Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates the ones it crushes, and a flattering mouth works stumbling.

Two things I strongly dislike are lying and flattery. I can't trust the person doing either one of those and both are a waste of time. But I do appreciate a good compliment or words of encouragement. Sometimes flattery and compliments are confusing to sort out so here are some definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition which is found at Dictionary.com.

Lying: To present false information with the intention of deceiving.

To convey a false image or impression

Flattery: Excessive or insincere praise.

Compliment: An expression of praise, admiration, or congratulation.

Encourage: To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten.

To give support to; foster

To stimulate; spur

Today's society says it's okay to tell a little lie and the way to get anywhere in this world is to use flattery. After all, when you flatter someone, they think you like them so then they think they like you, but unfortunately it's all based on hollow words. And as far as lying goes, little lies seldom remain little. More lies are needed to back up the first lie. Let me say here that we need to be careful in joking with one another also. Joking can quickly become lying or in some cases a person will try to cover up a lie by passing it off as a joke. The Bible says this is like pretending to be weak and then throwing sparks, arrows and death.

Proverbs 26:18, 19 As one feigning weakness, throwing sparks, arrows and death, so is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, Am I not joking?

Manipulation is another form of lying. Slightly altering a story just enough to make it fit our needs. Or using certain body language that changes the meanings of our words. That is lying. We are told to never give a false report or false witness.

Exodus 23:1 "You shall not utter a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man, to be a malicious witness. "

We need to be very careful with our words and with the feelings of others. No one likes to be lied to or made to look foolish. When we lose the trust of someone, we lose something very valuable.

Flattery can get a person into just as much trouble as lying. Read Proverbs 29:5;

"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his steps."

That text can be taken two ways. Flattery can be spreading a net for the one being flattered, since the person doing the flattering most likely has a motive behind their words. It can also mean that the person doing the flattering is spreading a net for their own steps as their flattering can get them into trouble, depending on how it is accepted and how the person responds to it. So how can we know if we're just flattering someone, or trying to encourage them? We can know by where our heart is or who we are really saying the words for. Flattery hopes to make points with another or hopes the other person will like them. Encouragement only cares about the needs of the other person. They don't care if the person likes them or thinks highly of them because of their kind words. The encourager only is wanting to lift the spirits of another and help them continue on. A Christian's words will always be true, pure, and without a hidden motive or personal gain behind them.

Back to God's Code of Conduct 2




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