Lying Lips
"Liar, Liar, pants on fire." Probably everyone has heard that one. Congenial though your editor is, just once he would like to see certain notorious liars' pants (or pantsuit) burst into flame even if the flareup only lasted a second. For one second, at least, everyone would know the truth—even the news media, which spends more effort hiding significant news stories than Nazi war criminals spent in eluding authorities in Argentina. All liars, however, along with those who withhold and suppress the truth shall have their place in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8).
Many Christians know that two of the seven abominations in Proverbs 6 involve those who are truth-challenged. A lying tongue is listed in verse 17, along with a false witness who speaks lies in verse 19. Both are liars. The first is untruthful any time he desires to be; the latter will swear to false testimony under oath.
However, the Scriptures have much more to say on the subject than just these three verses. Below each verse from Psalms or Proverbs is quoted and then followed by a few comments.
"Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous" (Ps. 31:18). Verse 17 states that the silence of these evil speakers should be in the grave (which is much worse than a one-second inferno). However, those who would lie to accuse someone of something concerning which they know he is not guilty are contemptible and worthy of this punishment. Consider those who testified falsely against Naboth and Jesus.
"You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness" (Ps. 52:3; cf. 109:2). Unlike what many were taught, their motto seems to be, "If you can't say something evil about someone, don't say anything at all." How perverted is that?
David wrote in Psalm 59:12: "For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak." Notice the things here associated with lying: pride and cursing. Pride cannot be a surprise; when someone dares to contradict the truth, what else but pride can be the motivation? Was not Satan lifted up with pride (1 Tim. 3:6) when he contradicted God's commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? He even impugned God's motive for the prohibition, telling Eve that He did not want mankind to be like Him—knowing good and evil.
The cursing in this text could relate to vouching for the lie, but if it is just profane cursing, it is still an evil association. In either case, David did not appreciate the liars. He says in the very next verse: "Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be…" (v. 13). Neither God nor David has any fondness for liars.
In Psalm 119:29, the writer pleads: "Remove me from the way of lying…." One may think that the writer is asking that he himself might not engage in lying, but he is instead requesting to be excused from listening to or being persuaded by the lies of others. Notice the contrast with the second half of the verse: "And grant me your law graciously." Verse 163 makes the same point: "I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law." Psalm 120:2 expresses a desire we can all agree with: "Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue."
Proverbs
Several other circumstances relating to lying can be found in the Book of Proverbs. The fact is that some people are envious or jealous of other people. They may think someone is undeservedly lucky or that they receive more praise than they merit. "Whoever hides hatred has lying lips…" (Pr. 10:18). The idea here involves one person hating another, but he conceals it because he knows it is the wrong attitude to have. Or he just bides his time until he can express his hatred in a damaging way.
What comes to mind is a 1999 song by Lee Ann Womack. The persona in the song is jealous of the girl who is going to marry the man she wanted. The title of the song is the last line of the chorus.
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringin' the homeless blankets and dinner—
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner,
But I really hate her;
I'll think of a reason later.
Give her credit for honesty; lying lips would have covered up the unreasonable jealousy.
One aspect of telling the truth is that it shall be established forever. On the other hand, "a lying tongue is but for a moment" (Pr. 12:19). Yes, many people may believe a lie, and it might do some damage at first, but when the truth is heard and known, people will discard the lie—and probably remember who told it to them.
In the same passage we find these words: "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight" (12:22). These two opposites stand to reason even if the text did not say so explicitly. Like his God, the "righteous man hates lying" (Pr. 13:5).
The person who lies about others seldom has any mercy. He is like the robbers portrayed in the story of the compassionate Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37; Pr. 1:10-19). They left him to live or die and did not care one way or the other which happened. Similarly, a "lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin. The liar pays no attention to the second greatest commandment—love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-40). Hate rules his heart—and tongue.
