WHITE LIES & GOD - NYOBS 84.21

WHITE LIES & GOD

Fake News – Disinformation – Lying by omission – Honest lies – Nobel lies - Fibs

Wikipedia - Lies

·         As a child, we would cross our fingers when we told a lie, somehow that made it okay.  I can remember spanking my first child because he had lied to me; I was so hurt and in unbelief; where did he learn to lie? – I know; from me and I learned it from Adam and Eve.

·         Since the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the beginning of time, we have wrestled with deception which has become a contagious cancer that has spread throughout humanity.

·         Does God hate all lies or are there situations that are appropriate to lie or deceive and be justified and overlooked? Is there such a thing as a Nobel, virtuous, polite, honest or an innocent lie?  Does God ever reward a sin because of a pure motive, a deception that might otherwise be judged good for an unselfish reason? – Are there 50 SHADES OF LIES?

·         A fib is a lie that is considered easy to forgive due to revolving around trivial matters, such as a child fibbing that the family dog broke a vase, when in actuality it was the child that accidentally broke it.

·         A lie is a statement used intentionally for the purpose of deception. The practice of communicating lies is called lying, and a person who communicates a lie may be termed a liar.

·         White lies are minor lies which could be considered harmless, or even beneficial, in the long term. White lies are also considered to be used for the greater good. White lies are often used to shield someone from a hurtful or emotionally damaging truth, especially when not knowing the truth is completely harmless.

·         An honest lie or confabulation can be identified by verbal statements or actions that inaccurately describe history, background, and present situations. There is generally no intent to misinform and the individual is unaware that their information is false.

·         A noble lie, which also could be called a strategic untruth, is one that would normally cause discord if uncovered, but offers some benefit to the liar and assists in an orderly society, therefore, potentially beneficial to others. It is often told to maintain law, order and safety.

·         A polite lie is a lie that a politeness standard requires, and which is usually known to be untrue by both parties. Whether such lies are acceptable is heavily dependent upon culture. A common polite lie in international etiquette is to decline invitations because of "scheduling difficulties". - Similarly, the butler lie is a small lie which is usually sent electronically, and is used to terminate conversations or to save face.

·         Lie-to-children is a phrase that describes a simplified explanation of technical or complex subjects as a teaching method for children and laypeople.

·         Jocose lies are lies meant in jest, intended to be understood as such by all present parties. Teasing and irony are examples. A more elaborate instance is seen in some story telling traditions, where the storyteller's insistence that the story is the absolute truth, despite all evidence to the contrary (a tall tale), is considered humorous.

·         A half-truth is a deceptive statement that includes some element of truth. The statement might be partly true, the statement may be totally true, but only part of the whole truth, or it may employ some deceptive element, such as improper punctuation, or double meaning, especially if the intent is to deceive, evade, blame or misrepresent the truth. 

·         To bluff is to pretend to have a capability or intention one does not actually possess.  Bluffing is an act of deception that is rarely seen as immoral.

·         Lying in trade occurs when the seller of a product or service may advertise untrue facts about the product or service in order to gain sales, especially by competitive advantage. 

·         Puffery is an exaggerated claim typically found in advertising and publicity announcements, such as "the highest quality at the lowest price", or "always votes in the best interest of all the people". Such statements are unlikely to be true – but cannot be proven false and so do not violate trade laws.

·         Speaking with forked tongue is a phrase that means to deliberately say one thing and mean another or, to be hypocritical, or act in a duplicitous manner. - In the longstanding tradition of many Native American tribes, "speaking with a forked tongue" has meant lying, and a person was no longer considered worthy of trust, once he had been shown to "speak with a forked tongue." – Today people distrust the NEWS MEDIA as well as social media.

·         FAKE NEWS is a type of yellow journalism that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media.

·         Bullshit does not necessarily have to be a complete fabrication. While a lie is related by a speaker who believes what is said is false, bullshit is offered by a speaker who does not care whether what is said is true or not because the speaker is more concerned with giving the hearer some specific impression. 

