Genesis 24:34–41 (ESV)

So he said, “I am Abraham's servant. The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has. My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but you shall go to my father's house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’ I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father's house. Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’”

Too much information! This is what negotiators are trained not to do. The servant describes how they can say no to him and how it will be okay if they do. His sales technique couldn’t be worse.

But what is bad from a secular point of view can be good in the kingdom of God. The servant is being completely honest—you could say too honest. As we’ll see tomorrow, he also leaves out no details in his description of his encounter with Rebekah at the well.

What’s so great about this is that he’s obviously not negotiating. He’s just telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That’s evidence of complete trust. It might be trust in God or trust in his audience, but either way, he’s not thinking about the things a negotiator would be thinking about.

He just wants to be honest.

In modern America, this is called, “being honest to a fault.” What a wrong-headed cliché.

More than almost anything else, business dealings test our commitment to the lordship of Christ. Whether doing our taxes or selling a used car, “being honest to a fault” is what our Lord commands.

But this gets complicated. People may misinterpret your motives. Things can go haywire because being totally honest is so unexpected that it arouses suspicion. Thus, it’s often wise to be brief.

The goal is to be honest, not to bore people. We’re still commanded to be shrewd as snakes, but that’s a reference to cleverness, not deception.

Because of our deceptive culture, honesty in business takes planning. Prayer is essential. Also, you may need to think through how to avoid misunderstandings.

Lastly, and this is the big challenge, this isn’t about showing off. Don’t let pride ruin the whole thing.

Yes, in the long run we want people to recognize that we’re different. Yes, that can “prepare the soil” for someone to be receptive to the gospel.

But don’t let that distract you. Just do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.