Uprightness and Integrity
So what does it mean to be Upright (hebrew word yashar which means upright - right; righteous; just)? A loose idea of integrity (hebrew word tom which means complete - fulness, innocency or simplicity, integrity) would be that your word is your bond and that you deal rightly with everyone. I kind of know about being upright from some of the verses that I have been studying, but what does being upright and having integrity have to do with my life? There are a few verses that talk about this subject (all from the Old Testament). First of all, to be upright mans that God will be a shield to you and will protect you from harm:
Psalms 7:10 (NASB)
[10] My shield is *with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
The upright has joy in the Lord:
Psalms 32:11 (NASB)
[11] Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
The Lord will especially mark out the upright man to protect when things are going badly around you. HIs eyes are ever on the upright, watching out for him:
Psalms 37:37-38 (NASB)
[37] Mark the *blameless man, and behold the upright;
For the man of peace will have a *posterity.
[38] But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The *posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
Just like the Lord held up Job as an example, so the Lord will uphold a man in his integrity showing him to be an example for all:
Psalms 41:12 (NASB)
[12] As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And You set me in Your presence forever.
The Lord, acting as a shield to the upright causes the upright to glory in the Lord because of His love and faithfulness. The upright man has already taken refuge in the Lord and his righteousness will shine through:
Psalms 64:10 (NASB)
[10] The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will glory.
It would seem that gladness of heart is reserved for the upright in heart from the Lord. Could it be that the Lord really wants us to be this way before men? It would seem so - in fact we show the very nature of God when we walk in integrity:
Psalms 97:11-12 (NASB)
[11] Light is sown like seed for the righteous
And gladness for the upright in heart.
[12] Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones,
And give thanks *to His holy name.
Notice the idea that the upright man has a clear light ahead of him. When he goes forth he shows forth graciousness, compassion, and righteousness. He is showing forth the attributes of God before men:
Psalms 112:4 (NASB)
[4] Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
We have already looked at the idea of sound wisdom being stored up for the upright. Sound wisdom is a special wisdom (the hebrew word here is tusiyyah) that means 'wisdom or ability that brings continuing advancement.' It describes the wisdom of the Lord that keeps a person on the right path. The Lord is apparently pleased with a man who walks in his uprightness:
Proverbs 2:7 (NASB)
[7] He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Notice in the following verse that the Lord protects the upright and blameless. In fact his possessions are protected, whereas the wicked and treacherous are uprooted and loose their possessions eventually.
Proverbs 2:21-22 (NASB)
[21] For the upright will *live in the land
And the blameless will remain in it;
[22] But the wicked will be cut off from the land
And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
So the man of integrity walks securely and a man of uprightness is protected. Seems like a combination that would make anyone strive to reach wouldn't it?
Proverbs 10:9 (NASB)
[9] He who walks in integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will be found out.
A man of integrity is quick to do what the Lord would want him to do. He looks to be guided by the Lord and His Word. A person who does not walk this way, who looks to himself for the answers, will fail. The path that the crooked take will end up destroying them:
Proverbs 11:3 (NASB)
[3] The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
Again we have the idea that whatever the upright does will succeed, because they are showing forth the attributes of God. They are following God. They are not afraid because they look to the Lord for their help and guidance.
Proverbs 14:11 (NASB)
[11] The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
Walking in integrity crosses all economic boundaries. Riches do not make a man exhibit integrity and in fact might make the man foolish in the eyes of God. Notice that the speech of the man who walks in integrity is not perverse.
Proverbs 19:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 19
On Life and Conduct
[19:1] Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
Than he who is perverse in *speech and is a fool.
Proverbs 28:6 (NASB)
[6] Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is *crooked though he be rich.
Walking in righteousness and integrity allows a man to have a legacy, one that will affect his children after him. A man who walks in integrity gives an example to his children. Those who know the father will put more trust in the son or daughter of a man of integrity than others. It really does matter what your legacy is in this world. What you do here matters for others in your family long after you pass on:
Proverbs 20:7 (NASB)
[7] A righteous man who walks in his integrity—
How blessed are his sons after him.
