The Unpardonable Perjury of the Universe Text: Proverbs 19:9
Introduction: A Universe Built on Truth
We live in an age that has declared war on reality. Our culture is saturated with lies, from the highest levels of government and media down to the petty deceptions we tell ourselves. Men now claim to be women, politicians speak peace while planning plunder, and our institutions of justice seem more interested in narratives than in truth. The entire secular project is a grand exercise in bearing false witness against God. They look at His magnificent, orderly creation and testify under oath that it all just happened. They look at the clear testimony of conscience, of natural law, and say, "We object." They are false witnesses against reality itself.
But the universe is not a courtroom where the liar has the last word. God is not a befuddled judge who can be swayed by clever perjury. The cosmos is His creation, and it runs on His rules. One of those foundational rules is that truth matters. It matters absolutely. When God gave the Ten Commandments, He did not give ten suggestions. The ninth commandment, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16), is not a piece of friendly advice for maintaining good community relations. It is a load-bearing wall for all of civilization, because it is a reflection of the very character of God. God is a God of truth. Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13).
Therefore, to lie is to declare war on God. To bear false witness is to align yourself with the first false witness, the serpent in the garden, who is the father of lies (John 8:44). This is not a small thing. It is not a minor infraction. It is cosmic treason. And because God is a just God, this treason has consequences. Our proverb for today is not a threat from a petty tyrant; it is a statement of inexorable reality, as certain as the law of gravity. It is a promise from the Judge of all the earth, who will always do right.
The Text
A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who breathes out lies will perish.
(Proverbs 19:9 LSB)
The Inescapable Judgment (v. 9a)
The first clause of this proverb lays down a principle of divine justice that is as firm as the foundations of the earth.
"A false witness will not go unpunished..." (Proverbs 19:9a)
This is a declaration of certainty. Notice the absolute nature of the statement. It does not say a false witness might be punished, or that he will probably be found out. It says he will not go unpunished. The Hebrew word for "unpunished" here means to be held innocent or acquitted. God is telling us that in His courtroom, there is no acquittal for the perjurer. The verdict is already in. The only question is the timing of the sentencing.
This principle was enshrined in Israel's civil law. Under the Mosaic code, the punishment for bearing false witness was severe and specific. The judges were to "do to him as he had meant to do to his brother" (Deuteronomy 19:19). This is the lex talionis, the law of retaliation. If you falsely accused a man of a crime that carried a penalty of a one thousand shekel fine, then you paid a one thousand shekel fine. If you bore false witness in a capital case, intending to have an innocent man executed, then you were to be executed. This law reveals God's profound hatred for the perversion of justice. A lie in court is a direct assault on the throne of God, for all earthly justice is meant to be a reflection of His perfect justice.
But this proverb is not merely about civil penalties. Many a false witness has escaped the judgment of men. Haman built a gallows for Mordecai based on lies, and for a time, it seemed he would get away with it. Jezebel hired false witnesses to have Naboth stoned, and she succeeded. But the proverb looks beyond the corrupt courts of men to the supreme court of heaven. God sees. God knows. And God will not be mocked. Haman ended up on his own gallows. Jezebel was eaten by dogs, just as the prophet foretold. The punishment may be delayed, but it is never derailed. God's justice has a long memory and a perfect aim.
This is a terrifying thought for the unrepentant, but it should be a profound comfort for the righteous. When you are slandered, when lies are spread about you, when your reputation is dragged through the mud by false witnesses, you can and must entrust your cause to the God who judges justly. He is your vindicator. The temptation is to take up the world's weapons, to fight fire with fire, to answer lies with different lies. But the Christian way is to stand on the truth and trust the God of truth to handle the final verdict. He will not fail you. He will not hold the liar innocent.
The Terminal Destination of Deceit (v. 9b)
The second clause of the verse uses poetic parallelism to intensify the warning. It moves from the action of punishment to the ultimate state of the liar.
"And he who breathes out lies will perish." (Proverbs 19:9b LSB)
This is more than just punishment; this is destruction. The word "perish" speaks of utter ruin, of being brought to nothing. The imagery here is potent. "He who breathes out lies." The lie is not an occasional stumble for this person; it is his very atmosphere. He exhales deceit as naturally as a living man exhales carbon dioxide. Lying has become central to his identity. He is not just a man who tells a lie; he is a liar.
And the text tells us his end is to perish. How does this happen? First, it happens socially. A man known for his lies eventually destroys his own credibility. His words become worthless. He isolates himself in a world of his own making, and trust, the currency of all healthy relationships, is bankrupted. He perishes as a member of the community. No one can build a life, a family, or a business on a foundation of lies.
Second, it happens psychologically. To maintain a web of lies requires immense mental and emotional energy. It corrodes the conscience and hardens the heart. The liar must constantly remember which lie he told to which person, and he lives in perpetual fear of exposure. His inner world becomes a frantic, exhausting, and ultimately unsustainable mess. He perishes from the inside out.
But most importantly, this perishing is eternal. The Book of Revelation is startlingly clear about the final destination of the unrepentant liar. "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8). And again, describing the New Jerusalem, "But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false" (Revelation 21:27). Outside the city are "the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood" (Revelation 22:15).
The one who breathes out lies will perish because he has chosen the native tongue of Hell over the language of Heaven. He has aligned himself with the father of lies, and so he will share in his father's inheritance, which is eternal ruin. This is not arbitrary. It is the natural, inevitable harvest of a life sown with deceit. God simply gives the liar what he has chosen: a reality completely detached from the God of truth.
The Gospel for Liars
This proverb, like all of God's law, serves two purposes. It is a guide for the righteous, and it is a hammer for the proud. If you read this and feel a sense of self-satisfaction, thinking of all the other liars out there, then you have missed the point entirely. The standard is God's perfect truthfulness, and measured against that standard, we are all found wanting. "All mankind are liars" (Psalm 116:11). Who among us has not shaded the truth for personal gain, told a white lie to avoid inconvenience, or remained silent when the truth was costly?
The law's purpose is to drive us to despair of our own righteousness and to flee to the only one who ever perfectly embodied the truth. Jesus Christ stood before false witnesses at His trial. They breathed out lies against Him, the very incarnation of Truth. And He, the innocent one, took the punishment that we, the guilty, deserved. He perished, for a time, under the wrath of God that was due to us for our falsehoods.
He did this so that liars could be forgiven. He did this so that false witnesses could be made true. The gospel is the good news that God, in His mercy, has provided a way for us to escape the punishment and perishing that our lies have earned us. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are washed clean. We are declared righteous, not because we are, but because He is, and His perfect record is credited to our account.
And this gospel does not just save us from our lies; it saves us to the truth. When the Spirit of truth takes up residence in our hearts, He begins the lifelong work of making us truthful people. We begin to hate the lies we once loved. We begin to treasure the truth we once twisted. We put away falsehood and learn to speak the truth in love to our neighbor (Ephesians 4:25). We are not perfect, not yet. But our direction has changed. We are no longer those who breathe out lies, but those who are learning to breathe in and breathe out the clean, fresh air of God's truth.
Therefore, let this proverb drive you to Christ. If you are not a Christian, hear the warning. The God of truth will not be trifled with. Your lies will find you out, and their end is destruction. Repent of your falsehood and believe in the Lord Jesus, who is the Truth. And if you are a Christian, take this proverb as a sober reminder. You have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Walk as a child of light. Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no.' For the God who has saved you is a God of truth, and He requires truth in the inward parts.