“The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.” Proverbs 11:5‭-‬6

Returning to the theme of comparing the godly and the wicked, vs 5, sounding much like vs 3, says that the “godly are directed (vs 3 says “guided”) by honesty. Again, honesty is the value of being truthful. God desires honesty from us (Ps 51:6) as much as He hates lying (Prov 16:17)! In contrast He says the wicked fall beneath the load of sin.

Sin carries a heavy price and sin, ESPECIALLY DISHONESTY, is very hard to sustain, specifically when it comes to keeping your story straight! I’ve seen people go to ridiculous lengths to sustain their innocence after telling a lie! It’s to much to keep up with and often like a loaded mule or horse, they stagger under the weight of sustaining and proving their falsity. Just tell the truth!

Verse 6 almost sounds like an argument to reinforce vs 5. The writer, presumably Solomon says, “the godliness of good people rescues them”. So, like the wicked stagger and fall under ther weight of their sin, so the godliness of the godly sustains them, causing them NOT to fall! Those who are treacherous (lying, cheating, manipulating and decieving), however, find their ambition is only sustainable as long as they are alive or present. In other words, most are GLAD when their gone! The principle is simple, godliness is eternal while ungodliness lives no longer than the person it describes!

Which are you? Godliness is developed and sustained through the Presence of God in our lives. This come through having a personal relationship with Him! Wickedness results when we try to do life without Him!

Think about it!