I realize that I have blended the ideas of uprightness and integrity together, but I don't think that you can separate them in any meaningful way.
Psalms 7:10 (NASB)
[10] My shield is *with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
The upright has joy in the Lord:
Psalms 32:11 (NASB)
[11] Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
The Lord will especially mark out the upright man to protect when things are going badly around you. HIs eyes are ever on the upright, watching out for him:
Psalms 37:37-38 (NASB)
[37] Mark the *blameless man, and behold the upright;
For the man of peace will have a *posterity.
[38] But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The *posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
Just like the Lord held up Job as an example, so the Lord will uphold a man in his integrity showing him to be an example for all:
Psalms 41:12 (NASB)
[12] As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And You set me in Your presence forever.
The Lord, acting as a shield to the upright causes the upright to glory in the Lord because of His love and faithfulness. The upright man has already taken refuge in the Lord and his righteousness will shine through:
Psalms 64:10 (NASB)
[10] The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will glory.
It would seem that gladness of heart is reserved for the upright in heart from the Lord. Could it be that the Lord really wants us to be this way before men? It would seem so - in fact we show the very nature of God when we walk in integrity:
Psalms 97:11-12 (NASB)
[11] Light is sown like seed for the righteous
And gladness for the upright in heart.
[12] Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones,
And give thanks *to His holy name.
Notice the idea that the upright man has a clear light ahead of him. When he goes forth he shows forth graciousness, compassion, and righteousness. He is showing forth the attributes of God before men:
Psalms 112:4 (NASB)
[4] Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
We have already looked at the idea of sound wisdom being stored up for the upright. Sound wisdom is a special wisdom (the hebrew word here is tusiyyah) that means 'wisdom or ability that brings continuing advancement.' It describes the wisdom of the Lord that keeps a person on the right path. The Lord is apparently pleased with a man who walks in his uprightness:
Proverbs 2:7 (NASB)
[7] He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Notice in the following verse that the Lord protects the upright and blameless. In fact his possessions are protected, whereas the wicked and treacherous are uprooted and loose their possessions eventually.
Proverbs 2:21-22 (NASB)
[21] For the upright will *live in the land
And the blameless will remain in it;
[22] But the wicked will be cut off from the land
And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
So the man of integrity walks securely and a man of uprightness is protected. Seems like a combination that would make anyone strive to reach wouldn't it?
Proverbs 10:9 (NASB)
[9] He who walks in integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will be found out.
A man of integrity is quick to do what the Lord would want him to do. He looks to be guided by the Lord and His Word. A person who does not walk this way, who looks to himself for the answers, will fail. The path that the crooked take will end up destroying them:
Proverbs 11:3 (NASB)
[3] The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
Again we have the idea that whatever the upright does will succeed, because they are showing forth the attributes of God. They are following God. They are not afraid because they look to the Lord for their help and guidance.
Proverbs 14:11 (NASB)
[11] The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
Walking in integrity crosses all economic boundaries. Riches do not make a man exhibit integrity and in fact might make the man foolish in the eyes of God. Notice that the speech of the man who walks in integrity is not perverse.
Proverbs 19:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 19
On Life and Conduct
[19:1] Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
Than he who is perverse in *speech and is a fool.
Proverbs 28:6 (NASB)
[6] Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is *crooked though he be rich.
Walking in righteousness and integrity allows a man to have a legacy, one that will affect his children after him. A man who walks in integrity gives an example to his children. Those who know the father will put more trust in the son or daughter of a man of integrity than others. It really does matter what your legacy is in this world. What you do here matters for others in your family long after you pass on:
Proverbs 20:7 (NASB)
[7] A righteous man who walks in his integrity—
How blessed are his sons after him.
I realize that I have blended the ideas of uprightness and integrity together, but I don't think that you can separate them in any meaningful way.