Flatterers

"These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage." (Jude 1: 16 NIV)

"They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" (Psalm 12: 2-4 KJV)

"For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue." (Psalm 5: 9)

"Flattery" is defined as "excessive or insincere praise." There are common terms for it, such as "sweet-talking," and "buttering up," and "brown-nosing."

Flattery is a kind of "hypocritical praise." It is "flattery intended to persuade or gain favor." They "flatter others for their own advantage," as Jude testified.

In the passages of scripture cited above, flattery is a tactic employed by wicked men and is a sin that "keeps company with" other sins, such as with murmurring and complaining, with grumbling and fault-finding, and with self praise and bragging.

Pride, and vanity, and arrogance, and narcissism are also intimately connected with the practice of flattery. Though mostly verbal, it is also to be remembered that - "imitation is the highest form of flattery."

The practice of flattery is no mean carnal science or black art. The ancient Greek Sophists, who became infamous for their "sophistry," were actually sophisticated teachers who trained young men in the "art of how to succeed." They were taught how to manipulate, flatter, insinuate, and how to speak so as to "win friends and influence people."

Politicians are often the most successful flatterers. In a corrupt business world, oftentimes one feels he must flatter to succeed. Flattery, in the short of it, is both commonplace and a very grievous sin. People who have successfully practiced flattery can be heard to say - "flattery will get you everywhere."

"He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail." (Job 17: 5)

"Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away." (Job 32: 21, 22)

"...a flattering mouth worketh ruin." (Proverbs 26: 28)

"...meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips." (Proverbs 20: 19)

"A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet." (Proverbs 29: 5)

Oh the evil of flattery! What an evil world is a world full of flatterers! A world wherein everyone flatters one another, where no one is honest and truthful, and where everyone loves self above all others! Lord God will certainly do as he has promised and one day "cut off all flattering lips."

Prostitutes and seducers learn the black art of flattery and Wisdom warns young men to be on guard against the whore and her chief tactic of flattery.

"To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words." (Proverbs 2: 16; 6:24; 7: 5, 21)

Then too men are warned to be "on the look out" for flattering and insincere prophets and preachers, those who give forth "vain vision" and "flattering divination" (Ezekiel 12: 24).

Like the coming AntiChrist himself, who it is said will "come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries" and who will "corrupt by flatteries" (Daniel 11: 21, 32), so do the "false teachers" (II Peter 2: 1) who arise among the Christian community, who have learned how to preach in a flattering manner, in order that they might obtain a greater personal following. These come into churches and "obtain by flattery" positions of leadership, the same evil tactic so commonly at work outside the church. But a true, honest and sincere minister of Jesus says as did Paul:

"For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness." (I Thessalonians 2: 5) Rather, it is the false teacher who "by smooth talk and flattery" has learned how to "deceive the minds of naive people." (Romans 16: 18 NIV)

Churches ought to run flattering preachers and leaders out! They do great harm to souls. Their mouths need to be shut.

Every lost and depraved soul knows something of the sin of flattery. They have practiced the sin themselves and have also been the brunt of it, often to sad condition. How many lovers have felt the pain of coming to see that the words of love and care that they had heard from a pretended lover turned out to be nothing but insincere flattery!

But, men do not simply flatter others, but flatter themselves too.

"The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good." (Psalm 36: 1-3)

When will men cease practicing this sin as a habit and way of life? It is when Lord God brings them to see the evil of, not only the single sin of flattery, but the sin nature that is back of all individual sins, when he is shown the evil not of the symptoms alone, but of the disease itself. Sinners ought to seek this eye opening experience from the Lord.

"He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue." (Proverbs 28: 23)

That is what a true soul winner and spokeman for Lord God will do; he will not flatter the sinner, but speak openly and honestly with him, for he loves the sinner and desires that the sinner might see his need of salvation in Christ.