When Truth Gets Its Pants On

Holding onto Honesty When Deception Goes Viral

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. -Proverbs 22:12

You’re being lied to.

There is a really good chance that you believe that line I just wrote. 86% of global citizens believe that fake news is a significant problem.[1] It’s like what Winston Churchill once said:

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

But that wasn’t actually Churchill it was Mark Twain. Well, that’s not true either it wasn’t Twain. The phrase was actually used by Spurgeon in a sermon in 1859. But it didn’t originate with him either. The origin goes all the way back to Thomas Jefferson—but he said “falsehood will travel over the country, while truth is pulling on its boots.” Though I must confess that phrase actually predates Jefferson. It’s likely origin, for real this time, goes all the way back to Jonathan Swift in 1710 who said:

Besides, as the vilest Writer has his Readers, so the greatest Liar has his Believers; and it often happens, that if a Lie be believ’d only for an Hour, it has done its Work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late; the Jest is over, and the Tale has had its Effect…[2]

I find it highly ironic that a great quote about how quickly falsehood spreads is usually misattributed. Does that prove the truth behind the quote?

All of this seems to throw a bit of doubt upon a verse like Proverbs 22:12. And if I’m being honest, it’s part of why I struggle with writing sometimes. What’s the point? There is a ready market for ear-tickling.

And when I say that, I’m confident that many of you heard something like, “Yeah, those on the left—hedonist they are—just love to hear about puppies and unicorns and live in a delusion.” But where I sit, I see just as much (if not more) ear-tickling on the right. It doesn’t sound the same, but its just as false and self-serving.

My point is that trying to be a reasonable voice—motivated by the truth wherever it leads—is going to get drowned out in this climate. And often I’m left wondering, “Does it even matter that I’m telling the truth?” Or at least trying my absolute best to walk by truth.

That’s what Proverbs 22:12 is all about. And it’s why the proverb is so hard to believe. It says the Lord watches over truth (“knowledge”) and overthrows the words of traitors. It feels like the opposite is happening. Deception seems to be winning and clever distortions get far more traction than careful truth. Where is God in all of this?

A God who sees…and acts

The proverb begins with the assurance that “the eyes of the Lord keep watch”. That implies active involvement. He’s not passively observing like some security camera recording facts but not acting upon them. No, he watches with purpose, intent, and care. He is actively guarding (preserving) the truth.

But what does that mean? It means that even if the truth for a moment seems silenced or sidelined, God is keeping it from being lost. He is preserving the truth within a torrent of misinformation.

The proverb also tells us that God “overthrows the words of the traitor”. To overthrow means to ruin, to bring to nothing. Again, this is active. Falsehood will not have the last word.

But it sure does seem like it…

The truth has a longer shelf life

This is really the problem which the author of Ecclesiastes confronts. It’s almost like you can hear him saying, “Why doesn’t Proverbs 22:12 look true?” Ecclesiastes is the cry of the preacher who has been betrayed, who sees fools exalted and liars go unpunished. It’s someone who has wrestled with the reality that sometimes truth is drowning and lies flourish. And he’s about to throw up his hands in despair.

But the author of Ecclesiastes gives a little glimpse at the answer to our problem. He tells us that God ultimately gets the last word. God’s justice isn’t always immediate, but it is ultimate. And if you take the long view—even on history—we can see that deceptions really don’t age well.

Liars are usually reactive. All they can do is twist and obscure for short-term gain. But truth is solid. Truth can last. You don’t have to prop it up and it doesn’t change depending on the moment. That means that even if you don’t see the words of a traitor overthrown in the next news cycle, truth will eventually win. Tim is the slow servant of truth.

As Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Luke 12:2).

That’s not just a warning. It’s a promise.

Look to Jesus

If anyone could ask why Proverbs 22:12 didn’t seem true, it was Jesus. He was falsely accused. And the liars had the crows. Truth was flipped on its head. The Son of God was called a liar and a blasphemer—by both liars and blasphemers. No voice, at least that was recorded, stood in His defense. The treacherous looked like they won…until the third day.

On the third day the Truth rattled, shook the foundations, and rolled the stone away. Jesus stood, out of the tomb, vindicated as the Son of God. And when that truth was revealed, it wasn’t just that one lie was undone. No, the whole false kingdom began to crumble. The entire empire of falsehood was exposed on that day.

It’s a foretaste of what is to come. Truth will reign.

So if you feel like your integrity isn’t “working” and you’re tempted to trade in accuracy for applause—don’t make that trade. Take heart and know that you’re on the right side when you are anchored in truth. The eyes of the Lord are watching. And His timing, though slow by our reckoning, is never off.

You might not go viral. But your words—if they are words of truth, of knowledge, of gospel wisdom—will outlast the noise.

Yes, a lie may get halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. That’s the reality of living in a fallen world. But that pithy statement leaves out one important detail. What happens when the truth gets its pants on? And that is what Proverbs 22:12 tells us. When Truth does get its pants on…lies are in trouble.

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[1] https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/cigi-fake-news-global-epidemic

[2] Thanks to Quote Investigator for tracking all of this down. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/