The Hypocrite

[Proverbs 26:23–28]

Have you ever found yourself troubled by your own hypocrisy when you look at yourself before God and His Word? Especially for pastors like myself who are tasked with preaching and teaching the Word of God, it is impossible not to struggle with the hypocrisy that is exposed in the process. In my case, I am often convicted—sometimes even after the fact—when the indwelling Holy Spirit reveals that I am not living according to the very message I have preached. In those moments of conscience-piercing conviction, I see my own hypocritical self and feel ashamed and discouraged.

Recently, I revisited a passage from Pastor Han-Um Ok’s book “Pastor Han-Um Ok Speaks to Pastors”, where he writes:

“In truth, there is no occupation more susceptible to hypocrisy than that of a pastor. No one has a higher chance of becoming a hypocrite than a pastor. And when hypocrisy becomes a habit, even the conscience is lost. Therefore, you must recognize how dangerously close to the edge you stand. Remember this well.”

This is a word that we must remember again and again. The phrase, “when hypocrisy becomes a habit, even the conscience is lost,” strikes me deeply. How dangerous it is to become a pastor with a seared conscience—a pastor without a conscience at all.

John Calvin said this about hypocrites:

“Hypocrites skillfully conceal their pride under the mask of zeal.”

This kind of hypocrisy, which hides pride behind the mask of zeal, must be guarded against—again and again.

Looking at today’s passage, Proverbs 26:24, the Bible in Today’s Korean Language (현대인의 성경) puts it this way:

“A hypocrite hides his emotions with flattering words.”
The Revised Korean Version (개역개정) translates it:
“Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.”

With this verse as our foundation, under the theme “The Hypocrite…,” I want to reflect on just one key insight from Proverbs 26:23–28.

That one key insight is this: A hypocrite’s lips and heart are different.

When we think of a hypocrite, we often think of the word “hypocrisy” or “pretense.” But what does that really mean?

In the Hebrew of the Old Testament, the word implies “one who hides himself” or “a deceiver.”
That is to say, a hypocrite is someone who conceals who they really are.

In the New Testament, the word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word hypokrites, originally used for an actor who wore a mask on stage. Later, the word came to mean a person who pretends to be someone they are not—especially someone who has the outward appearance of godliness but lacks its power.

This is a fitting description of someone who outwardly looks like a devout Christian but inwardly is full of falsehood and deceit.

In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees were the most prominent examples of such hypocrisy. In Jewish society, they held high social status, and with it came an intense desire to showcase their religiosity. They were often seen as the very models of external religiosity—false piety, empty show, and self-righteousness. Hypocrites cloaked in lies, flaunting their own righteousness.

Augustine once said that those who pretend to be someone other than who they truly are—just like actors playing roles on stage—are hypocrites. Anyone in the church or in life who tries to appear different from their true self is either a hypocrite or an actor (as found online).

The 17th-century English Puritan preacher, theologian, and author Thomas Watson said this in his book “The Doctrine of Repentance”:

“Repentance is needed for hypocrites. Hypocrisy is holiness in disguise. A hypocrite or stage actor goes beyond the moralist, dressing himself in religious garments. He claims a form of godliness but denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
A hypocrite is like a house with a beautiful exterior, but inside all the rooms are dark.
He is a rotting pillar covered in gold leaf. He hides the wounds of his spiritual disease beneath the mask of religious confession.
A hypocrite may oppose painting his face with cosmetics, but he adorns himself with fake holiness. Because he looks good outwardly, he may be truly wicked within.
A hypocrite may appear to have his eyes fixed on heaven, yet his heart is filled with impure lust.
He goes against his own conscience and lives in secret sin. He hears the Word, but only with his ears.
He is enthusiastic in church service, receiving praise from others—but neglects prayer in the home and private devotion.
He pretends to be humble, but only to advance himself in the world.
He claims to have faith, but instead of using faith as a shield, he wears it as a mask.
He may carry a Bible under his arm, but not in his heart.
Take the lamp of the Word and search your heart to see if there is anything there that calls for repentance.” (Internet source)

Now then, let us consider six ways in which a hypocrite’s lips and heart are different.

First, the lips of a hypocrite are gentle, but his heart is evil.

