Deuteronomy 13
Witness flattery throughout the Bible: H250 kha'lek smoothness of the tongue
Job 17:5; Romans 16:18
The book of Proverbs is illuminating here: The heart is the seat of wisdom (2:10; etc.); of trust (or confidence) (3:5); diligence (4:23); perverseness (6:14); wicked imaginations (6:18); lust (6:25); subtlety (7:10); understanding (8:5); deceit (12:20); folly (12:23); heaviness (12:25); bitterness (14:10); sorrow (14:13); backsliding (14:14); cheerfulness (15:13); knowledge (15:14); joy (15:30); pride (16:5); haughtiness (18:12); prudence (18:15); fretfulness (19:3); envy (23:17).
This arrangement of the 613 principles, the law of our Lord God Almighty, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is from the book by Rabbi Ralph Messer, Torah: Law Or Grace? Kingdom Principles For Kingdom Living. This book can be ordered online here or in the store if you are in the Denver area here.
The Fourth Commandment Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to sanctify it . Six days you shall work and accomplish all your work; the seventh day is Sabbath to the Lord , your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, your animal, and your convert within your gates--for in six day the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
341. You shall not sow your field during the seventh year-- (Shemittah) Leviticus 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
342. You shall not prune your vineyard during the seventh year-- Leviticus 25:4
343. You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest in the seventh year-- Leviticus 25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
344. You shall not pick grapes set aside for yourself in the seventh year-- Leviticus 25:5
345. You shall count seven cycles of Sabbatical years; 49 years-- Leviticus 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
346. You shall sound the Shofar on Yom Kippur for the Jubiliee year-- (Yovel) Leviticus 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
347. You shall sanctify the 50th year and proclaim freedom throughout the Land --Leviticus 25:10And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
348. You shall not sow in the Julilee year --Leviticus 25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 350. You shall not pick what was set aside for yourself in the Jubilee year --Leviticus 25:11
351. You shall not sell the Land in perpetuity --Leviticus 25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.
352. You shall provide redemption for the Land in the Jubilee year --Leviticus 25:24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.
353. You shall allow the redemption of a house until the end of one year of its sale --Leviticus 25:24
Deuteronomy 13:1-6
“Everything I am commanding you, you are to take care to do. Do not add to it or subtract from it.
2 (1) “If a prophet or someone who gets messages while dreaming arises among you and he gives you a sign or wonder, 3 (2) and the sign or wonder comes about as he predicted when he said, ‘Let’s follow other gods, which you have not known; and let us serve them,’ 4 (3) you are not to listen to what that prophet or dreamer says. For Adonai your God is testing you, in order to find out whether you really do love Adonai your God with all your heart and being. 5 (4) You are to follow Adonai your God, fear him, obey his mitzvot, listen to what he says, serve him and cling to him; 6 (5) and that prophet or dreamer is to be put to death; because he urged rebellion against Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from a life of slavery; in order to seduce you away from the path Adonai your God ordered you to follow. This is how you are to rid your community of this wickedness.
2514. chalaqqah ►
Strong's Concordance
chalaqqah: smoothness, flattery
Original Word: חֲלַקּוֹת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chalaqqah
Phonetic Spelling: (khal-ak-kaw')
Short Definition: smooth
You have heard the cliché, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” You might never have viewed yourself as someone’s enemy, but you are.
Is flattery a sin? Yes! Citizens should not flatter others it might seem harmless, but it can be very dangerous. Citizens are to always remain humble, but flattery can turn people corrupt especially pastors.
Flattery boosts egos, pride, and it can also put pressure on the person who is being flattered. Flattery is mostly to seek favor from someone or it might be a complete lie and it’s a tool that false teachers use. They flatter and at the same time they water down the gospel.
They compromise with the Word of Yahweh and never preach on repentance and turning away from sin. They tell someone who is lost and living in rebellion to the Word of Yahweh, don’t worry you’re good.
This is a huge reason why there are many churches filled with false worshipers and many professing citizens will not enter into Heaven. Complementing is sincere and unselfish, but enemies flatters with their lips, but have ill intentions in their heart.
