Liars Get a Lake

(Pro 19:5 KJV) A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

A “false” (8267) “witness” (5707) is a liar. The Bible has a special contempt for liars. This is the same phrase used in the Ten Commandments.

EXO 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

We have so many ways to trying to get around this. I like to define a lie as “communication with intention to deceive.” I don’t know if I made that up or read it somewhere but it has the idea that a lie is in the intent of the communicator not in the actual words used.

Liars will not go "unpunished” (5352). This does not have a time stamp. There is no promise that the punishment will be during your life time or that you will be aware of it. The promise is that it will happen. Many people are feathering their bed in Hell as they prepare for eternity. It is their choice, not God’s ordination. Liars are in the list of specific people who will burn in Hell.

I would also think that as people begin to know you are a liar, it will effect your everyday life. They may act like your are cool but if you ever need to be trusted, you won’t be. One of the basic bed rocks of community living is being able to trust others. Without it, all begins to crumble.

He who “tells” (6315) “lies” (3577) cannot get away from the judgement of God. It is offensive to the very nature of God. How did Jesus describe Himself? He said He is the way, the truth and the life. We are saved by grace, through faith. Faith involves accepting the truth of who Jesus is and what He did for us. Our walk with the Lord is guided by the written word. We must accept it as being true. Liars are so disgusting to God that they are cast into the fire. Don’t be a liar.

Narcissism

(Pro 18:2 KJV) A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

Proverbs does not hesitate about the title of “fool” (3684). It does not name names, but describes the qualities of a fool. The idea is to apply them to ourselves in honesty. What we usually do is look at how they are obvious in others. This is where Jesus teaching on the beam and mote should come into play.

As believers, we should “delight” (2654a) in getting beyond the surface of things. We should seek to really know instead of being superficial.

How often do I have a conversation and don’t care if I am “understanding” (8394) the other person? One of my goals should be to understand what others are saying instead of planning my response. This goes along with repeated instructions to listen.

It is so common to focus only on “discover[ing]" (revealing NASB) (1540) what is on my “heart" (mind NASB) (3820). This has been mentioned many times. People are not listening to what the other person says, they are thinking about what they will say next.

James 1:19 ¶ {This} you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak {and} slow to anger;

This is the word used for Noah when he uncovered himself after the flood. It has the idea of indiscretion and lack of decency.

Implied in this is that we think we have something to reveal. Also implied is that it is not worth the effort. Blogging is a good example of this narcissism. I have started a blog to share my ideas. Who cares? In reality it is a lot like preaching. You declare what you believe to be truth. You can never be sure in the short term if anything you say will have any real effect. And like all good preaching, what is said should speak to the speaker as well as the listener.

OJT

(Pro 17:3 KJV) The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

We have the picture of a “fining pot" (refining pot NASB) (4715). It is not an isolated image of God preparing His people. This is a way of explaining the daily sanctifying process. After the washing of the blood and the cleansing of the Holy Spirit the sin issue has been settled. Now we have to deal with all of those habits and conditioned responses that make us so clumsy. We are the silver and the gold. Life turns up the heat to remove the dross.

Here God uses the picture of the pot as a contrast. The Lord “trieth" (tests NASB) (974) His people. This needs to be discussed in light of the words of James.

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

Obviously testing must be different from tempting. How? The key here is the focus on the melting process. The heat is to separate the dross from the precious metal. The goal is purity, to remove that which should not be there. The word “trieth" (tests NASB) (974) used here means to examine. God wants to know if we are ready to be taken out of the fire or whether we need more heat. It would seem that life is a test of readiness. We are challenged to see how we respond to the basic pressures of life. Testing turns up the heat to see if we are ready. Tempting looks for extreme circumstances to try and make us fail. Testing prepares for success. Tempting seeks failure.

Picture a classroom. A test is announced. What is the purpose? There can be many. A pretest is given to evaluate how much is known before the class gets in gear. A sample test is to show the students the kind of things that will be asked on the real test. Some tests are checking to see if the student knows the material. In a perfect world the teacher can then mold future classes to fill in the gaps. Much of the standardized testing today is to evaluate whether the teacher has been successful.

Since it is questionable whether students are learning today we have developed exit exams. After years of high school and college, students are required to take a test to see if they can read and write. If they do not pass they are not executed, they are sent back to class. Life is full of this kind of thing. Lawyers muss pass the bar. They can keep taking it. In California we have a test called the CBEST. You must pass to get a job in teaching. You can keep taking it. The question is not are you the best but have you met the minimum qualifications.