Look at today's text, Proverbs 26:23:
"Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart."
[The Korean Contemporary Version puts it: “Kind words with an evil heart are like earthenware covered with glaze.”]

Everyone, are you familiar with Krispy Kreme doughnuts?
When I first heard about them, I remember hearing that they were so good they would melt in your mouth.
So after hearing that rumor, I went to a Krispy Kreme store and tried a freshly made original glazed doughnut—and it was indeed delicious.

One thing I still remember is this: when my wife had finished editing my Th.M. thesis at Fuller Seminary, I asked her what she wanted as a thank-you gift.
She said she wanted a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, so I bought them for her.

Of course, that store sells many kinds of doughnuts, but what I want to briefly mention today is the glazed doughnut.
The “glaze” here refers to a thin sugar coating spread over the doughnut.
But glaze isn’t something only found on doughnuts.

Fish can be glazed, too. In this case, glaze refers to an ice coating applied to frozen fish to prevent drying or spoilage during storage (according to the Naver Dictionary).
Glaze is also used when coloring wood. Applying glaze to wood gives it a sheen and makes it more visually appealing.
Glaze is also applied to pottery. Pottery with glaze has a shine and looks better.

In English, coating pottery with glaze is called “coating.”
In Korean, it’s said that glaze is “painted” or “applied” to pottery.

In today’s passage, Proverbs 26:23, the Bible says:
“Fervent lips with an evil heart are like earthenware covered with silver dross.”
This means the same as “glazed pottery.”
So “gentle lips with an evil heart” are just like that.

Now, imagine this:
What happens when someone has an evil heart, but that heart is “coated” with gentle lips?
To use the Korean Contemporary Version again:
What if an evil heart is covered with “kind words” that make it shiny and appealing?
Isn’t that the very definition of hypocrisy?

To hold an evil heart and yet cover it with kind words—that is hypocrisy.

Now, let’s take a closer look at “gentle lips.”
“Gentle lips” can mean “smooth talk,” “flattering speech,” or even “burning lips” (Swanson).
This means a hypocrite harbors evil in his heart toward another person, yet outwardly uses smooth words and flattering tones, disguising his evil intentions with warm and passionate words of love (Gesenius).

Dr. Yoonsun Park put it this way:
“This refers to a hypocrite (flatterer) who expresses words he does not mean with a show of warm friendliness.”

Can you picture it?
A hypocrite speaking words he doesn’t mean, yet expressing them with passionate friendliness?

Now, when I thought about someone in the Bible who harbored an evil heart but failed to cover it properly with kind and loving words, the first person who came to mind was Laban, Jacob’s uncle.

In Genesis 31:1–2, Jacob hears Laban’s sons saying,
“Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth.”
And Jacob also noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been before.

From this account, I believe Laban failed to properly cover up his heart.
Why do I say that?
Because even Jacob could tell that Laban’s expression toward him had changed.

I think the same applies to Laban’s sons.
They, too, failed to hide their feelings toward Jacob.
Why do I think that?
Because they were openly saying things like,
“Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from that he has gained all this wealth”—within earshot of Jacob.

Of course, they probably didn’t know Jacob could hear them.
But someone who is truly good at hiding their ill intent would be much more cautious to ensure the other person doesn’t hear.

So Laban and his sons were unable to properly conceal their feelings.
Laban couldn’t hide the change in his expression, and his sons couldn’t keep their words about Jacob to themselves.

So I kept thinking:
Is there someone in the Bible who did succeed in wrapping up an evil heart in warm, kind words?

And then I thought of the serpent in Genesis 3, who deceived the first woman of mankind.

