Lying lips have now gone viral, and it has become so widespread in our culture, that it is now regarded as being the norm by millions of people. Because there are prominent persons in high and low places, who do not shrink from unleashing a barrage of lies on a daily basis, those who are under their jurisdiction are now more inclined than ever to follow in their footsteps.
Lying has now become fashionable and acceptable in political circles, it has taken deep root with many defense attorneys, it has permeated the advertising industry, and with the average John Doe, lying, in many cases is now viewed as being legal, right, and necessary. Therefore, many have fallen from grace individually, nationally, and even politically, when it comes to lying lips. The dictionary describes lying as the telling of false statements or untruthfulness.
But this definition is not capable of capturing the full extent of the issue, for according to the scriptures, lying runs the entire gamut, from habitual lying, to alternate facts, acting out lies, to facial expressions that convey misleading sentiments, to those who just tell lies for no reason, even when there may be no benefit to themselves, or to others. Therefore, in order to understand the magnitude of the problem we must address it as God does, for He is a Spirit and any and every type of lying will not be acceptable in His sight.
He is a God of righteousness and truth, and He desires us to deal in His currency. On the contrary, all lies have their root in satan, for he is the author of falsehood in any form even when it may seem to be adopted for good purposes. In other words, there is no such thing as a good lie, even though people of faith in times past have used this currency on some occasions.
God used Rahab, Abraham, and Peter, to accomplish much good, but not once did He move them to tell any lies, because several passages in the scriptures address this issue so as to make God’s purposes, as it pertains to lying, as clear as crystal. Let’s read:
Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.
Deuteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Psalms 15: 1Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. 4 He that swears to his own hurt, and changes not.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and sorcerers, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The servant of the Lord gives us a broader view of the subject matter, so as to make it practicable and applicable to all circumstances, in which falsehoods are being told. The intentions of the heart are also brought into the equation, for lying does not refer only to the words and actions, but also to the intent of one’s heart. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 309] False speaking in any matter, every attempt or purpose to deceive our neighbor, is here included. An intention to deceive is what constitutes falsehood.
The previous, highlighted statement is so weighted that it demands a further explanation, because, by extension, it implies that a person could be guilty of lying, even if the opportunity to carry out the lie did not actually materialize.
Several years ago, a would-be bandit planned to rob a certain bank on a particular day, so he went about laying his plans. He did thorough surveillance of the premises in question, and he observed that early in the morning before the bank’s doors would be open for business, was the best time to strike. So, he got his ransom note ready, which stated that $20,000 from the till should be handed over. He also purchased a black face mask and on the day in question, he made his way to the location only to discover that a police vehicle was parked near the premises, because an officer had stopped briefly to make an early morning deposit.
On seeing the trooper, the bandit decided not to move forward with his plans but would instead wait for another day when the situations would be more conducive to robbery. Question: As far as The Lord is concerned, did the bandit rob the bank? Answer: Absolutely! And in the books of record in heaven a specific robbery for $20,000.00 is recorded against his name.
Even if he did not go so far as to purchase the face mask and the other gear needed for the robbery, if he had made a firm decision to rob the bank, crime would have been recorded against his name in the books of heaven. That’s because sin occurs not only at the action stage, but previously in our minds, if a determination to sin has been deliberately made. The sinful action is therefore a byproduct of what has already been decided upon, only awaiting the opportune moment to materialize.
This sacred truth about the weight our intentions carry, can explain previously unexplained passages of scripture, when other folks got hurt as a result of wrongdoing by others, in some instances. Case in point is when David presumed to number the people, against God’s will, and against Joab who remonstrated at the very thought of numbering. In this instance, David had instigated the sinful act, but others participated in his sin by their consent, and support, and therefore 70,000 of Israel perished by the plague even though, they did not actually give the directives. Let’s read:
1st Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. 2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
3 And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? 4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
16 And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
In verse 17, David refers to those who died in the plague as being sheep, but in actuality, not a single sheep perished with the 70,000. David was a sheep and he did not perish, for he manifested the most prominent characteristic of sheep. At the onset of their Christian experience, love isn’t the most important characteristic of sheep, for love is always a by-product of the indwelling Christ, and ultimately it will be developed and manifested in all who are real sheep. John was not always loving and kind, for himself and James went privately to Christ to ask for the first place in the kingdom.
But when Christ called them to His ministry before they were converted, they “Listened”. The most prominent characteristic of sheep is that they “Listen” when The Master speaks, and they follow where The Master leads. In fact, a real sheep may not always agree with the Master in everything He does, but at the end of the day, they Listen. On the other hand, there are those who may do a lot of charitable works, but they do not listen to the Master’s voice when He speaks.
Many will say in the day of final accounts that they had done many good loving deeds; and in response, Jesus does not really dispute their claim, but He never got to know them, because they would not listen.
Let’s read: John 10: 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Thus, when The Master spoke clearly to David in his conscience, showing him the great wrong that was done, he “Listened” and he followed where The Master always leads …. to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 24:10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
But those who perished in the plague had chosen to retain their original purposes and intentions; thus, when the same Holy Ghost who pricked David in his conscience, came to them they refused His gracious overtures and would not listen. Thus, even though they were not the original instigators, and did not give out the directives, they were judged by their intentions, by clinging to, and participating in the same spirit of national pride.
