Introduction
Before getting into the meaning of Proverbs 10:18, here’s different Bible translations:
King James Version
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
American Standard Version
He that hideth hatred is of lying lips; And he that uttereth a slander is a fool.
World English Bible version
He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.
Proverbs 10:18 Meaning & Commentary
Hatred is something that is not always easy to spot in somebody. Sure, it sometimes manifests visibly through actions, but other times it sits in someone’s heart, and there is no way to know that it is there. Usually, these people who have hatred in their hearts may try to cover it up with lying lips; meaning that they may try to speak well of a person, and say nice things, but their hearts could be full of hatred. Looks what The Bible says elsewhere: Proverbs 26:24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart.
So, just because someone speaks well does not mean that they mean well! So, the heart feels something, but the person lies and conceals their hatred with lying lips. The issue here is twofold in that the person is harboring a strong and evil emotion of hatred, but also that in due time, the hatred is likely to spill out into the person’s words. Just as someone who lies in life, there comes a time when it catches up with them.
The second part of Proverbs 10:18 says that someone who utters slander is a fool. Slander is speaking words against someone in a negative sense, with ill intent. We know that the tongue and the words that we speak have great power, and even carry the power of life and death in them. It is foolish to speak slander or give full vent to our feelings and emotions, because not only does it expose what is inside our hearts, but it also releases words of death and curses over other people. Why would someone do that? It is exactly what the Bible says, foolish!
Application
How then can we practically apply Proverbs 10:18 to our lives?
Firstly, let’s remind ourselves of the power that our words have: James 3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. If we speak out slander against someone, we are speaking curses over that person! This is not what we likely intend to do, but this is what is happening. Secondly, if we have hatred in our hearts, we should not try to conceal it with lying lips but should rather be honest and open about it.
We need to confess this to God and talk to him about it. It may seem strange to us to talk to God about having hatred in our hearts, but God knows our hearts anyway, so there is no hiding from Him! 1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. The best route is to be transparent about what we struggle with, rather than trying to deceive ourselves. We should take our hatred to God first, but then also confess it to a trusted friend. We are not commanded to speak about the person, but rather to confess our sins to God, and to others: James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
So, we need to be honest with our struggles before we blurt out and give full vent to the hatred we may be struggling with. This is God’s recipe for dealing with sin, of which hatred is one. Uttering slander does not do anything good for the person we are talking about but being vulnerable and transparent does! We have the love of God abiding in us, so it’s time to extend that love to others and not allow hatred to overwhelm us: Romans 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus’ name. Please forgive me for where I may have harbored hatred in my heart. Your Word says that you have shed your love abroad in my heart, so I choose now to extend this love to others. Help me to control my emotions, words, and actions. I know that you see and know all things, so I pray right now that you would create within me a pure heart filled with love. I no longer want to try and hide my feelings and thoughts from you, but desire to be fully transparent. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen!
