"If he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry" (Proverbs 6:30). Joseph S. Exell's 1887 treatment exposes sin's cunning architecture. Before transgression ripens into external action, sin deploys imagination, invention, and reason itself to justify the forbidden object—representing...

Proverbs 5:30Universalself-deceptiondivine accountability

Historical

King Ahaz Refuses the Sign: Disguised Disobedience

Yet his refusal revealed his true allegiance: he regarded Jehovah not as his covenant God, but merely as Judaea's territorial deity, inferior to Assyria's gods.

Isaiah 6:12Universalself-deceptionthe cost of divided loyalty

Historical

The Deception of Self-Judgment Before the Eyes of God

The ablest theologians have settled that good intention cannot sanctify an immoral act; yet an evil intention will certainly corrupt even the best performances.

Proverbs 16:2Universalself-deceptiondivine judgment

Historical

Self-Conceit: The Blindness of Thinking Ourselves Wise

The wisest person must contemplate two humbling truths: his knowledge against what remains unknown, and his knowledge against what he ought to have learned.

Proverbs 3:7Universalself-deceptionspiritual growth

The Folly of Trusting in One's Own Heart

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