Wicked Lips and Mischievous Tongues

How character shapes our posture to the truth

“An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.” (Prov. 7:4)

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All of us like to style ourselves impartial observers. We like to think of ourselves as calm, cool, and unbiased, simply taking stock of the facts and passing judgment by the light of a sure and infallible reason. But the opposite is in fact the case. As this verse plainly shows, our character has just as much influence upon our judgment as does our reason—arguably more so.

We can see this by the fact that evildoers tend to listen to wicked lips and liars give ear to mischievous tongues ( Prov. 17:4).

Their character, in other words, shapes them.

It bends them in a certain way. It cultivates their tastes so that they hear and receive certain reports over others: in this case, wicked lips and mischievous tongues rather than righteous lips and truthful tongues. Evildoers prefer the callous talk of wicked lips. Liars prefer the ramblings of a mischievous tongue. And they choose this even over the healing and life-giving words of the righteous. Wisdom is as death to them.

To put it another way, our character—who we are as individuals, our moral dispositions, tastes, affections, and inclinations—is fundamental to our ability to perceive the truth. Twisted people perceive the world in a twisted way; the world is skewed to them because they are skewed, warped by a disordered love of unrighteousness and corruption.

Conversely, the righteous see the world right side up, not because they are superior, but because they, by grace, are themselves right side up. They fear God and hate evil (8:13); they acknowledge the LORD in all their ways (3:6); they love righteousness and hate falsehood (13:5); they seek for wisdom as for hidden treasure (2:4). And all of this works together to provide them with a view of reality that is sturdy, dependable, and true. They are inclined toward truth and goodness in a way that the wicked are not, and it is their character—not their intellect—that determines this in large measure.

The Insanity of Public Discourse

With this in place, we have now stumbled upon the whole reason for the chaos of our civil discourse. Many a conservative has lamented the insanity of public commentary. Aren’t we all observing the same world? Aren’t we all watching the same events unfold? Why then are we coming to such radically different conclusions? Why the profusion of hypocrisy, disagreement, and double standards?

Well, in part, the answer has been given above: evildoers listen to wicked lips and liars give ear to mischievous tongues. The proliferation of lies, in other words, is not accidental but deliberate—we prefer our lies rather than the truth. We love to crouch in shadow rather than give an inch toward the light. And we do this because we ourselves are evil:

“Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell you the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (Jn. 8:43–47)

The reason we do not hear the truth is not because of any intellectual lack or deficiency. Jesus’ words are plain: the reason we do not hear is because we do not want to hear. The reason we coddle our lies is because we have a profound aversion to the truth, an aversion that stems, not from the mind, but from the will. Sons imitate their fathers, and this is the central problem. Our father is the father of lies, and he speaks out of his own character. If we belong to him—and every fallen descendant of Adam does—then we will do the same.

This is the root of our problem, and it is a problem no human remedy can touch.

A Gospel Answer

What this means practically is that if we are ever going to get back to a culture in which the truth is acknowledged, honoured, and loved, we need to first become the kind of people who acknowledge, honour, and love the truth. And this is something that can only happen by the Spirit of God.

Mere education is not enough. Conservative politics is not enough. A recovery of traditional values is not enough. We ourselves must be made new: resurrected from the dead by the powerful working of the Spirit of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Only then will we see a recovery of truth in our day, because only then will we have our hearts and minds renewed, able to discern what the will of God is: what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:1-2).

So let’s continue to pray, preach, work, and labour to this end, toiling and sacrificing in the strength that God supplies.

To Him be glory forever. Amen.