God loves truth!

GOD IS TRUTH!

Thus, God hates lying.

Specifically … “a false witness that speaketh lies.” Proverbs 6:19

The term “false witness” seems, to me anyway, to speak of some kind of “official” setting, like maybe a courtroom. Or a “serious” conversation. Or pertaining to some “legal” document. And certainly when filing an affidavit of some sore, while “under oath.”

But still, it’s wrong to lie about anything!

One’s age.

One’s intentions.

One’s past.

Anything!

“a false witness that speaketh lies.”

The adjective “false” is “sheqer” and comes from a root verb meaning “to trick, to cheat.” So this is not lying in ignorance. Or mistakenly reporting an event as you thought it occurred. This is deliberately misleading someone!

The noun “witness” is “ed” in Hebrew, two consonants, with a “pointed” vowel underneath the first. It is derived from a word meaning “to repeat, to return, to go around.” I believe the idea here is one of constancy! Saying something (here a lie) over and over again. Saying it so often that it becomes your “testimony” about any given situation. Your “witness.”

But notice, according to the Bible clause we’re analyzing, a man is a “false witness” before he ever speaks! This is his “heart” condition! And God knows the heart!

Look now at what this person (with a lying heart) does. He “speaks!”

He or she spreads their falsehoods.

And here we have a very unusual word for “speaking!” Only found 14 times in all the Bible, amazing! “Puach” means “to breath, to exhale, to blow,” then “to utter.” Thus “to speak” 6 times in God’s Word, including our Text today.

The man is “speaking” lies, spreading his very essence, his very breath, as he does!

In other words, LIARS lie!

The verb “speaketh” is also an “imperfect” (Hebrew grammar) verb … meaning the action is not yet complete! This person lies and lies and lies!

And even the noun “lies” is atypical. “Kazab” (only 31 times in the Bible) means “to lie” of course. But in the sense of “vanity.” Eventually his words will be discovered to be “vain,” empty, useless!

Truth will prevail!

“a false witness that speaketh lies.”

Wow!

There’s a “world” of preaching and a lifetime of living in those few little words!

Christianity, the religion of truth!

Christians, the practitioners of truth!

No wonder Jesus could say, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.” John 14:6

Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell