The Rule Applies to Me Too
October 20, 2026 · Proverbs 20:10 · GNT
“The LORD hates people who use dishonest weights and measures.”
Proverbs 20:10 · GNT
Reflection
If a cashier gives you too little change, you notice and complain. If you get too much, an explanation appears: "They were not paying attention." The amount is small, but the question is big: does honesty still matter when the mistake benefits you?
Proverbs 20:10 describes a specific kind of fraud: using dishonest weights and measures to gain an advantage in a transaction. Buyers think they received what was agreed, but get less. This is not skillful negotiation; it is deception. God cares because someone is being hurt on the other side of that unfair gain.
The application begins with transactions and reaches other parts of life. We change the measure when we demand what we refuse to do ourselves. My lateness always has an explanation; my colleague's means a lack of commitment. I want the client to pay in full, but hide part of the service I failed to provide. The rule is still written down. It only changes when my turn comes.
1Check what you deliver, not just what you charge.
Before asking whether you received everything you deserved, check whether you delivered what you agreed. Is the quantity right? Is the information complete? Is there a condition the other person will discover only after accepting? We do not need a set of scales to deliver less and charge as if everything were right. Honesty includes making clear what is being offered.
2Do not turn your advantage into an excuse.
"Everyone does it" does not return what someone lost. "Just this once" does not turn deception into fairness. Ask: "Would I accept this deal from the other side if I knew everything?" The answer helps reveal what convenience hides. You can still negotiate different prices, deadlines, or terms, provided they are clear and accepted, without hiding what matters.
3Put things right while you can.
If you received too much, speak up and return it. If a promised delivery was incomplete, talk to the person and agree on a correction. If you blamed someone for a mistake you also made, acknowledge your part. Asking for forgiveness matters, but does not replace returning money or repairing harm where possible. An uncomfortable conversation can begin a more truthful relationship.
This wisdom protects us from treating small frauds as normal and building relationships where everyone must distrust each other. It also helps us grow: we learn to be trustworthy, even when doing right costs an advantage. This does not guarantee profit, recognition, or protection from every injustice. Honesty is not a technique for earning more; it is caring for our neighbor before God.
Being fair does not mean ignoring different needs. Giving someone more time because they need help is not fraud. The problem is manipulating the standard for your own benefit and hiding it from those affected.
Long before books on character and leadership, Proverbs brought fairness into everyday exchanges. Today, do not start by looking for other people's dishonest scales. Choose a situation of your own and check the measure. The rule you consider fair must also apply when no one is checking.
Being fair means not changing the measure to favor yourself.
Empresas Feitas para Vencer, Jim Collins
in "The Window and the Mirror," leaders credit others for good results and examine their responsibility when things go wrong. Do not keep credit for yourself and blame for everyone else. Check whether the standard you use to assess your team applies to you too. The comparison helps us reconsider our conduct; it does not explain every outcome.
O Cavaleiro Preso na Armadura, Robert Fisher
early in the fable, the knight thinks himself kind, but interrupts his wife and son while describing his deeds. His self-image does not match the space he gives others. Examine your conduct rather than simply defending your intentions. Today, notice whether you give the attention and respect you expect to receive.
(These connections are based on the Brazilian editions; the descriptions above are translated paraphrases, not quotations.)
A Christ-Centered Connection
In Matthew 7:12, Jesus teaches us to do for others what we want them to do for us. He does not tell us to wait for someone else to be fair first. His teaching makes us consider the person on the other side of our decision, even when we could profit from their oversight.
In Luke 19:1-10, Jesus approaches Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector. Before any promise of repayment, he announces that he will stay at his house. Grace comes before any attempt to repair our reputation. Yet this encounter does not treat others' losses as a minor detail: Zacchaeus offers to share his possessions and repay anyone he has cheated.
This does not teach us to buy salvation with financial compensation. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Making amends is a response to meeting him, not the price of his presence. Forgiveness does not need to hide what happened to be real.
Jesus also lived without deceit. In 1 Peter 2:22-24, we read that he did not sin and bore our sins on the cross so we could live rightly. Our hope is not in presenting a spotless record, but in the Savior who reaches us and calls us to new life.
Perhaps today you notice an advantage gained dishonestly. You need not defend it or conclude that you can no longer change. Confess to Jesus, seek help, and repair what you can. Trust may take time to rebuild, and the other person is not required to forget immediately.
Following Jesus means letting his grace reach our bills, contracts, deliveries, and conversations too. Not merely looking honest, but no longer hurting someone to benefit ourselves.
Where are you accepting an advantage for yourself that you would consider unfair if someone else took it?
Choose a transaction, a delivery, or a payment you are requesting, and check whether the measure is honest.
- 1Compare what was agreed with what you actually delivered or received.
- 2Review any information or condition that was hidden.
- 3Acknowledge your part without using someone else's mistake as an excuse.
- 4Tell those affected, and return or correct what you can.
Key phrase: "The rule cannot change just because it now favors me."
1. What does Proverbs 20:10 condemn?
The verse condemns dishonest weights and measures used to gain an advantage in transactions. This is not just about money: someone is receiving less than agreed. Its application calls us to check our deliveries, information, and standards, without changing the rule only when it benefits us.
2. How can we live honestly in everyday life?
Compare what was agreed with what you actually delivered or received. Do not hide important terms or justify deception because the amount seems small. If a difference is unfair, speak up and correct what you can. Negotiation is possible; hurting someone by hiding information is not honest negotiation.
3. How does Jesus help us change?
Jesus considers the person affected by our decision and approaches those who need a fresh start. His grace is not bought by making amends, but calls us to leave deception behind. He bore our sins on the cross. We can confess, seek help, and repair what we can, without demanding immediate trust from those harmed.
Wisdom Pill
The Game with Changing Rules — For grown-ups to read with children