·         Lying by omission, also known as a continuing misrepresentation or quote mining, occurs when an important fact is left out in order to foster a misconception.  Lying by omission includes the failure to correct pre-existing misconceptions.

·         Disinformation is intentionally false or misleading information that is spread in a calculated way to deceive target audiences.

·         An exaggeration occurs when the most fundamental aspects of a statement are true, but only to a certain degree.  It is also seen as "stretching the truth" or making something appear more powerful, meaningful, or real than it actually is. 

·         Minimization is the opposite of exaggeration.  It is a type of deception involving denial coupled with rationalization in situations where complete denial is implausible.

·         Defamation is the communication of a false statement that harms the reputation of an individual person, business, product, group, government, religion, or nation.

·         A memory hole is a mechanism for the alteration or disappearance of inconvenient or embarrassing documents, photographs, transcripts, or other records, such as from a website or other archive, particularly as part of an attempt to give the impression that something never happened.

·         A cover-up may be used to deny, defend or obfuscate one's own (or one's allies or group's) errors, one's embarrassing actions or lifestyle. 

·         To deflect is to avoid the subject that the lie is about, not giving attention to the lie.  When attention is given to the subject the lie is based around, deflectors ignore or refuse to respond.  Skillful deflectors are passive-aggressive people, who when confronted with the subject choose to ignore and not respond.

·         Fraud refers to the act of inducing another person or people to believe a lie in order to secure material or financial gain for the liar.

·         Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law, or in any of various sworn statements in writing. 

·         Pathological lying or compulsive lying is a behavior of habitual or compulsive lying.  The individual may be aware they are lying, or may believe they are telling the truth, being unaware that they are relating fantasies. – Wikipedia - 

What is Truth? 

·         Information from the news media is for the common good of everyone, based on freedom, justice and TRUTH. – Journalist have an obligation to serve up the TRUTH and nothing can justify systematically falsifying the TRUTH to exercise a political position through disinformation for the purpose of manipulating public opinion.

·         We have put God’s word on the back seat, if not in the trunk.  Slowly but surely we have come to look to “The Herd” if not to ourselves for truth. - Cancer kills people, Doctors kill cancer; a bug sees a spider web as death, but the spider sees it as life; so we have come to see TRUTH only as a matter of perspective. – TRUTH IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.

·         We tell harmless white lies to try to not offend others, its being polite, diplomatic, it’s just tactful to help keep the peace, and it’s not a serious wrong doing.

·         Do we speak LIES out of love or do we speak the TRUTH out of love? – Telling the truth is not a suggestion from the Book, it’s a command. – Honestly praise something or be silent. Lies are a deliberate attempt to deceive by words, gestures, circumstances or even your silence. – Saying you are sick when you are not; telling your secretary to say you are not in, and falsifying facts or your achievements is just simply lying.

·         Interestingly, we have a law that prohibits you from lying under oath; does that mean it’s okay to lie the rest of the time? – In real life, we have come to expect people to spin, exaggerate, stretch and bend the truth especially in self-preservation.

·         The Book records that leaders begin to look to themselves for truth; instructed the seers to “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of WHAT IS RIGHT!  Tell us pleasant things, prophesy ILLUSIONS - TRUTH HAS FALLEN IN THE STREETS –The psalmist poses his question to us; who will dwell with God on His Holy Mountain? -  God says “THE ONE WHO SPEAKS THE TRUTH”.

Isaiah 30:10 – Give us NO MORE visions of what is RIGHT
¹⁰ They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of WHAT IS RIGHT! Tell us pleasant things, PROPHESY ILLUSIONS. (NIV2011)

Isaiah 59:14 - Truth has fallen in the street
¹⁴ Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for TRUTH IS FALLEN IN THE STREET, and equity cannot enter.