Just listen to how the serpent deceived the woman.
Let’s revisit their conversation once more:

Serpent: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)
Woman: “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (vv. 2–3)
Serpent: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (vv. 4–5)

How sweet these words of the serpent sound.
Hearing those sweet words, the woman looked again at the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which she should have turned away from.
She “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.” (v. 6)
And eventually, she “took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband (Adam), who was with her, and he ate it.” (v. 6)

In this way, Satan cunningly paints over and wraps up his evil heart with kind (gentle) words.
A prime example of this is found in Matthew 4, in the story of the devil tempting Jesus.
After Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and was hungry, the devil came to Him and said:

Tempter (Devil): “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (v. 3)
Jesus: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (v. 4)

Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city, set Him on the highest point of the temple, and said:

Devil: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” (v. 6)
Jesus: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (v. 7)

Next, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and said:

Devil: “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.” (v. 9)
Jesus: “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” (v. 10)

Friends, the heart of a hypocrite is evil.
Yet a hypocrite hides his evil heart well, and wraps it up nicely.
How does he wrap it up?
Just as one might coat a clay pot with silver to make it shine, so does a hypocrite cover his evil heart with gentle lips to make it appear attractive.
Especially, he wraps his evil heart in warm and kind words of love, making it seem glossy and appealing.

So, what should we do?

(1) We must examine ourselves before God.
In the process of self-examination, if the holy God reveals our hypocritical attitudes through His holy Word, we must confess and repent of our sins of hypocrisy.

(2) If there is such a hypocrite around us, we must not trust their words.
No matter how gently and kindly they speak, we must not lend an ear to their words.
Even if their passionate words stir feelings of love in us, we must not believe them.

(3) We must overcome the hypocrite’s words with God’s Word, just as Jesus did.
To do so, we must be full of the Word and full of the Holy Spirit.
When we are, the Holy Spirit will give us discernment to recognize the words of the hypocrite.
The Holy Spirit will also remind us of God’s Word—how to respond to the hypocrite’s words and how to overcome those sweet temptations with truth—and He will lead us to victory through the Word.

As I meditated on this passage, I wrote the following:

“Satan’s bold lies, so sweet and persuasive, may sound biblical, but in reality they are either 99% Scripture with 1% added or 1% removed—unbiblical at heart.
Without a mind that is 100% rooted in Scripture, we will all be deceived…”

Let us earnestly long for the Word of God, so that we may all have a 100% biblical mindset.
Let us be filled with the Word, so that even through the gentle lips of the hypocrite, we may discern the evil heart behind them.
Therefore, let us not be deceived by the soft, warm, and kind words of the hypocrite.

Secondly, the hypocrite hides their hateful feelings with flattery.

When you begin to feel hatred toward someone, are you able to hide that feeling well? And even while hiding it, can you interact with that person comfortably? I personally think that is by no means easy. A good example of this is Joseph’s brothers. Let’s look at Genesis 37:4:

“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.”
(The Korean Contemporary Bible says: “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than themselves, they hated him and could not even speak kindly to him.”)

Joseph’s brothers saw that their father Jacob loved Joseph more than them, so they hated him. Therefore, the Bible records that they could not speak to Joseph in a friendly way. In the end, Joseph’s brothers failed to hide their hateful feelings toward him. Later, when Joseph told them about his dreams, they “hated him even more” (verses 5 and 8). Eventually, they didn’t just hate him—they plotted to kill him (verse 18).

Another example is Amnon, the son of King David. He fell in love with Tamar, the sister of Absalom (2 Samuel 13:4). After forcing her and sleeping with her (v. 14), the Bible says that “he hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her before” (v. 15).

This shows how powerful the emotion of hatred can be. It tends to manifest itself easily, in one form or another. Hatred is a truly terrifying emotion.

Now let’s look at today's text in Proverbs 26:24:

“An enemy disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit.”
(The Korean Contemporary Bible: “A hypocrite hides his feelings with flattering words.”)

The Bible tells us that even murderous hatred can be hidden behind flattering words. How frightening is that? A hypocrite can even hide such hateful emotions while speaking flattering words to the one they hate. Isn’t that astonishing?

The “feelings” of the hypocrite mentioned here, according to the original Hebrew, refer to open hostility and conflict with another person, indicating enmity (Swanson). In other words, even though the hypocrite has feelings of hatred toward someone they consider an enemy, they hide those feelings with flattering speech.

While doing so, the hypocrite continuously devises deceit in their heart and repeatedly thinks about betraying that enemy (Spence-Jones). Still, with their lips, they flatter them.

As I meditated on this verse, I thought of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. In Matthew 26:49, we see that a large crowd carrying swords and clubs came with Judas to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was praying (v. 47), sent by the chief priests and elders of the people. Judas had told the crowd, “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him” (v. 48). Then he approached Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him (v. 49).

