"A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruin."
Proverbs 26:28
“A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it;”
It is never a loving action to sin against someone. In fact, Biblical love has “kindness,” and “politeness” as qualities it possesses’. Love never “seeks her own.”1 But a person who loves themselves will have no problem sinning against others. The person they are sinning against becomes the target of their hatred. This is very true of lying. This is why Solomon says that “a lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it.” Doing evil to another never conveys love, only contempt.
This principle is born out, even in secular writings.
“It is natural to man to hate one whom he hath injured”2 (Tacitus).
When a person is loved, only their best is sought for by the one who loves them. There is no deception in love. “A lie is the intent to deceive,” and the person lied to has been deceived by the liar. There is no love there.
“For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue” (Psalm 109:2).
“Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue” (Psalm 120:2).
Believers let’s only speak the truth!
“And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.”
A flatterer tells the victim what he thinks they want to hear about themselves. One definition of flattery is,
“insincere or excessive praise.”3
Hidden in the flattery is the hope that the victim will treat the flatterer better than they deserve. Flattery is a deception because the flatterer doesn’t really believe the words he is using. The reality of it is the flatterer hates the one flattered. The end result of flattery is the ruin of the flatterer.
“The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things” (Psalm 12:3).
“He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail” (Job 17:5).
“Job 17:5 is a proverb. Job was reminding his counselors of the dire consequences of slander”4 (Smick).
When we purposely injure others, we are making a case for our dislike and hatred of them. After we have hurt someone, it is often hard for us to deal with our own hearts.
“It is not easy for us to forgive the injuries we receive; but it is far more difficult to forgive the injuries we do”5 (Lawson).
The injuries we do to others show us, and them, what is in our hearts.
1. See 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
2. Joseph Benson quoting Tacitus, Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, the electronic version in eSword.
3. “Flattery” defined by, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flattery. Downloaded, Friday, June 21, 2019.
4. Guzik, David, David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Guzik quoting Smick.
5. The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Lawson quoted by Wardlaw.