A Lying Tongue

A LYING TONGUE

“The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” (Proverbs 12:19)

The tongue is one of the smallest organs of the body; a world of evil among the parts of the body, restless evil, full of deadly poison. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (James 3:5-6). The evil of the tongue works within and without. It defiles us on the inside and destroys our lives on the outside. It leaves everything scattered. Man is continually taming and has successfully tamed the creatures God has placed under his watch. The tongue cannot be tamed; it is wilder, more powerful and more elusive than any animal in the jungle. Its potential for evil is so great that God imprisons it behind a double jailer: the teeth and the lips. It is directly connected to the heart, and it is the heart that motivates and manipulates the tongue for good or evil, to bless or curse. In Matthew 12:35–37, Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” But I say to you that every idle word men speak will be accounted for on the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. “

When you go to your doctor, one of the first things he examines is your tongue. It tells him a lot about your physical condition. If it is coated, you probably have a fever. If it is yellowish, your digestive system may be out of sorts. A doctor can tell a great deal about your physical condition by looking at your tongue. Similarly, through a tongue examination, we learn quite a bit about a person’s spiritual condition as well. By examining the tongue of a patient, physicians find out the diseases of the body; philosophers find out the diseases of the mind; and Christians find out the diseases of the soul.”

A rudder will determine the direction of a ship in spite of its insignificant size in comparison to a great sea vessel. Likewise, the tongue will direct the actions and determine the direction of our entire body, despite the fact that it is one of the smaller parts of our person. Our lives are destined to go in some direction. The right word at the right time may open doors to great things that will set the course of your life’s work. On the other hand, the wrong word spoken at any time, even at an unsuspecting moment, may close doors, establish a reputation, and mark destiny for ill. Words can most certainly determine our direction. “Who is the man who desires life and loves many days so that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. ” (Psalm 34:12-13)

No human being can tame the tongue. It’s only the spiritually mature that can control their tongue. Most of the time, we find it difficult to control our speech. Words have a way of slipping off the tongue and past our lips before we even know it. “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” (Proverbs 18:7); “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish” (Proverbs 19:9). “A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin ” (Proverbs 26:28). Sinning in our speech is easy, not hard. If we could just muzzle our mouth and tame our tongue, everything else would be simple by comparison.

Verbal sins can destroy a family or a congregation. They are motivated by mental sins such as arrogance, jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability, hatred, mental adultery, pettiness, envy, guilt feelings, etc. All of these sins are focused on other people at one time or another. When someone reaches out to attack another person, the tongue is used to voice the inner mental sins that are already present. Such conversation can be direct and scathing, even vulgar, or it can be subtle, refined, and intellectual.

A lie is something falsely said with the intention of deceiving. To tell a lie is to avoid telling the truth. This is done by saying something untrue outright or by fudging the truth. To lie is to intentionally mislead others when they expect honest communication. To lie is to create a barrier between the truth that we are experiencing and the perception that others have of us. The temptation to do this is often born of an understanding that others will disapprove of our behavior. The Bible talks about people who “walk in lies.” God says: “I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from their wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to me, and her inhabitants are like Gomorrah ” (Jeremiah 23:14). Some people tell lies occasionally, but those who walk in lies tell lies habitually and compulsively. They live under false pretenses.