“ He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.

There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. 

There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.

Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. "

- Proverbs 12:17-22

------------------------------------

A rare treat this week, 6 proverbs grouped together that tell a complete story about Truth!

Proverb 1.

# To be righteous, and proclaim/demonstrate righteousness, you need only care about the truth.

"He that --speaketh-- truth --sheweth forth-- righteousness." 

Talking, and walking ... both are to be found here!! If you stick to the truth, you are not going to have any issues in walking the talk.

# Lying, has an agenda.

A false witness is a person that says -  something that happened one way, actually happened another way or invents something completely fictional, for an ulterior motive.

You couldn't be further from reality ... (what ACTUALLY happened) ... than that!! And why are they misrepresenting reality?... for their own purposes.

By contrast, those that speak the truth ( true witnesses ) are like tape recorders... who tell it like it happened, and tell it like it IS! They have no agenda other than to --correctly represent---  the truth...!

They are, and should be invisible ( unless they are also reporting on their own actions as part of their testimony )!

Proverb 2.

# Truth tellers, speak wisely.

“There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.”

Truth can sometimes be wielded as a sword, but let your truth telling be like balm... medicine that needs to be sweetened before administration. Speaking the truth in Love.

Proverbs 3,4,5.

# The consequences of lying vs truthfulness

This group deals both with lying, as well as the reasons for lying ( wickedness ) and the consequences thereof.

" The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the --heart of them that imagine --evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. "

Self explanatory!!

# The LORD delights in truth. Liars and hypocrites are an abomination.

"Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. "

Dealing truly is sometimes inconvenient. 

Ask Galileo how his revelation of the earth rotating around the sun was received... He wasn't looking to pick a fight with the theologians… he was just trying to find the truth!! Charles Darwin didn’t set out to disprove the creation story, he was trying to find the truth…and his work led to the science of genetics, to which we owe our current (relative) health in the midst of a pandemic!

We don’t think the Lord is mad at either of them !!! We know that He values truth much much more …. think of how even more glorious those revelations made Him! 

Sometimes the truth makes us re-examine our core beliefs, but if those beliefs are TRUE, they will hold up to inspection!

The apostle John in his letter ( 3 Jn ) addresses himself to Gaius, but it well could be to any of us!

“ The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

——-I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.—— “ - 3Jn 1:1-4

Remember, truth tellers are transparent, liars always have an agenda! 

Tell the truth, and shame the devil ….  ?

Hallelujah!!