Day 600: Lying lips - Proverbs 24 vs 23 - 29

23 These also are sayings of the wise. 24-25 Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever  says to the wicked, “You are in the right”, will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. 26 Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.

27 Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

28-29 Be not a witness against your neighbour without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” Proverbs 24:23-29 (English Standard Version)

There's an old joke that goes: “How do you know when a lawyer is lying?” To which the reply was: “When you see his lips moving.” While it's just a joke, it shows the sort of reputation that the legal profession has given itself. I suspect that, nowadays, that joke could apply to politicians, journalists, and lobby group leaders as well. Can you see how vs 26 ties in with the subject of lips that don't lie?

That expression may seem odd to our ears but it conveys the idea that honest speech is welcome and good. What's the particular area which vs 24-25 highlight where honest speech is important?

It's the area of justice. Whether it was a King, or those who were magistrates, showing partiality in favour of the wicked was something that law abiding people hated. And if it was necessary to say that over 2000 years ago, how vital it is for the world today. Because it's not only in the law courts where the guilty often get off lightly - Parliaments are passing more and more legislation to give people permission to do things that God's word tells us are wrong. Many of the laws of our land now say to those who do sinful things: “You are in the right.” (They disguise it with the phrase “It's your right.”) But the wise men of Proverbs said that wickedness needs to rebuked.

What's another way, in vs 28-29, that lying lips are a problem?

He describes a situation where someone with a grudge saw the opportunity of getting back at a person they didn't like by giving false evidence against them. In law courts today we call this perjury. It's a terrible wickedness. Think of what happened to Jesus Christ. Having already been betrayed by Judas' kiss, He was put on trial. And in Matthew 26:59-61 we read that: The chief priests and the Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus so that they might put Him to death! They didn't find any (even though many false witnesses came forward) but, later on, two came forward and said: “This man stated, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'” They falsely twisted words Jesus had spoken.

These things show us what's behind so many lying lips. It's when people have a grudge against others, or simply don't like them. We see it in the world of politics when people in public, and the media, spread false things about those whose opinions they hate. But even far sadder, we see it in many countries where people from different religions often make false accusations against Christians to get them imprisoned or executed. Lying lips are the instrument Satan uses the most to deceive mankind and to attack God's saints.

While vs 27 comes in the middle of what we're looking at, it actually ties in better with vs 30-34, which I hope to do in the next Proverbs post. For today's verses I'll close with what Jesus said about our speech. When people in those days wanted to convince others they were telling the truth they would often add an oath. (Like people today who say 'As true as Bob'.) But Jesus said to them: “Don't make an oath by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:36-37) Lying lips should have no place in a Christian's life.