I just love warm words of encouragement! When someone thoughtfully lifts my spirit with a word of sincere encouragement, I can feel the effect for days! This may not come around often, but when it shows up, we connect to it with all of our hearts, don’t we? Proverbs puts it this way, “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” Proverbs 25:11, beautiful. How refreshing are the wholesome words that give grace to their hearers Ephesians 4:29.
In a fallen world, however, not all apparent encouragement benefits us. Some of it is corrupt, tainted and coming from an enemy. The Bible offers a good word for encouraging words that poison—flattery.
The Hebrew word for flattery means “smoothness.” Like tiny stones that have been smoothed by ocean waves, the flatterer’s words have been smoothed by his own pride. The flatterer is the person who will use his smooth tongue to take advantage of you!
So, how can we tell if one or more of our friends are actually enemies?
1. What does the Bible say?
A person who flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for him to step into. To an evil person sin is bait in a trap, but a righteous person runs away from it and is glad.
Proverbs 29:5-6
5 A person who flatters his neighbor
spreads a net for his own steps.
6 In an evil person’s crime is a trap,
but the righteous sing and rejoice.
2. Rid yourself of all lying
A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
3. Honest criticism is better
An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
4. Beware of false teachers.
Romans 16:17-19
17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained — keep away from them. 18 For men like these are not serving our Lord the Messiah but their own belly; by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the innocent. 19 For everyone has heard about your obedience; therefore I rejoice over you. However, I want you to be wise concerning good, but innocent concerning evil.
Scriptures on flattery:
Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Psalm 78:36-37 Nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
Psalm 5:8-9 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction;their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
Psalm 12:2-3 Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. May the LORD cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues.
Psalm 62:4 They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts.
Psalm 55:21 His speech is smoother than butter, but there is war in his heart. His words are more soothing than oil, but they are like swords ready to attack.
Proverbs 27:5-6 An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
Proverbs 28:23 In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery.
Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.
Romans 16:17-19 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them, for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
Galatians 1:10 For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.
Here are four ways that you can avoid the flatterers (enemies) in your life:
1. Beware of those who praise you excessively.
Luke 20:20
So they kept a close watch on the situation. They sent spies who hypocritically represented themselves as righteous, so that they might seize hold of something Yeshua said, as an excuse to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.
2. Beware of those who constantly tear others down to make you look better.
Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
3. Don’t underestimate your love for the enemy-flattering praise.
Proverbs 26:25
when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are seven abominations in his heart;
4. Repent of your own flattery and cut it out of your life.
Jude 1:16
These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
Let me urge you to examine yourself the next time you speak to a brother so that you can be the judge over your own heart
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
What am I hoping to gain by what I am about to say?
What am I more preoccupied with, this person’s good or my own?
Is what I am saying 100% truthful?
Would I repeat what I am saying to someone else when this person is no longer present?
Would I say this in the presence of Yeshua?
The Hebrew explains the word flattery pretty much the same as Greek but with a few more colorful illustrations. It's a primitive root; "usually figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively, make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude: allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, persuade."
The intent of flattery is to make a person simple, or just delude and deceive them. To make someone simple is an attempt to strip them of their astuteness and discernment. There is great power in flattery and freewheeling compliments. That power is just about always used to control or manipulate in some way.
Psalm 78:35 tells of Israel flattering the Lord with their mouths, and that was for the purpose of deluding, alluring or trying to make simple the King of kings: "And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant."
Shutting the door on flattery using the principles:
171. You shall not accede to one who entices you secretly--Deuteronomy 13:9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
172. You shall not harken to one who entices you secretly --Deuteronomy 13:9
173. You shall not take pity on one who entices you secretly --Deuteronomy 13:9
174. You shall not be compassionate to one who entices you secretly --Deuteronomy 13:9
175. You shall not conceal one who entices you secretly --Deuteronomy 13:9
176. You shall not allow one who entices to do such an evil thing again in your midst --Deuteronomy 13:12 “If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying,
He is not like man, who thinks he's worthy of the compliments he's been getting. He is worthy of every word of praise or adoration that can be conceived of, but don't speak it because you believe He needs to hear it, speak it because you believe it's true! To hear this again click here.
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