What Does the Proverb Mean?
HOW pleasant it is to deal with someone whom you know to be honest! Such persons are rare in this world, especially in the realm of business. Jehovah expressed himself to his people Israel as being against dishonest weights and measures, the having of two kinds of weights, one for buying and one for selling. (Mic. 6:10, 11; Prov. 20:10) An example of lying and dishonesty, which Jehovah hates, is found in Proverbs 20:14: “‘It is bad, bad!’ says the buyer, and he is going his way. Then it is that he boasts about himself.”
It is common practice in business for the buyer to “run down,” find fault with and cheapen an article that he wishes to buy, so as to cause the seller to reduce his price. Of course, the seller also often exaggerates the value of the thing that he is selling and keeps hidden any faults that it may have. Then, after the buyer obtains the product at what he estimates to be well below its actual value, he brags to others about the bargain that he got. He is even willing to tell how he lied to get it. Often the seller acts similarly. But how much better it would be to give an honest evaluation of what one is selling, revealing any faults the item may have. And how good it is if the buyer is likewise honest, not finding supposed or probable faults for the purpose of getting the item cheaper.
Dishonesty of this nature can become a habit and a practice with a man in business, and he justifies himself by saying that if he could not do this he could not stay in business. Yet there are many businessmen among Jehovah’s Witnesses who are proof of the principle that one can be honest, even in a generally corrupt business world, and survive. Some, who, before coming to a knowledge of the truth, sold tobacco in their own restaurants and grocery stores, quit doing so when they found how much they were damaging their fellowman by engaging in the tobacco traffic; for tobacco has finally been acknowledged to be a very dangerous drug. Some observers gloomily predicted that they would lose a lot of business. In some cases, their business did wane at first, but then their sales began to go up again until, in many cases, sales were better than when they had formerly sold tobacco. The owner of a chain of food stores had such an experience.
God, of course, sees and favors the honest person, and there are likewise many people in the world who appreciate honesty and feel more like dealing with a conscientious person. When he became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a grocer in Portugal took to heart the proverb that states: “Two sorts of weights are something detestable to Jehovah, and a cheating pair of scales is not good.” (Prov. 20:23) To the surprise of some, his business increased substantially. Why? Because, as one observer commented: “Everyone in the neighborhood says that he will not cheat and rob as other merchants do because now he is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they are honest people.”
However, regardless of whether one loses or gains financially by reason of honesty, the person following the Proverbs’ good counsel on honesty will have peace of mind, a good conscience and happiness, along with Jehovah God’s smile of approval.