What does the Bible say about flattery?

Once more the sin of flattery is mentioned. "A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet" (verse 5). Flattery is akin to lying and can never be right, but is always a mistake, which results in the gravest consequences. More servants of the Lord have been spoiled by flattery than in any other manner. It is literally, as this proverb says, "spreading a net for his feet."

"A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet.''

This of course is the same principle as bribery. Let the believer take care to avoid such ensnaring nets. Accepting flattery is accepting falsehood, for flattery is actually deceit: it is not even honestly meant, nor is it sober, real fact. Satan is extremely adroit in such methods.

"A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin." Falsehood and hatred always go hand in hand. One may have done not a particle of harm to another, yet through the other lying about the first, the hatred of the guilty against the innocent will only increase. The remedy is of course honest confession, but one who is accustomed to falsehood steels himself against confessing the truth. If one should be accused of lying against another, the wise believer will watch for evidences of hatred before drawing his own conclusions. Again, if we are honest ourselves, then we shall discern that the flattery of others is actually false-hood.Commendation, approval, appreciation are no doubt right in their place, but if this is excessive, it is unbecoming: if it should take the form of flattery, it is just not true. The one who practices this cannot be trusted: ruin follows hard upon his words, if he is successful in deceiving his victims.

He FLATTERETH himself in his own eyes. Men dearly love a mutual admiration society. Flattery is the commonest thing imaginable in the world, and many a man has been lured on to his overthrow by the fulsome flattery of his fellows. The individual before us, you notice, flatters himself — he does not wait for others to do it for him — and it is in his own eyes rather than in the eyes of his fellows. This, we again remark, will doubtless have a special application to Antichrist, since he will be a terrible tyrant. He will be out to magnify himself, hence self-flattery will be imperative. He will blow his own trumpet first and foremost, leaving others to blow trumpets of flattery in his honour, if they wish to keep in his favour.

Flattery is absolutely impossible when God is in question. All praise and worship offered to Him falls short of that of which He is worthy. We cannot rate Him higher than He is. On the other hand it is almost impossible to avoid flattery when we begin to praise men. We see one or two features, on the surface of their characters or their doings, which appeal to us; but many other features, deep below the surface, which would not appeal but appal, we do not see. Hence our praise of man has in it inevitably an element of flattery even when we have not the slightest desire to flatter. As saints let us beware of the praise of men. By indulging in it we damage each other. though it is very sweet to the flesh.

The average man of the world loves it, and loves it openly. Having no fear of God, he naturally flatters himself. If God shone forth upon him, like Job he would abhor himself.

"He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favor than he that flattereth with his tongue."

It may not he easy for us to rebuke wrong in a kind, gentle, faithful way; and we cannot expect that it will be taken kindly at first, but the long-range results will be valuable. On the other hand, one who flatters a wrong doer may be considered very kind and considerate at first, but his friendship will not long be desired, for he cannot be trusted. Yet let us always carefully distinguish between mere criticism and true faithfulness.

I am sure then, you will feel, my dear friend and brother, that one man cannot do a greater injury to another than by praising him, and feeding his pride. "He that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a snare for his feet," and, a flattering mouth worketh ruin. Be assured, moreover, that we are far too short-sighted to be able to judge of the degree of our brethren's piety. We are not able to weigh it aright without the balance of the sanctuary, and that is in the hands of Him who searches the heart. Judge nothing, then, before the time, until the Lord come, and makes manifest the counsels of the heart, and renders to every man his praise. Till then let us judge of our brethren, whether for good or for evil, with becoming moderation; and remember that the surest and best judgment is what we form of ourselves when we esteem others better than ourselves.

"May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks proud things" (v. 3). This will certainly be true in the end. People flatter others because they like to be flattered themselves, so that they bolster the pride of one another. Their tongues are able to manipulate the truth to please themselves, forgetting that the Lord has given men tongues in order that they may speak truth. Rather than recognizing God, however, they think their tongues are their own, to be used in the interests of falsehood, as though they can manufacture truth out of falsehood. This horrible doctrine is popular today, because people do not want any lord over them.

It was a prepared audience that ran together to learn the secret of this marvellous miracle, and the servants of the Lord had a Spirit-given readiness to meet the situation. Peter had no need to prepare a sermon; the stream of living truth, of which Christ was the force and theme, burst forth with a blessed spontaneity. His heart was bubbling up (Ps. 45. marg.). He was like Elihu who said, “I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me,” and, like this same Elihu, he was regardless of the estate or rank of those to whom he spoke as the greatness of his subject and the importance of the hour carried him on. He was no flatterer of his hearers, else he would have been an unworthy witness to the truth. This same spirit characterized Paul, who said of his preaching, “ Neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness ” (1 Thess. 2:5). No flatterer can be a faithful preacher of God's message, but the one who would be preserved from it must be in the fear of God all the day, or he will be betrayed by the fear of man, or by covetousness into that which is so hateful to God and so harmful to men.

Let us distrust the flattery of the world. A moment's reflection before the Lord would tell us, that the world flatters to enfeeble us, and to deprive us of the weapons with which we fight against it.

He speaks like that of the Philippians, making much of their service, and reference to his own as a drink offering poured out on their sacrifice. Paul uses the balances of the sanctuary in doing this. Otherwise it would be flattery. All these statements are made in the light of the holiest for he weighs these things before God. We may flatter one another and injure one another; we may call attention to a brother's service to others and injure him in doing it, unless it is weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. I am convinced that every bit of the appraisal which Paul gives here was in the power of the Holy Spirit.