John 8:44 – We are children of the Father of lies Satan
⁴⁴ For YOU ARE THE CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for

HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES. (NLT)

Ephesians 4:25 - Stop telling lies, tell everyone the truth
²⁵ So STOP TELLING LIES.

Let us tell our neighbors the truth,

for we are all parts of the same body. (NLT)

Proverbs 12:22 – The Lord hates lying lips
²² THE LORD DETESTS LYING LIPS, but he

delights in those who tell the truth. (NLT)

Zechariah 8:16 – Tell the truth to each other
¹⁶ But this is what you must do:

TELL THE TRUTH TO EACH OTHER. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. (NLT)

Ephesians 4:15 – Speak the truth in love growing like Christ
¹⁵  Instead, we will SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

(NLT)

Psalm 15:2-5 – God desires we speak truth from sincere hearts
² Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

SPEAKING THE TRUTH FROM SINCERE HEARTS. …

⁵ Such people will stand firm forever.

(NLT)

James 5:12 – Let your YES be yes and your NO be no
¹² But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple YES or NO,

so that you will not sin and be condemned.

(NLT)

1 John 2:15-16 – Pride of life leads to temptation
¹⁵ Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
¹⁶ For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and

PRIDE IN OUR ACHIEVEMENTS AND POSSESSIONS.

These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (NLT)

Qur’an Lies

·         I professed my faith in Jesus Christ as a Child at the age of ten, although I had not actually read all of the Bible.  I was accepted into the Christian community and continued to learn and grow in knowledge.  Many adults today say they are Christians, but have not read the Bible and rarely go to church.  Such is the case of many Muslims who quickly snap to attention and say that they are a RELIGION OF PEACE, but confess they have never actually read the Qur’an.

·         Islam; The Qur’an is a book given to the “Last Prophet” MUHAMMAD, that was claimed to be the perfect revelation of Allah. – So many of the passages are not fully understood without the aid of “The Hadith” which clarifies the Qur’an’s intent.

·         The Hadith is a companion book to the Qur’an that shows how to put the guidance of the Qur’an into practice.  It’s a collection of sayings, deeds and the behavior of Muhammad including; eating, sleeping, praying, mating, planning revenge on his enemies and dispensing justice.

·         These actions of Muhammad were not ordinary acts; but were considered the actions of “Allah, and A Good Muslim will do all these same things as well as name their children Muhammad.  The Hadith in some sects is followed more closely than the Qur’an and its sayings can supersede the Qur’an

• The Ayatollah Khomeini said, “The purest joy in Islam is to kill and to be killed for Allah”. - There can be no peace with the Jews or Christians or any other non-Islamic people; and that if peace must be made, only a truce is permissible and that “for a maximum of 10 years as an expedient to hone our swords, whet our blood and strengthen our will.” 

·         As I study the Qur’an and the Hadith, I find that when a Muslim says that their religion is a REGION OF PEACE, I see it as a BOLD FACE LIE, they are at WAR with everyone. What I read is that they are to pretend to be at peace with those of other faiths while they make plans to KILL them. – It’s in the Qur’an -

Jeremiah 23:25 – There are prophets who prophesy LIES
²⁵ I HAVE HEARD WHAT THE PROPHETS HAVE SAID

WHO PROPHESY LIES IN MY NAME, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ (ESV)

*** Sura 5:75 – Jesus was just one of many messengers of Allah

75 CHRIST, the son of Mary was NO MORE THAN A MESSENGER. Many were the messengers that passed away before him.

*** Sura 4:157 – Jesus was made to appear to die on the cross

157 They (the Jews) said (in boast), “We killed CHRIST JESUS the son of Mary, THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH” – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not.

*** Sura 5:47 – Christians are judged as rebels

47 Let the People of “THE GOSPEL” judge by what Allah hath revealed therein.  If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.

