An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.
Summary: This proverb seems obvious on its face, but there are things to be learned here. How we discern the truth-teller from the liar is as important as how we discern God’s truth from the world’s lies.
Am I missing something here? Is Solomon simply mailing this proverb in? Who doesn’t know that an honest witness tells the truth? Does anyone not understand that a false witness tells lies?
As obvious as these facts might seem, they bear stating. Not all witnesses tell the truth. We see this truth played out every day on the news. Depending on which channel you watch, one person says one thing and… you switch the channel and presto, the person on the second channel says just the opposite. Who is right? Oh, wait… they are not “witnesses.” They did not actually see what was happening. They just talk about it and give opinions, sometimes under the guise of reporting a fact.
A witness is someone who can give a first-person account of what occurred. They were there. They saw and heard what happened. An honest witness tells the truth, no matter how crazy it sounds.
Why would someone tell a lie?
Sometimes powerful people threaten a witness. They are told what to say and if the witness doesn’t agree or doesn’t follow through, they or their family might come to harm. Sometimes people are afraid to tell the truth for other reasons.
The important point here is that we need to verify the testimony of a witness. This is why scripture tells us, “One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) This is also why there are punishments for perjury.
Credibility is important. The false witness will attack the credibility of the honest witness as a way of defending their crooked testimony. As obvious as this proverb seems, there is a lot to be learned here.
Application: Question what people tell you and verify whenever possible.
Food for Thought: How do you tell if someone is telling the truth or a lie?
When it comes to something that is a moral or ethical statement, we can compare what they say to Scripture.
Sadly, we cannot always tell if what someone says is truth if they are reporting as a witness. One way to check what they say is to compare against many witnesses and look for common threads. We also have their personal history of integrity.
What we have under our control is our own ability to tell the truth. We can decide to be truth tellers and build a legacy of honesty and integrity. Ephesians 4: 25.
Excellent reference passage, Rich:
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Eph 4:25
Lie detectors?
They are kind of awkward to carry around, aren’t they?
“Mmmmm… Excuse me, but I have questions about the veracity of what you just said. Would you mind if I hooked you up to this lie detector equipment for a moment? …. ”
On the other hand, it would be interesting to require that newscasters and commentators be hooked up to one while they give the news on TV. We could watch the results real time as they talked. Maybe we should do the same for politicians, too?
Tim, you might be on to something here! 🙂
I could see T using a lie detector on someone. I could also see him carrying a spare one in his vehicle 😊
07-16-2022, Proverbs 12:17, How do you tell if someone is telling the truth or a lie?
The only place we can find truth is in God. We find truth in Him through Jesus Christ and receive life, growing peace which passes all understanding as we walk through trials, among the spiritually dead. We are eternal beings, finding stability and purpose in obedience to His will. This world around us in an illusion, it is an example of the insanity found in the world governed by the evil one, seeking to destroy all that is good, and it is at times a source of anger toward others.
This is not our world, is not our home. As believers we live for the truth in Christ and reject the lies of this world. Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” John added to this, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11, 1 John 5:19
Jesus promised the Spirit of truth would come and guide believers into all truth, He would not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He would declare to us the things that are to come. He reveals the truths in Gods word which are the foundation of true life and is not to be added to or taken from.
John 16:13, Revelation 22:18-19
We remain on earth to be light! I view every encounter with another person as “ORDAINED BY GOD”. I listen as they speak with me revealing the truth “as they wish to believe and reveal it.” I respond to their words knowing whether they are true or not is between them and God, I am not their judge. I ask questions which require they provide more detail as I am led and try to find out the foundation for what they say. Many times, the TRUE TRUTH has come out and it is amazing how they respond.
Let Christ in each of us love and speak to all He brings into our sphere of influence. It is a time of reaping and harvesting, not judging.
Ron,
Thank you! I love your description of “TRUE TRUTH” coming out. 🙂