Inwardly, Judas had come with the intention of betraying Jesus to the religious leaders. But outwardly, he greeted Jesus warmly and kissed Him. What a deceitful and hypocritical act! What a perfect picture of a cunning hypocrite.

At that moment, Jesus said to Judas—as recorded by Luke in Luke 22:48:

“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

And Matthew writes in Matthew 26:50:

“Friend, do what you came for.”

Jesus knew the heart of Judas and the betrayal that lay behind his hypocritical words and kiss. Yet He still called him “friend” and told him to do what he had come for.

According to the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament), Proverbs 26:24 reads like this:

“An enemy weeping promises all things with his lips, but in his heart he contrives deceit.” (Spence-Jones)

In other words, a hypocrite, while hiding their hateful feelings toward someone they hate like an enemy, cleverly schemes to deceive them—even shedding tears while making false promises. Wouldn’t most people be fooled by such tears?

But how can we recognize a hypocrite who hides their hatred behind tears?

Friends, we must not become people who flatter others to hide our hateful feelings like hypocrites do. Why not? The reason is clearly stated in Psalm 12:3:

“May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks proud things.”

Rather than flattering, we should rebuke with love. Proverbs 28:23 says:

“He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with the tongue.”

We must guard ourselves against the flattering speech of hypocrites. Especially, we must carefully discern flattery that is used to conceal hateful feelings.

As I meditated on Proverbs 26:24, I wrote the following reflection:

“No matter how much someone tries, hateful feelings toward others will eventually come out. So when someone hides such feelings with flattering words, I think that person is truly frightening. Even more, a person who can hide their hatred with tears is extremely dangerous. We must not be deceived by a hypocrite’s flattering words and tears. And especially, we must stop deceiving ourselves before God with our own hypocritical, flattering prayers and tears.”

Thirdly, even if a hypocrite speaks pleasantly, his heart is full of wicked thoughts.

When someone speaks to you in a way that sounds pleasing, can you truly feel the sincerity behind their words? For some reason, I often find that when someone speaks pleasantly just for my sake, I have a hard time sensing their genuine heart. Many times, it just feels like they're being polite out of formality. Especially when I know that the other person harbors ill feelings toward me, no matter how pleasing their words may sound to my ears, I cannot accept those words as sincere. How about you?

Let’s look at today’s passage, Proverbs 26:25:
“Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.”
[Today's Korean Version (현대인의 성경): “No matter how pleasant his words sound, you cannot trust him because his heart is full of wicked thoughts.”]

According to today’s passage, Proverbs 26:25, the modern Korean version tells us that no matter how pleasant the hypocrite’s words may sound, we cannot believe them because their heart is filled with wicked thoughts. As we meditated on verse 24 earlier, the reason a hypocrite flatters us with pleasing words is to conceal the hateful feelings they have toward us. So even if that person says things that sound nice to our ears, how could we believe them? Especially if we already know that the hypocrite’s heart is full of evil thoughts, how could we believe their sweet-sounding words? We simply cannot believe them. If we do believe the hypocrite’s pleasant words, we are foolish.

As I reflected on this passage, I was reminded of such foolish people. The first foolish person that came to mind is King Ahab of Israel in 2 Chronicles 18. The reason I think King Ahab was foolish is that he hated the true prophet Micaiah because Micaiah always prophesied bad things about him (v.7). Instead, Ahab liked listening to the false, flattering prophecies of 400 false prophets—such as, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and win the victory, for the Lord will give the city into the king’s hand” (v.11).

The background to this passage is that before going to battle together at Ramoth Gilead (v.3), King Jehoshaphat of Judah said to Ahab, “First, let’s inquire of the Lord what His will is today” (v.4). After hearing the good-sounding prophecy from the 400 false prophets (v.5), Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there another prophet of the Lord we can inquire of?” (v.6, Today's Korean Version). Ahab responded that there was one more, Micaiah, but he hated him because he always prophesied evil things and never anything good (v.7). Jehoshaphat then told Ahab, “The king should not say such a thing” (v.7).

