Walking with the Wise #76: Words of Righteousness

“The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.”
—Proverbs 10:31

In the second and third installments of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, there appears the character Grima the Wormtongue, who is the chief adviser to the king of Rohan, Théoden. Grima is a crafty manipulator, liar and servant of the evil Saruman who has used his tongue to cast a spell on Théoden. Peter Jackson’s film captures the power and effect of Wormtongue’s lies over the years on Théoden, which can be seen by his glazed eyes, pale white skin and hair, cracked voice and a body that's weak and emaciated. It is not until Gandalf the White, a wizard, releases Théoden from the spell of Wormtongue’s lies that his eyes, hair and body return to their natural state and Théoden is able to rule justly with all of his faculties.

Tolkien and Jackson both successfully captured the deceitful power of lies. As Christians, we must endeavor to speak truth, and that only comes from living in the truth—which is, Christ. Satan is the father of lies, and like Wormtongue, he seeks to manipulate and imprison through his lies. But, we must seek to “speak the truth in love” (cf. Ephesians 4:15), making sure that we are brandishing the sword of God’s truth (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17) and wielding it properly.

Whenever we live according to the truth of God’s Word, continually dragging our sins into the light of Christ’s presence through confession, we have a wisdom that is extremely valuable in a world that is filled with hype and lies. Lies cannot stand against truth, because lies imprison and truth sets us free (cf. John 8:32). For those who trade the truth of God for a lie, God will give them fully over to the painful consequences of their sinful choices (cf. Romans 1:24-32).

Are you living a righteous life that speaks truth? Or are you living in a world of lies? Truth is what will endure, and all lies and liars will ultimately be destroyed in the light of Him who is Truth personified (cf. John 8:32; 14:6). May God enable us to live righteous lives that bring forth wisdom so that we might help others and proclaim the excellency of His great, glorious and majestic name. Amen.