One Web-based company creates and sells personalized lies. For a few hundred dollars, this company helps job-seekers create phony references for résumés, and then provides telephone operators to verify the bogus information. While most of us would never dream of lying so brazenly, statistics show that approximately 30 percent of job-seekers exaggerate or embellish aspects of their résumés. This makes me wonder, what does God think when we reshape the facts to fit our needs?
Abram was an ancient spin doctor. When a famine hit his homeland, he and his wife Sarai went to Egypt to find food. As they neared the region, Abram turned to Sarai and said something like: “Gee, Honey, you’re the best- looking thing south of the Negev. So, could you just tell the Egyptians you’re my sister?” When I read this (Genesis 12:11-13), I assumed Abram was asking Sarai to lie on his behalf. According to Genesis 20:12, however, Sarai actually was Abram’s half-sister—as well as his wife!
Sure enough, Sarai turned heads in Egypt (Genesis 12:14). She decided to go along with Abram’s charade (Genesis 12:19), and because of that, Pharaoh whisked her away to his palace. Before he could make her a card-carrying member of the king’s harem, however, God sent his terrible plagues on Pharaoh and his staff. Finally, Pharaoh demanded the truth, asking Abram, “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?” (Genesis 12:18).
Sarai and Abram had tweaked the truth. The Bible closely relates lying and deceiving—we might think of them as spiritual neighbors (Job 31:5; Psalm 101:7; Hosea 11:12). The bottom line is that deceiving is no better than lying in God’s eyes. He’s always in favor of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (Isaiah 45:19).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Samuel 9:1-13
More:
Read Genesis 18:1-15 to see who always knows the truth. Read Matthew 26:72-75 to see the relationship between fear and lying.
Next:
Is it possible to lie to God? Why or why not? Spiritually speaking, what’s the difference between lying and deception?
Sandy on April 4, 2012 at 6:29 am
I like the Daily Journey, but I was wondering…what happened to Joe Stowell’s Daily Strength?
kewi on April 4, 2012 at 8:01 am
http://getmorestrength.org/
tom felten on April 4, 2012 at 8:36 am
Thanks for these biblical insights into speaking straight and true, Jen. It’s been my experience that the approval or affirmation I “gain” from stretching the truth (or flat-out manufacturing it!) is not worth damage it does to me, others, and the cause of Christ!
jennifer benson schuldt on April 4, 2012 at 5:58 pm
I agree, Tom. Our viewpoint on “The Truth” says a lot about who we are personally, and how we interact with other people! It can also impact our belief system–do we just believe in our own “personal truth”, or is there something else out there–something that is true for all people?
cjaway1 on April 4, 2012 at 11:01 am
Beyond the fact that it’s a sin, the biggest problem with a lie is that you have to remember it.
jennifer benson schuldt on April 4, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Yes, and the more lies you tell, the more you have to remember. How confusing!
daisymarygoldr on April 4, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Great post, Jennifer! I know this will sound weird to many who teach Abraham lied and yet was called the friend of God. Scripture, however, does not say that the Patriarch lied. As you rightly pointed out, Sarai actually was Abram’s half-sister. In enemy territory, Abraham was wise in introducing Sarah as his sister and choosing not to reveal the fact that she was also his wife.
This is why God did not punish Abraham but Pharaoh and Abimelech (Gen 20) were the ones who were punished. Both of them demanded the truth but truth is they were both liars. In that lawless land, had Abraham revealed the truth, they would have done exactly what he had feared.
To understand his fear, you need to see this story in the proper context. In Gen 12 Abraham had stepped out in faith in response to God’s call and promise of blessing for the whole earth. How can the promise work out if Abraham had been killed? Abraham believed God and in trying to protect himself, his faith was actually translated into works. Hence, God counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Hiding the truth from the foe would not be lying. Isaac did the same thing with Rebekah. The Hebrew midwives did not tell the truth to Pharaoh because they feared God and wanted to protect the baby boys. In return God blessed them. Rahab was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid the Israeli spies and sent them away by a different road. Mordecai instructed Esther not to reveal her Jewish identity. Many lied to authorities and falsified papers while hiding Jews from Nazis during the holocaust. There are Christians in pagan countries that I know personally who tell their fathers or husbands they are going shopping and instead attend church or a Bible study.
To protect Himself from evil, Jesus did not disclose the full truth (John 7:3-10) and also advised His disciples to be wise as serpents. You see, not revealing the truth is not the same as tweaking the truth. When truth is tweaked right is wrong and wrong is right; evil is good and good is evil, dark is light and light is dark.
The devil is the father of lies and continues to deceive people by tweaking the truth. God hates a lying tongue and the fate of all liars is in the fiery lake of hell. Thanks for the reminder to always speak the truth and nothing but the truth.
mike wittmer on April 6, 2012 at 4:24 pm
This is in response to your comment about having to keep track of our lies, Jennifer. Someone said yesterday that it’s never a good sign when two or more people say, “Okay, let’s get our stories straight.” If you’re telling the truth, you never have to worry about that.
Thank you for reminding us how easily we slip into the sin of deceit.