Other foolish people are the Israelites during the time of the prophet Jeremiah. They did not listen to the words of the true prophets whom God persistently sent (Jer. 26:5), but instead listened to the false words of prophets who prophesied lies (27:10, 14–16). In other words, they ignored the message of God’s impending disaster proclaimed by true prophets (26:3, 13, 19) and instead listened to false prophets proclaiming peace (28:9). Even though it was not a time of peace, the people of Judah listened to and believed the words of the false prophets who cried, “Peace, peace” (6:14, 8:11; cf. 28:15). These false prophets not only prophesied peace, but also falsely declared, “You will not serve the king of Babylon” (27:9, 14). Although God had not sent these false prophets, they lied in His name (27:10, 14, 15, 16), and the people of Judah listened to them. How foolish were they?

I believe things are no different today. Even now, we Christians—lacking wisdom and being foolish—are doing exactly what Paul described in 2 Timothy 4:3. Instead of listening to sound doctrine, we follow our own desires and gather around teachers who say what our itching ears want to hear (Today's Korean Version). We even say “Amen” and believe their sweet-sounding words, despite knowing that these teachers are hypocrites. How foolish is that?

Proverbs 26:25 clearly warns us not to believe the hypocrites’ words, no matter how pleasant they sound. Why? Because their hearts are full of wicked thoughts (v.25, Today's Korean Version).

We must listen to sound doctrine. Even if that sound teaching does not please our ears or sound nice, we must urgently seek to hear it. We must also listen to the Word of truth, like a sword of the Spirit, that rebukes and corrects us. Whether the truth sounds pleasant to us or not, we must listen with faith—because it is the Word of God and it nourishes our souls.

We can trust God’s Word because His countless thoughts toward us are truly precious and valuable (Psalm 139:17–18).

Fourth, even if a hypocrite hides his hatred with deceit, his wickedness will surely be exposed before the assembly.

Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 26:26:
“Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.”
[Modern Translation: “Even if he hides his emotions, his wickedness will be exposed to the public.”]
We already meditated on Proverbs 26:24, which says, “A hypocrite hides his emotions with flattering words.” The "emotion" here refers to hateful feelings. In other words, a hypocrite hides his hateful feelings through flattery.
Today’s passage in verse 26 doesn’t use the word “flattery” (as in verse 24), but says he hides his hatred “with deceit.”

Personally, I think it’s more frightening and dangerous when someone hides their hatred and deceives others rather than someone who, although perhaps unpleasant, is at least transparent and openly shows their emotions.
When I think about such people in the Bible, I’m reminded of King Saul, who tried to kill David, and Absalom, David’s son.
King Saul, filled with murderous jealousy, couldn’t hide his hatred for David and made it obvious to everyone.
Similarly, Esau, from Genesis, hated his brother Jacob so much that he even wanted to kill him (Genesis 27:41). Esau also couldn’t hide his hatred.

But compared to Saul, Absalom is different. He managed to hide his hatred for two whole years. After his sister Tamar was raped and disgraced by Amnon, another son of David, Absalom hated Amnon in his heart, but he showed no sign of it and did not speak of the matter—neither good nor bad—for two years (2 Samuel 13:22–23).
Then, two years later, Absalom hosted a feast and invited Amnon and all the king’s sons, ultimately having Amnon killed (verses 23–29).
This shows how dangerous and terrifying hidden hatred can be. If we harbor hatred in our hearts, it can build up over time and lead us to commit even greater sins against the one we hate.

1 John 3:12 says:
“Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”
Genesis 4:4–5 tells us that God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s, and Cain became very angry and his face was downcast.

The story of Joseph’s brothers also comes to mind. When they saw that their father Jacob loved Joseph more than them, they hated him and couldn’t speak a kind word to him (Genesis 37:4).
Eventually, Cain struck and killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8).
At that moment, God said to Cain:
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
[Modern Translation: “If you had done the right thing, I would have accepted your offering. But since you didn’t, sin is waiting at your door to strike. It wants to control you, but you must master it.”]
Cain did not do what was right in God's eyes. Sin crouched at the door of his heart like a tiger with its claws ready, waiting to pounce on its prey. The devil was lurking, tempting Cain to commit evil.
But instead of overcoming sin, Cain let sin rule over him and ultimately committed murder.

