The Two Tongued Bargain Text: Proverbs 20:14
Introduction: The Sanctity of the Deal
We live in an age that has a complicated relationship with the truth. On the one hand, our culture screams for "authenticity," which usually means being true to your own internal feelings, whatever they might be at the moment. On the other hand, the marketplace, the political arena, and the digital world are rife with spin, managed perceptions, and outright deceit. We have become accustomed to the idea that words are not so much for describing reality as they are for creating a desired reality. We use words as levers to get what we want.
But the book of Proverbs will have none of this. Proverbs is intensely practical. It is not a book of abstract platitudes for the stained-glass set. It is a field guide to wisdom for the factory floor, the negotiation table, and the checkout line. God is not just interested in what you do on Sunday morning; He is intensely interested in how you conduct a business deal on Tuesday afternoon. He cares about weights and measures, contracts and conversations. Why? Because all of life is lived before His face. There is no corner of reality that is secular, no transaction that is outside His jurisdiction.
The wisdom of Proverbs is fundamentally covenantal. It teaches us how to live as God's people in God's world according to God's rules. And one of the central themes is the integrity of our speech. A lying tongue is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight. This is because God is a God of truth. His Son is the Word made flesh, the very embodiment of truth. Therefore, for His people to be duplicitous, to have a forked tongue, is a profound act of spiritual treason. It is to act like the children of the devil, who is the father of lies, while claiming to be children of the God who is truth.
This proverb we have before us today is a sharp, precise scalpel that cuts right to the heart of this issue. It exposes a particular kind of hypocrisy that is as common as the common cold, and one that many professing Christians tolerate in themselves without a second thought. It is the hypocrisy of the two-tongued bargain.
The Text
"Bad, bad," says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
(Proverbs 20:14 LSB)
The Tactic of the Buyer (v. 14a)
The first clause sets the scene. It is a snapshot from the ancient marketplace, but it could just as easily be from a modern car dealership, a flea market, or an online negotiation.
"Bad, bad," says the buyer...
The Hebrew is "Ra, Ra." It is an emphatic dismissal. This is not a thoughtful critique; it is a performance. The buyer is putting on a show. He picks up the item, turns it over in his hands, squints his eyes, and perhaps makes a little scoffing sound. "It is worthless," he says. "Junk. Scarcely worth my time." He is feigning disinterest. He is devaluing the object of his desire in the hearing of the one who owns it.
Now, we must be careful here. Is all negotiation sinful? Of course not. The Bible assumes the legitimacy of markets, prices, and haggling. It is perfectly acceptable to disagree on the value of an item and to seek a mutually agreeable price. A seller can ask too much, and a buyer can offer too little. Finding the right price is part of the dance of commerce.
But this proverb is not describing honest negotiation. It is describing deceit. The buyer here is not expressing his genuine assessment of the item's worth. He is lying. He knows the item is not "bad, bad." In fact, he desires it. His words are not a reflection of his true judgment; they are a tool, a lever, a manipulative tactic designed to pry the item from the seller's hand at a price lower than its actual worth. He is using his tongue to create a false reality in order to gain an advantage. He is speaking one way to one audience, the seller, with a very specific goal in mind.
This is a sin of the tongue. It is a violation of the ninth commandment, which forbids bearing false witness. We tend to restrict that commandment to the courtroom, but its principle extends to all of life. To deliberately misrepresent reality for personal gain is to bear false witness against the thing itself, against the seller, and ultimately against the God of truth who made both.
The Boast of the Hypocrite (v. 14b)
The second clause reveals the man's true heart. The performance is over, the deal is done, and the mask comes off.
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
The transaction is complete. He has secured the item for his desired price. Now he is with a different audience, his friends, his family, his colleagues. And what is his story now? Does he continue to lament his purchase? "Oh, I've been had. I bought this worthless piece of junk." Not at all.
His story completely changes. He boasts. He gloats. "Look at the great bargain I got! The seller wanted a hundred for it, but I talked him down to forty. This thing is a masterpiece, and I practically stole it." The very thing he called "bad, bad" in the hearing of the seller, he now praises as a treasure in the hearing of his friends. He is proud of his duplicity. He glories in his shrewdness, which is just a pious word for his deceit.
Do you see the profound hypocrisy? He has two different stories for two different audiences about the very same business deal. To the seller, he is a reluctant, discerning critic. To his friends, he is a savvy, triumphant conqueror. His words are not anchored to the truth of the object; they are anchored to his own self-interest. He is a verbal chameleon, changing his tune to suit his surroundings.
This is not just a character flaw; it is a spiritual problem. James warns us about the double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. The man in this proverb is double-tongued, which is a symptom of a double mind and a divided heart. His heart is not singularly devoted to honoring God in all things. Part of his heart is devoted to getting a good deal, and he is willing to sacrifice truth on that altar. He wants the reputation of being a shrewd businessman more than he wants the reputation of being an honest man of God.
The Heart of the Matter
So, what is the root issue here? The root issue is a form of prideful selfishness that places personal gain above godly integrity. It is a functional atheism. In the moment of the transaction, the buyer acts as though God is not watching. He acts as though the only thing that matters is the outcome of the negotiation. He forgets that "honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern" (Proverbs 16:11).
This man wants to have it both ways. He wants the financial benefit of deceit and the social benefit of boasting about his success. He is a pragmatist. The lie "worked," and so he celebrates it. But God is not a pragmatist. He does not judge our actions by their apparent success, but by their faithfulness to His standard. "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight" (Proverbs 12:22).
This proverb forces us to ask ourselves some hard questions. Do our stories change depending on our audience? Do we speak one way to our boss and another way to our coworkers? Do we present one version of ourselves online and another in person? Are we willing to bend the truth, to exaggerate, to feign, in order to get what we want, whether it's a lower price, a better job, or more social media likes?
The Christian is called to be a person of one story, because we serve a God of one truth. Our "yes" should be "yes," and our "no," "no." Our speech should be seasoned with salt, not with spin. This requires a radical commitment to integrity. It means we would rather lose a "good deal" than lose our good name before God. It means we value a clear conscience more than a clever bargain.
The Gospel Cure for a Forked Tongue
The solution to this kind of casual hypocrisy is not simply to try harder to be honest. That is mere moralism, and it will fail. The problem is not just in the tongue; it is in the heart, from which the tongue speaks. The heart is deceitful above all things. The only cure for a deceitful heart is a new heart, given by God's grace.
This is what the gospel accomplishes. In Christ, we are confronted with the ultimate true speech. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He never spoke with a forked tongue. He never manipulated, never deceived, never put on a performance to get what He wanted. He spoke the truth, even when it led Him to the cross.
And on that cross, He took upon Himself the judgment for all our lies, all our manipulations, all our hypocrisies. He paid the penalty for every time we have been the buyer in this proverb. He died for our two-faced bargaining. And He was raised to give us a new identity and a new power.
Through faith in Him, we are united to the Truth Himself. The Holy Spirit is given to us to sanctify us, to make us more and more like Jesus. This includes sanctifying our speech. The Spirit works in us to make us men and women of integrity, people whose word can be trusted. He convicts us when we are tempted to manipulate, and He empowers us to speak the truth in love.
Therefore, the Christian approach to the marketplace is not one of cynical pragmatism but of robust, joyful integrity. We can be honest and forthright in our dealings because our ultimate treasure is not found in a good bargain. Our treasure is in heaven. We are not defined by our ability to outwit the other guy. We are defined by our relationship to the God of truth. And so, when we go our way, we do not boast in our cleverness. We boast in the Lord, who has redeemed us from the pit of deceit and has put a new and truthful song in our mouths.