Which other Proverbs emphasize the importance of honest communication and integrity? Spotlight on Proverbs 10:10 “He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.” A quick, conspiratorial wink signals hidden motives, and lips that chatter without truth end in disaster. God’s Word draws a straight line between secretive manipulation and eventual sorrow. Echoes of Honest Speech across Proverbs • Proverbs 4:24 – “Put away perverse speech from your mouth; keep devious talk far from your lips.” • Proverbs 6:12-14 – “A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, and motions with his fingers. With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.” • Proverbs 8:6-8 – “Listen, for I speak of noble things… For my mouth will speak truth, and wickedness is detestable to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; none of them are crooked or perverse.” • Proverbs 11:3 – “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.” • Proverbs 11:13 – “A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.” • Proverbs 12:17 – “He who speaks the truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.” • Proverbs 12:19 – “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” • Proverbs 12:22 – “Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.” • Proverbs 13:5 – “The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.” • Proverbs 14:5 – “An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” • Proverbs 15:4 – “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” • Proverbs 16:13 – “Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he who speaks honestly is loved.” • Proverbs 19:1 – “Better a poor man who walks in integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.” • Proverbs 19:5 – “A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.” • Proverbs 24:26 – “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” • Proverbs 25:18 – “Like a club or sword or sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.” • Proverbs 28:6 – “Better a poor man who walks in integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.” • Proverbs 29:5 – “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.” • Proverbs 30:7-8 – “Two things I ask of You… Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.” Threads That Tie It All Together • Hidden signals and sly words (10:10; 6:12-14) only plant grief. • Integrity guides and protects (11:3; 28:6); deceit destroys (12:19; 19:5). • God delights in faithful speech (12:22) and calls truthful words a “tree of life” (15:4). • New Testament harmony: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25), echoing the same unchanging standard. Living these proverbs means choosing transparency over trickery and letting every word reflect the truth of the God who cannot lie. |
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