The Praises Of Love Series

A neurologist was flattered when a patient in a mental

hospital said to him, "We like you better than any other

doctor we have ever had." "But why?" asked the doctor,

with a smile, showing his delight. "Because," replied the

inmate, "You are more like one of us." Sometimes flattery

can be a flop. Even if it is sincere, it can come out wrong.

Like the woman who said to her pastor, "That message was

like water to a drowning man." He thought she meant it as

a compliment, but he could never be sure. Flattery can be

used to deceive people in so many ways that it usually has a

negative meaning. The Jewish Talmud says, "A community

where flattery prevails will end in exile."

Almost every reference to flattery in the Bible shows it to

be a tool of evil. Paul wrote in I Thess. 2:5, "We never used

words of flattery..." When Paul said he was all things to all

men, he did not mean he was even a flatterer. Paul

considered this to be deceitful and not an acceptable tool in

evangelism. It could be so used, however, for we all like to

think well of ourselves, and we are always delighted with

anyone else who can perceive our good points. So we are all

susceptible to flattery. Benjamin Franklin said,

A flatterer never seems absurd:

The flattered always takes his word.

In the realm of romance flattery is a dangerous weapon,

for it is possible to so love the nice things that are said that

one soon believes he, or she, loves the sayer of them. The

sayer is even himself deceived, and many people get married,

not because they love each other, but because they love

themselves, and enjoy being told how wonderful they are.

Flattery can be used to deliberately deceive for the sake of

immoral gratification as well, and many a foolish girl lets

sweet talk her life sour.

Shakespeare said, "You play the Spaniel and think with

waging of your tongue to win me." A dogs waging tail is an

honest expression of love, but a waging tongue of flattery is

more often a tool of deceit. David portraying a society which

is totally corrupt says in Psalms 12:2, "Everyone utters lies

to his neighbor with flattering lips and a double heart they

speak." Lying and flattery are like partners, as we see in

Prov. 26:28, "A lying tongue hates its victims, and a

flattering mouth works ruin."

Groucho Marx was an expert as using flattery in a

negative way. He was leaving a party he felt was exceedingly

dull. He said to the hostess, "I've had a wonderful evening,

but this wasn't it." Sometimes the truth does need to be told

subtly. Samuel Johnson said to an author, after reading his

book, "Your manuscript was both good and original, but the

part that is good is not original, and the part that is original

is not good." That is telling it like it is, and is not really a

negative use of flattery. The person to be wary of is the

person who agrees with everything you say and do. Such

flattery will hinder, rather than help.

How can we reconcile the negatives of flattery with the

positives of compliments and honest appreciation? If I tell a

person they look sharp, am I guilty of flattery, and using my

tongue for evil? If I see value, talents, and gifts in people,

must I keep silent because of the danger of flattery?

Definitely not. The Song of Solomon is filled with constant

compliments coming from the mouths of lovers. They flatter

each other, as most lovers do, as being the two most

beautiful people on the planet. The complimentary language

of lovers is essential to their love. Without beautiful words

they would have a hard time expressing their love. Yet, they

may use all the same words that are used by the flatterer.

What is the difference?

The difference between good and evil in so many areas of

life is in love. Love makes the difference. If I have the

tongue of men and of angels, but have not love,

I am sounding brass and a clanging symbol. All the evil of

flattery is a matter of nice words without love. When hate

and deceit speak, they may use the best words for their evil

ends. Evil needs good words to get anywhere. The evil of

flattery could not exist without the use of good words, and so

evil uses the very vocabulary of love.

When love speaks, it looks for the best in everyone. It

looks for a way of being constructive and encouraging. Jesus

was a master at the art of complimenting. Instead of

blasting sinners with words of condemnation, He said, "Go