Today is the 26th of March, and so I had to read proverbs 26.

It’s a chapter that talks about various areas of human lives; laziness, gossip, honor, curse and few other things.

But one thing it talked about that struck me is Flattery, and I know flattery is what a lot of people enjoy.

But here is what it says about flattery;

“A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin” Proverbs 26 vs 28 RSV

Another translation caps it;

“Flattery is a form of hatred and wounds cruelly”. Proverbs 26 vs 28 TLB

This is actually an eye opener. When people flatter you, you may think they are doing it out of real appreciation of you or giving you an undeserved standard.

But this verse is typically telling that flatteries are all lies and has the tendency of concealing ulterior motives against you.

Flattery is very different from compliments. Compliments are based on factual events or accomplishments.

The lesson to learn from here is this, be wary of people who come straight up to flatter you, they are after something that you have or after something that they can use you to achieve. And mostly, they use flattery to break down you defenses.

If we follow the submission of this writer (which is highly recommended), it means there is selfishness and hatred concealed behind those flatteries.

When someone starts flattering you, it is a red flag, and you should be at alert.

ES