Integrity Part Deux

For a point of reference, the word in "Integrity" is found only sixteen times in the King James Version, (KJV), of the Bible.

Despite this small detail, I believe it to be a principle of great value. Sometimes less is more.

Two people in the Bible that immediately come to mind when considering integrity are David and Paul the Apostle.

Integrity is first mentioned in Genesis 20:5. Abimelek was king of Gerar. To preserve his wife from being taken from the king Abraham said, "She is my sister." As we all know, Abraham was married to Sarah. Because of this, Abimelek sent for Sarah and she was taken into custody. She was later released by the king after God appeared to him in a dream. In the New International Version of the Bible, the (NIV), it states that Abimelek took Sarah "with a clear conscience and clean hands." Abimelek had not touched Sarah, as God stated to him in his dream that he would have been "as good as dead", Genesis 20:3.

The point is that Abraham lacked integrity by not being honest with the king concerning his relationship with Sarah. He was deceptive, dishonest and outside of the will of God. At that pivotal moment, he did not trust God. His decision would later effect his son Isaac. Dishonesty and deception are not words that we would want others to define us by. In the present, and certainly in the future as we see later, it will directly impact our personal relationships and even those who are not directly connected with us by way of direct influence.