is an indication of dishonest motives and leads to injustice against the poor and the powerless.

Leviticus 6:1-7Then the Lord said to Moses, “Suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the Lord. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud, or you find lost property and lie about it, . . . If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty. You must give back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found, or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price plus an additional 20 percent to the person you have harmed.”

Luke 3:12-14Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?” He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” “What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”

Luke 19:8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

God demands restitution for dishonesty.