A few years ago I was talked into swinging a golf club and I was hooked. I don’t expect to get very good but I enjoy the game. Once I took a few lessons. I was amazed at the insight of the golf pro and how much those few lessons helped. One of the ways you can be taught is to pay the professional to go out on the course with you and actually observe you play. What a way to play! What a cost! God offers to go with us in our lives. We have a teaching pro with us every step of the way. We are always in OJT.

What significance is in the location of this testing: Our “hearts” (3820)? This probably points to the fact that the real test is not in the physical world but in our inner response to it. Remember that earlier Proverbs 16:2 tells us that God is watching our motivation.

Mr. Clean

(Pro 16:2 KJV) All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

We all have our own “ways” (1870) of doing things. Part of that is the physical limitation of being locked in our own bodies and only having our senses. It is impossible to truly see things from some one else’s point of view. We also have the powerful ability to rationalize. If I remember my psych 101 that means that we manipulate reality to make ourselves look good. We are “clean” (2134), at least in our own “eyes" (sight NASB) (5869). We are so good at convincing ourselves we are right.

This is one of the reasons God has given us the written word. We have a beacon of truth to compare our ideas with. If we are honestly seeking, the Bible will help us to evaluate what we see and what we do. Because we are human we may still get it wrong. That is why so many intelligent people of good will disagree on so many things.

But God “weighs” (8505) our “motives” (7307). He looks into our heart and judges why we do what we do, not just what we do. This is such a key truth for us to understand. It is not a case of either/or but of both/and.

For some this will be a relief. Some are trying their hardest. God knows. For others this is a disaster. They are full of hidden motives and agendas. God knows. He is full of mercy and compassion for honest mistakes but keep in mind: God does not play games.

Wisdom in Education

(Pro 15:2 KJV) The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Here is a teaching strategy: Become “wise” (2450). Actually, it is more of a teacher hiring strategy. We need people in the teaching profession who are wise. If you consider how Proverbs defines wisdom it should be clear that we are staffing our schools with the opposite type. There is very little fear of the Lord in the modern classroom. It is going to get worse. California is going to get worse. With politics and political correctness running education it is more important to conform than to be wise. In theory approval of homosexuality is supposed to be worked into the curriculum. I have not seen it yet but it is coming. Sex education is in the hands of people who do not believe in abstinence or restraint. Sin is denied and self esteem is king.

In this environment immature adults are expected to mold the next generation. Compare the NASB on this verse.

PRO 15:2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.

Wisdom comes as a good teacher “makes acceptable” (3190) “knowledge” (1847). I like the KJV better here. It implies an honesty with the facts not just a good presentation.

The fool “poureth out" (spouts NASB) (5042) “foolishness" (folly NASB) (200) instead of truth. This might be interpreted as spouting our own ideas instead of the ones that are actually in the Word. This can be done in relative innocence simply by not thinking, from fear because we don’t have the courage to speak truth, or deliberately if we willingly follow the twist of popular culture. I have seen all three.

Believers need to be involved in the process of molding our culture. We need wisdom in our classrooms. We need wisdom in our TV stations. We need wisdom in our city halls. We need wisdom in our capitols. Seek it and pass it on.

Lie Not

(Pro 14:5 KJV) A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.

This is a good description of the believer. He is to be a “faithful” (529) “witness” (5707). We tend to be impressed by the person of great talent, who is outgoing and successful. This speaks more of the steady living of the life in front of the world. In the NT when it talks about being a witness, the Greek word is our English word “martyr”. We pay a price.

We serve and live the truth not a “lie” (3576). If we live that truth, people will see it. The hard part is that we may never be aware that they see it. I had a brief glimps of this in high school. I was saved the summer before my senior year. When graduation came, one of my class mates wrote an interesting comment in my yearbook: “It is good to see someone acting like a Christian for a change.” I do not know what behavior brought this out. I had no indication it was coming. He might have decided not to write it. But I was being a “faithful witness” without putting on any act or plotting behavior. Live Jesus.

This would seem too obvious to need saying, but we live in a world that continually refuses to see the evil of “lies” (3576). This is repeatedly brought up in Proverbs. I must conclude that the tendency for culture to accept lies is nothing new. If we lie then we are a “false” (8267) witness. Honesty is not the best policy, it is the only policy.

Fat Is Good

(Pro 13:4 KJV) The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

I think it amusing that the concept of “fat” (1878) has done a turnabout in our world. In the OT it is obviously a good term. In our culture, fat is bad. Another difference between the world and the Word. There are many words translated “fat” in the OT. This is not the most common.