Early on in the list of the seven things the Lord hates, the writer mentions “a lying tongue”. This second thing is then reiterated again with the sixth thing He hates.
Number Six: A false witness who utters lies
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things which the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,
A false witness who utters lies,
And one who spreads strife among brothers.
Is there a difference between these two things? Absolutely!
Here is a simple break down about these two lying situations:
A lying tongue is when one might speak dishonest words for personal gain. It is when the lie only impacts the person speaking the untruth. This is wrong, and God hates this.
A false witness who utters lies exponentially explodes its destruction and affects others in the path of the lie.
This phrase “false witness” pulls us back to the Law of Moses. The eighth commandment is not “Do not lie.” It is stated as “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). There is a difference. The uttering of false witness causes damage and will impact the life of another person. Do you see it? One is internal; the other is both internal and external.
It’s one thing to lie for personal gain. It’s another thing when you maliciously speak falsehood to hurt another person. This is wrong, and God hates this.
To keep us from being involved in these things God hates, we need to purposefully be transparent and honest with ourselves and with others. Speak the truth, always, no matter what.
I tell my kids when they are in trouble about something, tell me the truth about it. We can work through whatever problem it is. But, when you utter a lie or bear false witness, it compounds the problem even more because now we have to deal with the dishonesty and the issue at hand.
Speak the truth, always.
More to come…
I love you,
Alexander