The Architecture of Reality: Truth and Delight Text: Proverbs 12:22
Introduction: The War on Words
We live in an age that has declared war on reality, and the front line of this war is language. Words are no longer seen as vessels that carry objective truth, but as tools for the acquisition of power. We are told that "your truth" is just as valid as "my truth," which is another way of saying that there is no such thing as truth at all, only competing narratives and power plays. When a man can be a woman if he says he is, when justice means vengeance for my tribe, when history is whatever the committee decides it was last Tuesday, we are not living in a different worldview. We are living in a demolition zone. The foundations of civilization are being dynamited, and the primary charge being used is the lie.
Into this chaos, the book of Proverbs speaks with the bracing clarity of a splash of cold water to the face. It does not offer suggestions; it provides axioms. It lays out the fundamental architecture of the world as it actually is, a world created and sustained by a God who is Himself "the truth." And because He is the truth, His relationship to truth and falsehood is not one of neutral preference, like choosing between vanilla and chocolate. His disposition is one of absolute, holy affection for the one and absolute, holy revulsion for the other.
This is why the subject of truth and lies is a constant, recurring theme throughout this book of wisdom. God is not interested in producing clever people, or successful people, or even religious people. He is interested in producing truthful people, because truthful people are the only kind of people who are properly aligned with reality. Everyone else is in a state of perpetual collision with the universe. Our text today draws the battle lines with stark, covenantal precision. It shows us what God loathes and what He loves, what He regards as a foul stench in His nostrils and what He considers a deep and abiding pleasure. And in doing so, it forces us to ask which side of that line we are on.
The Text
Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh,
But doers of faithfulness are His delight.
(Proverbs 12:22)
An Abomination to Yahweh
Let us consider the first clause:
"Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh..." (Proverbs 12:22a)
The language here is as strong as it gets. The word "abomination" is not a mild disapproval. It is a term of visceral disgust, of utter loathing. It is the word used for idolatry, for sexual perversion, for the kinds of things that defile a land and provoke the judgment of God. So we must ask ourselves, why is a lie placed in this category? Why are "lying lips" not just a mistake, not just a social faux pas, but an abomination?
First, it is because God is the God of truth. Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13). The Scriptures are the "word of truth" (Ephesians 1:13). God's very nature is truth. Therefore, a lie is not simply a misstatement of fact; it is a direct assault on the character of God. It is an attempt to create an alternative reality, a pocket universe where something other than God's Word is ultimate. Every lie is a work of rebellion, a small-scale attempt to be "like God," defining good and evil for oneself.
Second, lies are an abomination because of their paternity. Jesus was not mincing words when He told the Pharisees, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). When we lie, we are speaking the devil's native tongue. We are trafficking in his currency. We are doing his work in the world. The first lie in the garden, "You will not surely die," was the crowbar used to pry open the door for sin, death, and all the misery of the human condition to flood into God's good creation. Lies are never inert. They are poison, and they do the work of the Evil One.
Notice the focus is on "lying lips." This is concrete. This is not about some abstract commitment to falsehood. This is about the words that come out of your mouth. This is the lie you tell your boss to cover a mistake, the exaggeration you use to make yourself look better, the slander you whisper about a rival, the false doctrine you teach from a pulpit. God hates it all. Proverbs 6 tells us that among the seven things that are an abomination to the Lord are "a lying tongue" and "a false witness who speaks lies" (Proverbs 6:17, 19). Liars make the list twice. God hates lying because it is a function of pride, it is a tool of murder, and it is the native language of His cosmic enemy. To lie is to align yourself with the kingdom of darkness against the kingdom of His dear Son.
His Delight
But the Proverb, as is so often the case, pivots on the word "but." It sets up a sharp, glorious contrast. God is not simply a God who hates. He is a God who loves. He is not defined by His abominations, but by His delights.
"But doers of faithfulness are His delight." (Proverbs 12:22b)
Look carefully at the parallel. The opposite of "lying lips" is not "truthful lips." It is "doers of faithfulness." This is a much richer and more profound concept. The Hebrew word for faithfulness here is emunah, from which we get our word "Amen." It means firmness, steadfastness, reliability, and truthfulness in action. It is not just about telling the truth; it is about being true. It is about a life that corresponds to reality.
A "doer of faithfulness" is a man whose word is his bond. He is a woman whose promises are reliable. He is an employee who gives an honest day's work. She is a wife who is faithful to her covenant vows. He is a citizen who can be trusted. This is a person whose entire life is an "Amen" to the truth of God. It is about integrity, where your words, your actions, your heart, and your mind are all integrated and aligned with the truth. You are not one person on Sunday and another on Monday. You are whole. You are solid.
And this kind of person, the text says, is God's "delight." This word speaks of pleasure, of favor, of deep satisfaction. Think of a master craftsman looking upon his finished work. Think of a father watching his son hit a home run. This is the affection and pleasure God takes in His people when they walk in truth. This is not because they are earning His favor. Our standing with God is secured entirely by the perfect faithfulness of Jesus Christ, imputed to us by grace through faith. But as His redeemed children, indwelt by His Spirit, our acts of faithfulness, our moments of truth-telling when a lie would be easier, our steadfastness under pressure, these things are genuinely pleasing to Him. They are the fruit of His own grace at work in us, and He delights in that fruit.
This is a profound encouragement. In a world that rewards deceit and celebrates phoniness, the Christian has a higher calling and a greater reward. Your simple, day-to-day faithfulness, the kind that no one sees, the promise you keep, the honest answer you give, the quality work you perform, these things are not unnoticed. They are the delight of the living God. He sees, and He is pleased.
Living in the Truth
So what is the application? It is straightforward. We are to hate what God hates and love what God loves. We must cultivate a deep-seated loathing for all falsehood, beginning with the falsehood in our own hearts. We must confess our lies, not just as "missteps," but as abominations. When you lie, you are not just breaking a rule; you are spitting in the face of the God of truth and siding with the father of lies. It is that serious. We must repent of it as such.
And we must pursue being "doers of faithfulness." This begins with being utterly dependent on the only one who was perfectly faithful. Jesus Christ is the ultimate "doer of faithfulness." He is the Amen of God (2 Corinthians 1:20). His life was a perfect embodiment of truth, and His death was the ultimate act of faithfulness to the covenant. It is only by being united to Him that we can even begin to be faithful ourselves.
Then, in the power of His Spirit, we must practice the truth. We must make our "yes" be "yes" and our "no" be "no." We must speak the truth in love, even when it is hard. We must build a reputation for utter reliability. We must be people who reflect the character of our Father. In our homes, in our workplaces, in our churches, and in our communities, we are called to be pillars of truth in a world built on lies.
The world may call you naive. It may say you are foolish for being so honest. But the world's opinion is a fleeting vapor. The judgment that matters, the one that is eternal, is the judgment of Yahweh. And His verdict is clear. He loathes the lie. But the one who lives a life of steadfast, covenantal truthfulness, that person is His deep and abiding delight.