*** Sura 9:29 – Kill, convert or subjugate Christians and Jews.

29 FIGHT THOSE WHO BELIEVE NOT IN ALLAH nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah (Muslim tax) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued

*** Hadith 9:57 – Kill the infidel

57 Whoever changes his Islamic religion should be KILLED.

*** Sura 9:123 – FIGHT the Unbeliever with HARDNESS

123 O you believe!  Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness.

*** Sura 9:5 – Lie in wait, seize and slay the idolaters

5 When the sacred months have passed, SLAY the idolaters wherever ye find them, seize them; LIE IN WAIT FOR THEM.

*** Sura 8:12 – Cast TERROR – Cut off their heads

12 I will CAST TERROR into the hearts of those who
disbelieve. Therefore STRIKE OFF THEIR HEADS 
and STRIKE OFF EVERY FINGERTIP of them." 

Bible Lies

·         When I study the Book I also see stories of lying particularly in the family of Abraham, God’s chosen man to be the father of many nations. – Abraham had Ishmael by Sarah’s maidservant Hagar and that gave us the lies of Islam as found in the Qur’an, but now let’s look at the lies of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob as found in the Book.

·         ABRAHAM’S wife Sarah also happened to be his half-sister.  She was beautiful to behold and when King Abimelech saw her; Abraham thought that the king would kill him to get Sarah.  Abraham omitted telling the King that she was his WIFE and only told him that she was his SISTER.  What he said was not a lie, but by omitting some facts; he had injected SPIN, a white LIE to save his own life. – Was this OK for A MAN OF GOD after all it was done to save his life. - SELAH ponder that.

·         SARAH, Abraham’s wife had visitors that told Abraham, SARAH, WILL HAVE A SON – Sarah overheard the conversation and she laughed silently to herself. - The Lord asked Abraham, why did Sarah laugh?  Sarah was afraid and LIED and said she didn’t laugh and the Lord said YES YOU DID. – Although Sarah thought she was too old to have a child, a year later she gave birth to Isaac; his name means laughter; God still kept His promise.

·         ISAAC, Abraham’s first born of Sarah moved to Gerar and the men there thought his wife Rebekah looked pretty good and asked him about her. - Isaac thinking they would kill him to get Sarah, LIED just like his father and said, SHE IS MY SISTER. - While this probably saved his life, it was still a lie.

·         JACOB conspired with his mother Rebekah to trick his BLIND father Israel into giving him the blessing that was supposed to go to the oldest son Esau. – Rebekah cooked the meal, put Esau’s stinky clothes on Jacob and some harry lamb skins on Jacob’s arms and neck and then JACOB LIED THREE TIMES to his father and finally cheated Esau out of the blessing. – I don’t think this qualifies as a white lie, nor was it in a time of war. - SELAH

·         This was already God’s plan for Jacob to receive the blessing; the LORD had said to Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, the one shall be stronger than the other, and THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER; so why did Rebekah feel it was necessary to HELP GOD by lying and trickery. – Could God be pleased with their CON GAME of deceit? – I think that Rebekah and Jacob were blessed in spite of their trickery not because of it.

·         With all that being said; the question that begs to be asked is; do Christians today have occasion to LIE with God’s blessing? – The Book does not explicitly say that God approved of their lies and blessed them, but there’s also not a single word of rebuke either.  It seems that when lying saves people from evil it’s legitimate and to us God seems to be pleased, but not waiting on God can bring on other unrealized consequences.  In the case of Sarah and Abraham getting ahead of God, WE NOW HAVE THE MUSLIMS WHO WANT TO KILL US.

