Proverbs 13:5

Proverbs 13:5 "A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame."

There are some people in life who have a way of saying a lot in just a few words.  These are the people that know how to use words to get people thinking.  These are the teachers that uses words to incite a train of thought in the minds of their students so that they do more than simply hear truth - they learn truth.  Solomon was a master at using words to provoke thought that would, in that thought, lead to a greater or deeper truth.  He did this in his proverbs and he did it especially when saying two different things in the same sentence.  If he were present today and spoke his proverbs instead of writing them, you would be tempted to ask him what he meant by many of them and specifically, what the latter part of the proverb had to do with the first part.  Because he is not present, we're forced to ask ourselves that question.  This is why he was so skilled in the use of few words.  By asking ourselves what he meant, thought is engaged and those few words initiate a classroom of learning within us.  This is the case of the proverb at hand.

What does a righteous man who hates lying have to do with a wicked man being loathsome?  What does one good man who hates lies have to do with an evil man coming to shame?  Where is the connection between the two scenarios?  What is the bridge between the two statements?  There is nothing overly insightful about a righteous man hating lying or about a wicked man being despised.  That being said, wise men don't waste words.  Solomon embedded a lesson beyond the surface of these few words.  There is a truth down the tracks of thought that these few words, like the engine of a train, will take us to.
 
If on one side of the proverb a moral man hates lying, then we must properly conclude that the immoral man on the other side of the proverb does not hate lying.  Furthermore, if the immoral man at the back of the proverb is loathsome to society, then we should deduce the moral man at the front of the proverb is on some level, attractive to society.  By saying just fifteen basic words, Solomon intended for the mind of the reader to be engaged in such a way that the reader would draw his own conclusion about the proverb.  He understood that learning with reason in the mind is far more effective than learning with lecture in the ear.  In this short proverb, we should learn much more than that a righteous man hates lying and that the wicked eventually live with shame.  From these fifteen words, we should learn the deeper and more inspiring truth that there is an Attraction in Conviction.

When a man hates lying, a woman will be attracted to that because that man is a trustworthy man.  He would not lie to her about his whereabouts.  He would not lie to her about his activities.  He would not lie to her about his past.  For a woman familiar with insecurity, that moral conviction is appealing and attractive.  Such a man isn't loathed - he is loved.  This man doesn't come to shame - he comes to honor.  Truth-tellers are valued by the average man or woman.  Relationships fail when plagued by lies.  When a woman hates lying, a man will be attracted to her character.  He can trust her with his money.  He can trust her with what she says about her intentions, feelings and thoughts.  As a problem-solver, a man craves honesty because truthful facts are critical in formulating a solution.  A woman whose word can be trusted isn't loathed - she is loved.  Trustworthy souls hate lying and because they're trustworthy, they're highly valued.

Go beyond the surface of this proverb to learn that Conviction has an Attraction.  Integrity might not be popular but it is attractive.  Character might not be "cool," but it is attractive.  To the wrong crowd, wrong-doing is attractive but who wants to attract the wrong crowd?  People are drawn to men and women of conviction.  Our nation presently longs for politicians with conviction, ones who won't be bought or swayed by "the other side."  People want leaders who hate being lied to and refuse to lie to others.  This is true for any organization or establishment.  Families, churches, schools and companies want leaders who have moral conviction because that brings stability and assurance.  When people know that their leader firmly believes in something (in this case, honesty), they know where they're going and don't worry about things going abruptly in a different direction for no good reason.  Leaders without conviction will sell their people out to the highest bidder and that scares their people and leads to resentment.
 
Men without conviction get no respect.  Women without conviction are not trusted.  This is true in every relationship but especially so in the parental relationship.  Christian parents without conviction are unattractive parents.  Christian parents who don't have a strong conviction about attending church for example, will over time become loathsome to their children because their kids will sense deep hypocrisy.  That lack of conviction will breed instability in a home and make a parent untrustworthy with any spiritual input or teaching.  Christian parents who have deep Biblical conviction (meaning it is founded firmly on and easily proven in Scripture) will be very attractive to their children and as a result, emulated.

Conviction in general has an Attraction but this proverb teaches through the mention of lying that Biblical Conviction in particular has an Attraction.  Hating lies, fornication, slander, bitterness, wrath, idolatry and all evil may not be attractive to the wicked, but it is attractive to the average soul.  Be a man or woman of Biblical conviction and the average person won't loathe you - they'll be drawn to you.