That’s why the servant of The Lord states that it is an intention to lie which constitutes falsehood. The action does not need to be carried out for it to be registered in the books above as sin, and this fact is clearly stated in the Bible.
Let’s read: Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The servant of God continues: “By a glance of the eye, a motion of the hand, an expression of the countenance, a falsehood may be told as effectually as by words. All intentional overstatement, and every hint or insinuation calculated to convey an erroneous or exaggerated impression, even the statement of facts in such a manner as to mislead, is falsehood. This precept forbids every effort to injure our neighbor's reputation by misrepresentation or evil surmising, by slander or tale bearing. Even the intentional suppression of truth, by which injury may result to others is a violation of the ninth commandment.
Then there are other branches or variations of lying that are often swept under the rug, such as acting a lie, primary and secondary reasons for lying and lies that stem from genuine fear. Then there are what is referred to as alternate facts or half-truths, such as when Abraham said that Sarah was his sister. Sarah was indeed his half-sister, but she was primarily his wife. Thus, a half-truth is really a full lie in God’s eyes.
Again, lying can occur by evading direct questions, pertaining to truth, and answering other questions that were not asked to escape telling the truth, and telling lies through accolades, applause, or censure. Satan deals in both applause and heckling as a form of lying, so buyers beware. The unadulterated truth alone, and nothing else is only what is acceptable in God’s sight.
Recently, a solemn and very sacred oath to God was taken by some public servants, with their hands on the Holy Bible, to deal truthfully in the current trial. But it’s yet to be seen if truth will prevail or whether prevarication and lies will rule the day. At this point we all should be reminded, that it is a very solemn thing, and it could be even dangerous for anyone to swear an oath before God and then renege on it for invalid reasons. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore, let thy words be few. 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
This brings us to our main study for today, because a series of premeditated lies were related to Joshua by the Gibeonites, who were driven by fear to utter falsehoods and to act out lies with the hope of them preserving their lives. The reason why we would use this encounter is because it demonstrates what is commonly practiced in various forms by persons. The city of Jericho had just been taken by Israel, and the city of Ai had fallen too, from whence came the giants and thus, the Gibeonites calculated that their turn would be next.
So, driven by genuine fear, they then concocted a toxic mix of lies, including words, actions, and apparent exculpatory evidence which was strategically designed to confirm what they had been saying. Let’s read:
Joshua 9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, 4 They did work cunningly and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up. 5 And old shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. 8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
Two direct questions were asked by Joshua: [1] Who are you? And [2] From whence come ye? But the Gibeonites refer back to their default setting, and render what is a deliberately vague answer so as to mask the truth. The true answer would have been to say “We are Gibeonites, and we live next door”. But having set out on a lying course of action at the first they now felt it necessary to continue their line of reasoning, lest their lies be disclosed, and Joshua take vengeance on them for uttering such brazen falsehoods.
This often takes place when persons embark on a course of lying, because, when probed with deeper questions, they feel boxed in, and believe that they have no choice but to continue their lies. Let’s read:
Joshua 9:9 And they said unto him, “From a very far country” thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan. 11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: 13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
Brethren, it is always better to speak the truth, for lies, by nature, present unsubstantiated variables through which many holes can often be poked. For instance, the ambassadors claimed that they came from a “Very far country” and as evidence they pointed to their shoes and garments that had grown old by reason of the very great journey they claimed to have made.
But if their shoes were made of genuine leather, as they most likely were, then it would have taken many months, if not years, for those shoes to wear out, and if so, then there would be no reason for them to be afraid of Joshua, because they would be located so far away that his conquests could not be an issue. But they succeeded in pulling this one off on Joshua, and for obvious reasons. Let’s read:
Joshua 9:14 And the men took of their victuals and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them. 18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.
19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. 20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. 21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live.
For us to overcome lying in all of its various forms, we will need to start with an acknowledgement of our sins, where warranted, because confession and permanent change will not take place if we do not admit to God that we have a problem. This is what David did as he humbly reviewed his own course of action in his sin with Bathsheba. Let’s read:
Psalms 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. 2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? 4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Psalms 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Next, we will have to make a deliberate choice, and decision to be truthful. God does not override our freedom to choose, for this is something we must do for ourselves. Yet, His grace is promised to all, to empower us to put our decision into practice by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. The choice is ours, but the power to do comes from God alone. Let’s read:
Philippians 2:12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
1st John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
The next steps in obtaining the victory over lying will consist of continual practice, because practicing the truth makes perfect. Through the grace and the providences of God, we would at times, be brought into situations of varying intensity that will afford us opportunity to practice. Then we may even be brought into those difficult circumstances, where speaking the truth may cost us dearly, but we must endure the trial of our faith by God’s grace.
God’s grace and power will rise with every emergency, and by faithfully choosing truth over falsehood, the time will come when truth will become first and second nature to us, whilst lying would become extremely offensive. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to shoot for the stars, when it comes to being truthful, and God will bless our choices and efforts by His grace in the right direction. Let’s read:
Ephesians 4:21 If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. 22 That you put off the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor.
God Bless!