Dear friends, the devil is still “prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
That’s why Scripture warns us to “be alert and of sober mind” (Modern Translation: “Stay alert and be fully on guard”).
We must especially be vigilant against hatred, which Satan plants in our hearts.
Satan tries to make us refuse to forgive the people we hate. He tempts us to disobey God’s command to forgive and to love, leading us to sin against God.
Satan keeps fueling our hatred—and the result?

1 John 2:11 says:
“But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”
[Modern Translation: “Anyone who hates his brother is still living in darkness. He walks in darkness, and the darkness has blinded his eyes so that he doesn't know where he's going.”]
Ultimately, Satan tries to keep us living in darkness, blinding us so we don’t even know where we’re headed. We then break God’s Word in confusion and sin repeatedly.

However, we must remember this: Our holy God, who sees the heart, also exposes even the hidden hatred we try to cover up with deceit.
Look again at Proverbs 26:26:
“Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.”
[Modern Translation: “Even if he hides his emotions, his wickedness will be exposed to the public.”]
Our sinful nature wants to hide and cover our sins over and over again—but God exposes what we hide.

Look at Ephesians 5:11–13:
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”
[Modern Translation: “Do not take part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.”]
Doesn’t light reveal everything?
Likewise, when God’s holy light shines on us, not only are our secret actions revealed, but even the sins hidden deep in our hearts are exposed.

Do you remember?
When David secretly committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and she became pregnant, David tried to cover it all up by ultimately having Uriah killed.
But God sent the prophet Nathan to David and said:
“You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.”
[Modern Translation: “You did it secretly, but I will make this happen in broad daylight before all of Israel.”] (2 Samuel 12:12).

Why does God expose the sins we commit in secret?
Why does He even reveal the hatred we’ve hidden in our hearts toward others before the public?
No matter how deeply we try to conceal our hateful feelings with deception, why does God bring our evil to light before the congregation? (Proverbs 26:26)
I found the reason in the First Epistle of John:

(1) The first reason is to make us realize that if we say we love God but hate our brother, we are liars.
Look at 1 John 4:20:
"If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."

(2) The second reason is to make us understand that whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
See 1 John 3:15:
"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him."

Ultimately, I believe God exposes even the deeply hidden hatred in our hearts before the congregation to first reveal His holiness, and also to give us an opportunity to confess and repent of our lies and the sin of spiritual murder.

When such an opportunity is given, we must confess and repent of our sins before the holy God and before the congregation.
Of course, our natural instinct is to hide and cover our sins even when they are revealed.
But like David, a man after God’s own heart, we must immediately confess and repent of our sins.

Fifth, the hypocrite digs a pit, but falls into it himself.

Do you remember that old gospel song we used to sing often called “Oh, our soul has escaped”?
The lyrics go like this:
"Oh, our soul has escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler / Oh, our soul has escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler / The snare is broken, and we are freed, our help is in the name of the Lord / The snare is broken, and we are freed, our help is in the name of the Lord."

I faintly remember singing this song in Sunday school when I was a child.
As far as I remember, there was even a dance that went along with it.
But did you know that this song is based on a Bible verse?
It’s from Psalm 124:7–8:
"Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

The psalmist, ascending to the temple, says to the people of Israel:
"If the Lord had not been on our side..." (Psalm 124:1), then when their enemies rose up against them (v.2),
they would have been swallowed alive (v.3), overwhelmed (v.4), and their souls would have been drowned (vv.4–5).

In other words, when the people of Israel were in extreme suffering and utterly helpless,
they cried out to God, and God delivered them—like a bird escaping from the fowler’s snare—
through the help of the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth.
This means the people of Israel were saved and set free.

Our God, who helps us, is the One who delivers and sets us free.

Though Satan, like a fowler, sets traps to ensnare us and lock us in a cage,
our God, the Maker of heaven and earth who helps us, breaks the snare and sets us free from the cage.
Thus, He allows us to enjoy freedom in Christ.

This salvation was not only experienced by the Israelites in the Old Testament.
The apostle Paul also experienced this salvation in Acts 23.

There, the Jews who opposed Christ, the gospel, and Paul formed a conspiracy.
More than 40 men vowed not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul (Acts 23:12–13).
They set an ambush (v.16, 21), ready to strike.

