Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Matthew 22: 15-18, NKJV.
Dear LORD, please help us to be as true in our intentions as we are in our words when we speak; for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
When we talk about the “evil” of the tongue, we usually mention gossip, slander, lying, deceit, insults, but very rare, if ever, we mention flattery. But flattery can also be defined as lying or deceit, because, in heaven’s sight, motives are very important! If I tell you something in order to get something from you, but don’t really mean what I say, my motives are not in agreement with my words, I am lying, or, deceiving, you.
If I tell you what I believe you want to hear in order to get on your good side, but inside I am laughing at the thought that you believe something that in my concept, is not true, I am lying to you – in heaven’s sight. You may also tell someone the truth, but for the wrong reasons, as the Pharisees did in our Scripture today. They did not believe what they were saying to Jesus, even though it was the truth. They were lying to the Savior, in order to “entangle Him in His talk.” They tried to flatter Jesus, but flattery got them nowhere, because “Jesus perceived their wickedness[.]”
In our dealings with each other, we do not always perceive, their true intentions, but we can ask God for the spirit of discernment, and for wisdom from on high, to be able to recognize, and deal, with flattery. Some people are more vulnerable than others in responding to flattery. People who have not established their own identity, who do not know who they are, are most likely to be “taken in” by flattery. People who are suffering from low self-esteem, are willing to hear anything that will make them feel good about themselves. People who are going through barren land experiences will accept water from “broken cisterns” (Jeremiah 2: 13), in an attempt to quench their thirst.
Therefore, it behooves us to be careful not to flatter others, and not to become victims of flattery. When we come to Jesus, He gives us an identity – “sons and daughters of God” (John 1: 12, 13)! We do not need to live for the opinion of others, so we will not fall for flattery. It was when I saw myself as a child of God, that my self-esteem took a big zoom! Abba became my father, my real father. I learned to love myself. That self-appreciation has grown over the years.
For people who are going through “barren land” experiences, God’s promises never fail. He has promised to do a “new thing,” make rivers break out in the desert (Isaiah 43: 19). You do not have to find your strength in the flattery of human beings; look to the hills – that is where our strength comes from! So we do not have to depend on the flattery of others to have hope.
As Christians, we know how God sees our actions. His Word makes it crystal clear, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13: 3). So before we open our mouths let us remember one thing, when it comes to a God who “sees the heart” (1 Samuel 16: 7), flattery will get us nowhere!