Proverbs 12:17–22
17He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit. 18There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health. 19The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment. 20Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. 21No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, But the wicked shall be filled with evil. 22Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we return to Proverbs 12 and are instructed to speak truth with our lips.
Our paragraph begins and ends with the reminder to speak truth, not lies. Solomon begins, “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit” (17). When called upon to bear witness, we are to speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” He then concludes, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (22). Our Lord despises those who speak lies; however, He delights in those who speak truth, who describe accurately the nature of the world, the substance of a conversation, or the actions of a neighbor. The Lord loves the man or woman who cultivates a listening ear and an observant eye so that he can be a faithful witness.
The verses that lie between these opening summaries further explain why the Lord hates a lying tongue. Lies, we learn, are an instrument of war – they are like the piercings of a sword (18a) – while the truth is an instrument of peace – it promotes health (18b), counsels peace (20), and brings joy (20). Solomon’s words remind us of Jesus’ teaching that the devil “is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44) whereas Jesus, the Son of God our Savior, is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). Hence, the one who perpetuates lies follows the devil in his rebellion against God and becomes more and more filled with evil (21). But, because God is Lord of all and not the devil; and because the devil will be destroyed along with all his children, the lying tongue is but for a moment (19). Lies do not succeed in the end. Though they may prevail for a time, God will make everything plain.
So what of you? Do you deal truthfully, speak truthfully, counsel truthfully? Children, do you hate lies? When your parents ask you what happened, do you speak the truth? When you do your homework, do you do it honestly and shun cheating? Do you abhor deceitfulness? Adults, when the truth is unpopular, do you say it anyway? Lovingly, graciously – of course. But is your first loyalty to God and the truth? When the truth will hurt, exposing another’s sin or hypocrisy or selfishness, do you speak it anyway? Lovingly, graciously – of course. But is your first loyalty to God and the truth? When the truth will cost you, when you’ve made a promise, given your word, and things have gotten hard, do you practice the truth anyway? Or do you make excuses, look for escape clauses, and avoid fulfilling your word?
Reminded that our Lord loves truthful lips and abhors the deceitful tongue, let us confess that we often fall prey to the devil and deceive others with our lips; that we twist the truth to favor ourselves or our team; that we cover the truth to avoid accountability; that we lie to get what we want. And as we confess our sin to the Lord and seek His forgiveness through Jesus Christ, let us kneel as we are able.