But God used Paul’s nephew to reveal this plot.
Paul asked the centurion to take his nephew to the commander (vv.16–17),
and the commander ordered that Paul be escorted to Caesarea with 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen (v.23).
As a result, Paul arrived safely in Caesarea (v.33).

In this way, though enemies of the Lord and His servant sought to kill Paul,
God, who helps His servant, rescued Paul from their hands.

Satan and his followers are astonishingly determined to make us fall from the faith.

Just as over 40 men conspired not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul,
Satan and his forces are just as fiercely resolved to destroy our faith.
They strategize and lay ambushes with one goal in mind:
to make us fall from faith in Jesus, betray Him, and walk away from Him.

One of their major tactics is traps.
They dig traps and disguise them to look harmless, placing them along our path of faith.
If we do not remain spiritually alert and pray with vigilance and sobriety,
though our spirit may be willing, our flesh is weak, and we will fall into these traps and sin against God.

However, even in such situations, our God works all things together for good.
He leads us to hope in the God of salvation, to cry out in faith,
and ultimately rescues us from those traps, and causes the very ones who dug the traps—Satan and his forces—to fall into them instead.

Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 26:27:
“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.”
[Contemporary Translation (Korean Living Bible): “A person who digs a trap to hurt others will fall into it themselves, and someone who rolls a stone down to harm another will be struck by that same stone.”]

Here, the Hebrew word for “pit” literally means a pit dug to trap a lion (according to Brown).
When I think of the meaning of this word, I’m reminded of Daniel in the lions’ den.

When Darius the Mede was king, he appointed three administrators over his kingdom, and Daniel was one of them.
Because Daniel had an excellent spirit and excelled above the other two administrators and all the officials, King Darius planned to set him over the entire kingdom (Daniel 6:1–3).
But through the jealousy and schemes of the other two administrators and the officials, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den.
However, the result was that Daniel was not harmed at all, because he had trusted in his God (v. 23).

But do you know what happened afterward?
King Darius ordered those who had falsely accused Daniel to be brought, and they were thrown into the lions’ den along with their wives and children.
And before they even reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones (v. 24).

In the end, as stated in the first part of Proverbs 26:27, they fell into the very trap they had dug for someone else—the lions’ den became their own downfall.

Friends, you know the Korean proverb, “He digs his own grave,” right?
It’s a metaphor for someone doing something foolish that leads to their own destruction.

When I think of that proverb, I also think of Jeremiah 2:13:
“For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and dug for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
[Contemporary Translation: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and dug their own cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.”]

The people of Judah in this verse were, essentially, digging their own graves.
They committed the foolish sin of bringing destruction upon themselves.
God highlights their sin in two ways:
First, they abandoned God, the fountain of living waters.
Second, they dug their own cisterns.

While digging these broken cisterns, the people of Judah turned away from God and followed “worthless things” (v. 5), or “useless things” (vv. 8, 11).
These worthless and useless things were false gods, meaning they committed idolatry.

They turned their backs to God and their faces toward the gods they had made themselves (vv. 27–28).

To these apostate and rebellious people, God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah:
“Your own wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no fear of me” (v. 19).
God declared that forsaking Him and lacking fear of Him is true evil and leads to suffering.

In other words, the people of Judah chose the path of suffering for themselves—they were the ones digging their own grave.

In Psalm 35:7, the Bible says that those who plotted to kill David (v. 4)
spread nets and dug traps without cause to capture him.
Thinking of those enemies who laid traps for David without reason,
we can see that a hypocrite hides his hatred and even digs a trap to harm the person he despises.

But the Bible says that hypocrite will fall into the very trap he dug.
And even if he tries to roll a stone to strike someone, that stone will strike him instead
(Proverbs 26:27; see also Psalm 35:7, Contemporary Translation).

Think about it:
To roll a stone down on someone, you first have to push it up a hill.
But what happens if an accident occurs while pushing it up?
You may end up being crushed by the very stone you were trying to use against someone else.

What does this mean?
It means that the hypocrite who tries to destroy others ultimately brings destruction upon himself (according to Park Yoon-sun).

So, what should we do?

We must look to God.