ABRAHAM - Genesis 20:2-5 – Abraham’s wife was also his half-sister
² And ABRAHAM said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, YOU ARE A DEAD MAN because of the woman whom you have taken, for SHE IS A MAN’S WIFE.”
⁴ Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?
⁵ Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ (ESV)

SARAH - Genesis 18:9-16 – Sarah LIED; she said she did not laugh
⁹ Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked. “She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied.
¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, SARAH, WILL HAVE A SON!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent.
¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.
¹² So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”
¹³ Then the LORD said to Abraham, “WHY DID SARAH LAUGH? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’
¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I DIDN’T LAUGH.” But the LORD said, “NO, YOU DID LAUGH.”
¹⁶ Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way. (NLT)

ISAAC - Genesis 26:6-11 – Isaac LIES; says Rebekah is his sister

⁶ So ISAAC stayed in Gerar.
⁷ When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, REBEKAH, he said, “SHE IS MY SISTER.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.”
⁸ But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.
⁹ Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! WHY DID YOU SAY, ‘SHE IS MY SISTER’?” “Because I WAS AFRAID SOMEONE WOULD KILL ME to get her from me,” Isaac replied.
¹⁰ How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken YOUR WIFE AND SLEPT WITH HER, and you would have MADE US GUILTY OF GREAT SIN.”
¹¹ Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death!”

(NLT)

JACOB - Genesis 27:1-29 Jacob lies to his father Isaac for the blessing
¹ One day when Isaac was OLD and turning BLIND, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied.
² I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know when I may die.
³ Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me.
⁴ Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will PRONOUNCE THE BLESSING that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.”
⁵ But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game,
⁶ she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I OVERHEARD YOUR FATHER say to Esau,
⁷ Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the LORD’s presence before I die.’
⁸ Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you.
⁹ Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish.
¹⁰ Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.”
¹¹ But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth.
¹² What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.”
¹³ But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats for me!”
¹⁴ So Jacob went out and got the young goats for his mother. Rebekah took them and prepared a delicious meal, just the way Isaac liked it.
¹⁵ Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave them to her younger son, Jacob.
¹⁶ She covered his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skin of the young goats.
¹⁷ Then she gave Jacob the delicious meal, including freshly baked bread.
¹⁸ So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said. “Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you—Esau or Jacob?”

LIE 1 -  ¹⁹ Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.”
²⁰ Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

LIE 2 -  “The LORD your God put it in my path!” Jacob replied.
²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.”
²² So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him.

“The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said.
²³ But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.
²⁴ But are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

LIE 3 -  “YES, I AM,” Jacob replied.
²⁵ Then Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then I will give you my blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. Then Isaac said to Jacob,
²⁶  “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.”
²⁷  So JACOB went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and

he BLESSED his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the LORD has blessed!
²⁸ From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine.
²⁹ May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.”

(NLT)

PROPHECY - Genesis 25:23 – The older Esau shall serve the younger Jacob
²³ And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other,

THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER.”

(ESV)

PROPHECY - Malachi 1:2-3 – I love Jacob and have rejected Esau
² I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I LOVED YOUR ANCESTOR JACOB,
³ but I REJECTED HIS BROTHER, ESAU, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”

(NLT)

More Bible Lies

·         PHARAOH, the king of Egypt was concerned that the Hebrew people was getting too large and ordered the HEBREW MIDWIVES to kill all the male babies as they were being born, but they feared God and disobeyed him.  They let the male babies live and said; the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, they are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.” - They told a WHITE LIE and this is the only place in the Book that I find that the lie pleased God, and He blessed the midwives family with children. - I so much more believe it was their honor and fear of God that pleased God and not the lie.  The Book says we should obey God rather than man.

·         KING HEROD spoke with some Wise Men about the birth of a new king.  He was TROUBLED that this new king would take his place and wanted to kill him, but with a little SPIN, he told the Wise Men to find this new king and tell him where he was so he too could come and worship him which was a bold face LIE, but this would be expected from someone EVIL.  NYOBS 68.02 - LIES TRUTH AND SPIN

·         KING SOLOMON had two prostitutes come before him both claiming a child was theirs.  King Solomon commanded a sword be brought to him and then LIED and said he was going to cut the baby in half.  One woman agreed and the other said to let the baby live and to give it to the other woman.  Solomon gave the baby to the woman who wanted it to live.

