It’s borderline obsession. When we first fall for someone, there aren’t enough hours in the day to spend all the time we want to get to know them. At my niece’s recent wedding, the officiant talked about their first meeting in a coffee shop that lasted for 13 hours. All they did was talk and get to know one another. I remember many hours I spent getting to know my husband when we first met. People sometimes have difficulty believing that God is real. Some may feel that He is some nebulous being far away who isn’t concerned with our daily lives. Nothing could be farther from the truth; he wants to have that coffee shop experience with us. The secret to getting to know God is the same as getting to know people. We spend time with them; we observe how they act and react and learn what they like and dislike. There’s a clear list of what God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. This week is based on Proverbs 6:17.
The Lying Tongue
These six things the Lord hates; Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him:
A lying tongue,
Proverbs 6:16-19
The Lord detests lying lips,
Proverbs 12:22
but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
Falling in Love
Detest is a strong word, but Proverbs 12:22 says that God not just hates but detests lying lips. Lying destroys relationships, erodes our confidence, and shakes our faith. When I discover that someone I’m getting to know detests something, I want to know why, but I also note it. It becomes necessary for me not to engage in that activity when they are around. As I get to know and like them more, I naturally don’t want to do what they don’t like, but even more. As with God, I fall in love with His character. I discovered that He hates the things that cause humanity’s destruction. This makes me love Him more. People can and will lie to us, but isn’t it interesting that God cannot lie? He can do anything, but He can’t lie, and He can’t stop loving us. Proverbs 6:17 tells us He hates a lying tongue but doesn’t hate liars.
He Can’t Lie
2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
Titus 1:2
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32
Lies and Confusion
God is not the author of confusion and tells us that the truth will free us. In fact, His great desire is our freedom from this world’s pain, sin, and sickness. If you think about it, lying always creates confusion between the liar and the one being lied to. Have you ever told a lie and then had to remember many details to support that lie, worried that you’d be found out if you didn’t keep track? When we lie, we deny the truth, disrespect its power, and create confusion in ourselves and others. I’ve met people who have lied about others so they could justify their mean treatment of those people. Some people lie so much that they have lost track of the truth. It’s a sad and painful life that causes pain in everyone in their lives. This behavior doesn’t come from God but from the enemy of our souls.
44 You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.
John 8:44
God Knows and Loves
I hate it when someone lies to me. It’s insulting, dehumanizing, and isolating. Either they don’t know me, trust me, or they are trying to con me. The most marvelous thing I know about God is that He knows humans can get trapped in the lies and deception of others or ourselves. We are born into sin; no one needs to teach a child how to lie., it’s our sinful nature. Even Numbers 23 says that humans lie. This is why God sent Jesus. He was beaten and hung on that cross to pay the price for our every lie and sin.
“God is not a man, that He should lie…”
Numbers 23:14
Prayer
Lord, I thank You for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I ask that you forgive me for the things I’ve said and done that have hurt You, myself, or others. I thank You for forgiving me for my sins. Give me wisdom to understand when I’m hearing a lie; give me strength to withstand, or a way out when I’m tempted to tell a lie. Thank you, God, for Your love, Your grace, and the peace that you give me.