Just like the prophet Jonah, who—even while inside the belly of a great fish deep in the sea—said,
“Yet I will look again toward your holy temple” (Jonah 2:4),
we too must look to God again, even if we find ourselves in traps or pits like deep holes.

Why?
Because “salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).

Even when things appear hopeless from our human perspective (Acts 27:20),
even when we feel like giving up on life itself,
we must look to the Creator of heaven and earth,
and cry out to Him.

We must plead with Him:
“Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me” (Psalm 141:9).

And in the midst of such prayers, we must listen for God's voice,
and gain hope and assurance of salvation (Acts 27:23–25).
We must pray in faith, believing that God will rescue us from the hypocrites who have set traps to destroy us.

When we do this, God will deliver us from the pit,
and cause the very hypocrites who tried to harm us to fall into their own traps.

Sixth and finally, the hypocrite lies.

Do you think it is a lie when someone harbors hatred in their heart for another person but outwardly treats them with kindness? According to Proverbs 26:23, which we’ve already meditated on, this is “concealing hatred with deception.” Isn’t that a lie? We must first be honest with ourselves before our holy God. When we hate someone in our hearts but hide that hatred with smiles and kind words, we are not only deceiving others—we are also deceiving ourselves. This is far from being honest.

As Christians, we must be truthful. There must be no falsehood or pretense in our hearts. We must be sincere. First, we must be truthful before God, and also truthful with ourselves in His presence. Only then can we be truthful with our neighbors. To do this, we must obey the Word of God, the Word of truth. Therefore, our hearts must be transformed by the truth. When that happens, we can keep falsehood from infiltrating our hearts.

Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 26:28:

"A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin."
(The Living Bible: "A person who lies hates the one he hurts, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.")

The Bible says that a person who lies hates the one he harms. What does this mean? It means that a liar harbors hatred toward someone and ends up hurting that person. Liars often harm others out of hatred. How do they harm them? Most often, they slander the one they hate, damaging their reputation (Walvoord).

Have you ever experienced this personally? Has someone who hates you spread malicious lies or rumors about you, causing you harm? If a liar hates someone, is there anything they wouldn’t do to hurt that person? Would they stop at just lying?

Look again at the second half of Proverbs 26:28: the liar will even flatter in order to deceive and harm the person they hate.

Friends, the more we live in hypocrisy, the more our conscience becomes numb. And as our conscience becomes numb, we inevitably become liars through our hypocrisy (1 Timothy 4:2). But Scripture commands us not to lie to one another (Colossians 3:9)—for lying is a deed of the old self (v. 9). Therefore, we must hate lying (Proverbs 13:5). We must not lie against the truth (James 3:14). Especially, we must not say that we know God and yet fail to keep His commandments—that is to live a lie (1 John 2:4).

One of God’s commandments is to love our neighbor. So if we say we love God but hate our brother or sister, we are lying (1 John 4:20). We must not become false witnesses who lie not only with our lips but also through our actions and lives (Proverbs 14:5). Rather, we must be true and faithful witnesses of God. We must testify that Jesus is the Christ. We must proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lips and also live a life worthy of the gospel, thereby testifying to the gospel through our lives.

Therefore, I hope and pray that you and I will live as truthful and faithful witnesses of God who glorify Him.

Let me conclude this meditation. Over the past few weeks, under the theme “The Hypocrite…,” we’ve reflected on six ways the hypocrite’s lips and heart differ:

1. The hypocrite’s lips are gentle, but his heart is evil.

2. The hypocrite hides his hatred with flattery.

3. Even if the hypocrite’s words sound pleasant, his heart is full of vile thoughts.

4. The hypocrite may conceal his hatred with deception, but his wickedness will surely be exposed before the congregation.

5. The hypocrite digs a pit, but he himself falls into it.

6. The hypocrite lies.

Jesus said in Matthew 23:25:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (The Living Bible)

Hypocrites honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him (Mark 7:6).
We must no longer live in such hypocrisy. We must confess and repent of our sins. We must no longer live a life of inconsistency between heart and lips. Rather, we must live in truth. Our hearts must be true, and our lips must also speak the truth.
Then, “the one who lives with integrity will be kept safe” (Proverbs 28:18).