False Teachers
It may have occurred to the reader that false teachers make ready use of lying and deceit. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all made note of this fact. Below are some of the Scriptures that detail the fact that error is false testimony. God affirmed to Isaiah the prophet that Israel "was a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord; who say to the seers, 'Do not see,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits'" (Isa. 30:9-10).
If righteous men desire to hear the truth, what does that say about these people? They preferred lies to the truth because they were unrighteous to begin with. These Israelites have many kinsmen today. It is as if some people say, "Tell me a lie. Repeat the lie. Tell me what I want to hear even if it is a lie." This attitude explains why the people were so willing to trust in lying words (Jer. 7:4). They even had a rationale for why they should believe the lie.
It would be bad enough to tell God's people a lie, but a few were bold enough to do so as If they had God's authority for their message. God told Jeremiah some things about two false prophets who had prophesied a lie to them in God's name (Jer. 29:21). As a result, God was going to deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar who was going to slay them. Yes, they had spoken "lying words" in God's name, which He had not commanded them (v. 23). Imagine the arrogance of the men who would do such a thing! How do we know they lied? "'Indeed I know, and am a witness,' says the Lord."
Believe it or not, this practice continued even after the captivity. The false prophets had insisted that Judah would not be taken captive, but they were! Did that slow anyone down? No. They continued to do in captivity what they had done prior to it. God speaks to Ezekiel about these "prophets":
"They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, 'Thus says the Lord!' But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The Lord says,' but I have not spoken" (Ezek. 13:6-7).
God also told them that they envisioned lies (in other words, they saw visions of things that did not exist, such as Judah returning from captivity right away) and spoke "nonsense" (v. 8). Other translations have "falsehood" (ASV and ESV), "delusions" (RSV), or "vanity" (KJV and YLT).
Satan's main goal is to get human beings to believe a lie. He began this tactic in the Garden of Eden and continued it right up to and through the captivity by Babylon. He cares no more for the victims of lies than the thieves did for the man they left on the road. He possesses no love for anyone except himself.
The New Testament
God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18), but just about everyone else does. Even Christians are warned not to lie to each other (Col. 3:9). We must guard against lying to ourselves. For example, if "we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1 John 1:6). If we say, "I know God," but fail to keep His commandments, we are a liar and the truth is not in us (1 John 2:3-4).
We have a great danger of being influenced by liars (false prophets) today, just as Israel was susceptible under the old covenant. The New Testament is replete with warnings, beginning with Jesus in Matthew 7:15, when He taught: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Such individuals may be young charismatic figures, or they may be grandfatherly types. Their demeanor says, "Trust me," but they are drawing people away from the truth. Some would probably follow them even if they wore a sign that said, "I am a wolf. Follow me at your own risk."
In the Book of Acts, we see Judaizing teachers surface time and again (Acts 15:1-2, 23-29). Paul would later say that those who followed these men back to the Law had fallen from grace (Gal. 5:1-4) and cannot be renewed again to repentance (Heb. 6:4-6). False teaching could come from heathen sources as well (Acts 13:6-12; 17:16-32). Worst of all, false doctrine (and the lies associated with it) could come from the elders, the spiritual shepherds themselves (Acts 20:28-31).
False apostles, who were deceitful workers, could transform themselves into the apostles of Christ, and why not? Satan can transform himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Not only are some fooled by appearances, but others may succumb to what sounds like knowledge and wisdom. Paul warned: "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ" (Col. 2:8).
For this reason, Paul cautioned a young evangelist: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Tim. 4:16). It is only by abiding in the Word that we can know the truth and the correct doctrine to teach (John 8:31-32). Lies are Legion; elders and preachers must speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11).
Yes, just as the Israelites wanted to hear lies under the old covenant, so do their counterparts today. Some will believe in lying wonders and unrighteous deception because they do not possess "the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thess. 2:9-10). God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie (v. 11). Why? Because they want to. Notice that they will be condemned because they did not believe the truth—"but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (v. 12). Didn't that happen after the Flood (Rom. 1:18-28)? Some things never seem to change. And that's the truth!