Proverbs 27:6

The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about speaking truth:

Proverbs 27:6 (ESV)

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

This proverb gives us insight about friends. It is in a Hebrew format called “contrasting parallelism.” This means the second line parallels the first in subject matter but contrast the first line in meaning. If you have someone who is close enough to you who carries the moniker “friend” then you should be able to trust that they will tell you like it is. Those who are closest to you should be the most honest with you. Those who always tell you what you want to hear are not your friends. A friend would not worry about wounding you to get the truth into your heart. Someone who is always agreeing with us and is not honest with us should be considered our enemy. They deceive us with the kiss of their positive words, but in reality it hurts. The verse just before this proverb says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” (27:5). These proverbs teach us that it is more healthy to have honesty amongst us than deception.

Peter knows what this looks like, for sure.  Notice how his brother, Paul,  came to him to correct a behavior:

Galatians 2:11-14 (ESV)

Paul Opposes Peter

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Peter was doing something wrong and Paul came to him and “wounded” him to bring him healing in his life.   This is the example of what Solomon meant in this proverb.   Beware of someone whose speech to you is always kisses.   They are often not willing to tell you the truth, thinking the truth would wound you.