Solomon, or actually it was God, evidently didn’t have much use for liars. About a dozen times in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He expressed condemnation for such. One of those times is in Proverbs 12:22. Here He stated, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.” There’s that word “abomination” again, and this time it is lying lips that are an abomination to the Lord. What kind of lies? Is he talking about little white lies, big black lies, lies of a material nature or lies of a spiritual nature? The term “lying lips” seems to cover the whole spectrum of lies. This means that when a preacher or teacher states something and attributes it to God when God neither stated it nor authorized it, that preacher or teacher has lying lips. When any false doctrine is taught, the teacher of that false doctrine has lying lips. John encouraged the disciples, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Does your preacher have “lying lips”? If so, do you still support him? Again, if so, then you are supporting what is an abomination to the Lord.
[Editor’s Note: Teachers and preachers have a weighty responsibility because they affect not only themselves but everyone also who hears them. Consequently, they will be scrutinized (“receive stricter judgment,” James 3:1) more strictly than other people. Hence, both the speaker and the hearer share responsibilities to validate teaching via Scripture. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
