Proverbs 12:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

NIV: The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

NASB: Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

CSB: Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are his delight.

NLT: The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

KJV: Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

NKJV: Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

Once again (Proverbs 6:17), Solomon associates lying with the Lord's disgust. It is an abomination to Him. To lie is to reject the Lord's commandment: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). Also, lying stands in sharp contrast to God's nature. Titus 1:2 affirms that God never lies. Jesus, the Son of God, not only spoke truth at all times, He is also the truth, itself (John 14:6). Liars testified against Jesus at the trial that led to His crucifixion, and liars will spend an eternity apart from God (Revelation 21:8).

Those who act with integrity and honesty bring delight to the Lord. To "act faithfully" is to do what corresponds to a clean conscience (1 Timothy 1:5) and a sincere effort to do what one has promised to do (Matthew 5:37). Every believer should be a person whose word is truthful and dependable. If he signs a contract, he should meet the terms of the contract. If he makes a promise, he should keep it. Others should know he is a man of his word. Such honesty in word and deed delights the Lord.

Proverbs 12:12–23 continues Solomon's contrast of a wise righteous person and a wicked fool. In this segment, he focuses mainly on their different speech patterns. He points out that the words of a liar are an abomination to the Lord, whereas the Lord delights in the words of a wise person.

Proverbs 12 contains a series of contrasts between lifestyles, comparing those who honor God to those who reject His wisdom. The results of those decisions are also compared. This repeats several common themes from the book of Proverbs, such as the self-destructive nature of sin and God's distaste for those who lie.

Proverbs 12 continues Solomon's wise sayings. A large portion of the book of Proverbs includes these short, common sense pieces of advice. After a series of introductions and lessons in chapters 1—9, chapter 10 began a long list of individual statements. In this chapter he continues to contrast the righteous and the wicked, showing that the life of the righteous is far better than the life of the wicked. This pattern will continue, covering the same basic theme, through chapter 15.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.

Accessed 11/24/2024 4:19:37 AM