Flattery

Flattery

Elihu said, “Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; nor let me flatter any man. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.” Job 32:21-22.

Therefore: when God is at hand, when seriousness is great, when we are awake, we do not flatter. When God is far away from us, when we are asleep by not keeping Him before us, then we fall in flattery, then we show partiality, then we seek to please what is before our eyes: namely people.

What do you accomplish with flattery? Two things: 1) You receive (or hope to receive) undeserved favor from people. 2) You tempt the person you flatter to commit an evil, to become great and good in his own eyes as well as extending him the desired, unjust favor.

Thus you have managed to perform “a nice piece of work.” Alas, Alas! Let us be finished with such things! It is worth an entire fortune to have such snake venom eradicated!!! “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.” Prov. 29:5. The entire world—also converted people— is full of this abominable evil.

Almost all preaching is more or less damaged by this poison. One speaks cloyingly and flatteringly, and thus falsely—for the sake of gain. One seeks people’s honor instead of God’s honor; in addition one seeks man’s riches instead of God’s riches.

If anyone is an excellent flatterer, you can be certain that he is a bad person; but even among very God-fearing people you can find touches of flattery which in such a case is not a faithful reflection of the person; nevertheless, it goes to show this weakness is running away with him, that he is not walking perfectly before God’s face.

Let us take Elihu’s words to heart so we can always keep ourselves pure and undefiled from flattery! When you meet up with flatterers, act as if you have not heard them or look away from them, whereby you will save yourself—or look them straight in the eye whereby you can possibly also save them. If you do the last, you can clearly see the snake venom mirrored in their eyes. Resist them strongly and let them be a warning to you so you don’t go and do the same thing.

It is blessed to have all fountains for all things in Christ Jesus because then the cause for flattery as well as the flatterer himself will fall away. He becomes superfluous!!!