Commentary - Proverbs 20:14

Bird's-eye view

This proverb is a masterful snapshot of fallen human nature at work in the marketplace. It exposes the small, everyday dishonesty that flows from a heart full of pride and guile. The scenario is timeless: a buyer, in the process of negotiating a purchase, disparages the very item he wants. He runs it down, highlights its flaws, real or imagined, and declares it to be of little value. This is a tactic, a form of verbal gamesmanship designed to lower the price. But the moment the deal is struck and the buyer walks away, his tune changes entirely. He is no longer a critic but a connoisseur, boasting to others about the fantastic bargain he secured. The proverb lays bare the contradiction, the two-faced nature of the transaction. It is a sin of the tongue, rooted in a love of self and a desire to get the better of one's neighbor. It is a form of lying, and it is a form of prideful boasting, and the Lord takes note of it all.

At its core, this is a wisdom text about integrity. It teaches that our words should be consistent and true, regardless of the audience or the financial stakes. The man described here has two different stories for the same transaction, one for the seller and another for his friends. This is not shrewdness; it is duplicity. The gospel addresses this very sin by transforming the heart. A man who has been dealt with graciously by God, who understands that all he has is an unmerited gift, is freed from the grasping need to win every negotiation through deceit. He can be honest with the seller and does not need to build himself up through boasting afterward. This proverb, then, is not just a piece of folksy advice on haggling; it is a diagnostic tool for the heart, revealing our need for the kind of radical honesty that only Christ can produce.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs 20 is a collection of sayings that touch on various aspects of righteous living, from the dangers of wine (v. 1) and the integrity of a king (v. 8) to the importance of honest weights and measures (v. 10, 23). This chapter, like much of the book, is intensely practical. It brings the fear of the Lord out of the temple and into the marketplace, the courtroom, and the home. Verse 14 fits squarely within this theme of practical righteousness in commerce. It is kin to the repeated condemnations of "divers weights and divers measures" (v. 10), which are an abomination to the Lord. Just as manipulating scales is a form of theft, manipulating the truth to gain a financial advantage is a form of dishonesty. The proverb assumes a world of commerce, of buying and selling, and insists that God's standards of truthfulness and integrity apply to every transaction. It is a call to consistency of character, where a man's word is his bond and is not altered to suit his wallet.

Key Issues

Two Stories for Two Audiences

The man in this proverb is a master of audience analysis, but not in a good way. He knows what to say to get what he wants from each person he talks to. To the seller, he says, "This thing is junk. It's barely worth anything." His goal is to drive down the price, to make the seller feel that he is lucky to get anything at all for such a shoddy item. He is a verbal bully, using his words to devalue not just the product but also the seller's position.

But once he has gone his way, his story changes completely. To his friends, or perhaps just to himself, he boasts. "Look at this incredible deal I got! I am such a shrewd negotiator." The very thing he just called "bad, bad" is now the subject of his gloating. The shift is shameless. He is talking one way to one audience and a completely different way to another audience about the very same business deal. This is the essence of being two-faced. The Bible demands that a Christian be a man of one story. Your report of a matter should be the same whether you are talking to your friend or your adversary. When your story changes depending on who is listening, you have stepped into the realm of deceit. This is not clever business; it is a failure of character.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14a “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

The scene opens in the middle of a negotiation. The Hebrew word for "bad" here is ra', the common word for evil, bad, or worthless. The buyer repeats it for emphasis: "It is naught, it is naught," as the King James has it. This is not a calm, objective assessment of the item's quality. This is a negotiating tactic. He is actively running down the merchandise. We've all seen this. "This car has a lot of miles on it." "This house needs a new roof." "This fabric is a little faded." Some of this can be a legitimate part of discovering a fair price, but the proverb is describing a man whose intent is to deceive. He is not just noting flaws; he is painting a picture of worthlessness in order to gain an unrighteous advantage. He wants the thing, but he speaks as though he despises it. His words are disconnected from the true desire of his heart, and this is a form of lying.

14b But when he goes his way, then he boasts.

Here is the punchline, the great reveal. The transaction is complete, the buyer has left the seller, and his demeanor flips 180 degrees. The man who was just so unimpressed is now gloating. The word for "boast" here carries the idea of praising oneself, of glorying in an accomplishment. He is proud of his performance. He sees himself as a master negotiator, a savvy businessman who knows how to get a deal. He is not boasting in the quality of the item so much as he is boasting in his own cleverness for having secured it so cheaply. The boast reveals the lie. If the item were truly "bad, bad," there would be nothing to boast about. His subsequent pride exposes his prior pretense. And all such boasting is evil (James 4:16). He has managed to sin with his tongue twice in one transaction: first through deceit, and now through pride.

This reveals the engine that drives this kind of sin. Why does he do it? Because he loves himself and he loves money, and he is willing to bend the truth to serve both of those loves. He wants to win. The negotiation is not just a transaction; it is a contest, and his ego is on the line. Getting the "win" by driving a hard bargain and then telling everyone about it feeds his pride. This is a far cry from the biblical ethic of loving your neighbor as yourself, which would include the neighbor who is selling you something. The Golden Rule is not, "Haggle with others as you hope they don't haggle with you." It is to do unto them as you would have them do unto you. This requires a fundamental honesty that is entirely absent in the man this proverb describes.

Application

The application of this proverb is as direct as a shot of espresso. Don't be this guy. In all your dealings, whether you are buying a car, negotiating a salary, or selling something on Craigslist, be a person of integrity. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. This doesn't mean you can't negotiate or seek a fair price. But it does mean you must not use deceit as a tool. You must not misrepresent your intentions or the facts of the matter. You must not change your story for different audiences.

The world tells us that this kind of behavior is just "good business." It's seen as shrewd and savvy. But the Bible calls it sin. It is a violation of the ninth commandment against bearing false witness. The Christian businessman, or the Christian consumer, is called to a higher standard. We are to be as honest as a Huguenot. Our reputation should be one of rock-solid truthfulness. When we fall into the trap of the buyer in this proverb, we are showing that our hearts are still in love with the world's way of doing things, which is rooted in pride and selfish gain.

The ultimate solution is the gospel. The gospel frees us from the need to boast. Our standing before God is not based on our shrewd negotiations or our clever wins. It is based entirely on the finished work of Jesus Christ. He made the ultimate bad deal, taking our sin upon Himself, so that we could receive the ultimate good deal, His perfect righteousness. When we are secure in that reality, we are liberated from the petty need to prop up our egos by getting the better of our neighbor. We can operate with an open-handed honesty, seeking a transaction that is fair to both parties, because our ultimate treasure is not found in a bargain, but in Christ.