·         RAHAB was a known prostitute whose home was built on the city wall.  Out of fear and respect of Israel’s God, she hid the two spies and lied to the King about their whereabouts.  Rahab the prostitute LIED to save her life as well as the lives of her family who gathered in her home.  I actually believe that she was a business woman that sold flax that dried in massive bundles on her roof, she provided an Inn of sorts as well as provided other services.  This was NOT a white LIE, it cost the lives of those in Jericho, but saved her family; is this LIE acceptable, after all it was in a time of war? - Was it about her life or Israel’s God?

MIDWIVES - Exodus 1:15-21 – Midwives lied to Pharaoh about babies
¹⁵ Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the

HEBREW MIDWIVES, Shiphrah and Puah:
¹⁶ When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. IF THE BABY IS A BOY, KILL HIM;

if it is a girl, let her live.”
¹⁷ But because

THE MIDWIVES FEARED GOD, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.
¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “

WHY HAVE YOU ALLOWED THE BOYS TO LIVE?”
¹⁹ The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “THEY ARE MORE VIGOROUS

AND HAVE THEIR BABIES SO QUICKLY THAT

WE CANNOT GET THERE IN TIME.”

²⁰ So GOD WAS GOOD to the midwives,

and the Israelites continued to multiply,

growing more and more powerful.
²¹ And because the midwives feared God,

He GAVE THEM FAMILIES of their own.

(NLT)

Acts 5:29 - We must obey God rather than men
²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered,

“WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN. \

(ESV)

HEROD - Matthew 2:3-13 – A little SPIN… I too may come & worship Him
³ When HEROD THE KING heard this, he WAS TROUBLED, and all Jerusalem with him; (ESV)

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I TOO MAY COME AND WORSHIP HIM.”
¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, TO DESTROY HIM.”

(ESV)

SOLOMON - 1 Kings 3:16-27- Solomon lied saying cut the baby in half
¹⁶ Sometime later TWO PROSTITUTES came to the king to have an argument settled.
¹⁷ Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house.
¹⁸ Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.
¹⁹ But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it.
²⁰ Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her.
²¹ And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
²² Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.” “No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
²³ Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other.
²⁴ All right, BRING ME A SWORD.” So a sword was brought to the king. Then he said,
²⁵ “CUT THE LIVING CHILD IN TWO, AND GIVE HALF TO ONE WOMAN AND HALF TO THE OTHER!”
²⁶ Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord!

Give her the child—please do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine;

divide him between us!”
²⁷ Then the king said, “

DO NOT KILL THE CHILD, but

give him to the woman who wants him to live,

for she is his mother!” (NLT)

RAHAB - Joshua 2:1-16 – Rahab lied saved her family before the invasion
¹ Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a PROSTITUTE NAMED RAHAB and stayed there that night.
³ So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”
⁴ Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “

YES, THE MEN WERE HERE EARLIER,

BUT I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE FROM.
⁸ Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them.
⁹ I know the LORD has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror.
¹⁵ Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window.
¹⁶ Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.” (NLT)

Even more lies

·         The internet has made these studies possible worldwide where Bibles are not available.  In an effort to save space, I will just give the story, but not print the scriptures. - I will give the verse so you can look it up. - Try to obtain a New Living Translation Bible if you can.

·         MOSES was TOLD BY GOD to go to Pharaoh and tell him to “LET HIS PEOPLE GO” to take a three day journey into the wilderness to make a sacrifice to their Lord God, but what God intended to do was to take His people completely out of Egypt forever.  Was this a HALF TRUTH, since they did sacrifice when they crossed the Red Sea? -  Exodus 3:18

·         SAMUEL was TOLD BY GOD to take a flask filled with oil and go to Jesse of Bethlehem and anoint one of his sons to take Saul’s place as the new king.  Samuel protested and said King Saul would kill him if he knew what he was going to do.  THEN GOD SAID, take a heifer of the herd in your hand with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord and invite Jesse to the Sacrifice, then anoint the one I have chosen. (David) -  1 Samuel 16:1

·         SIMON AND LEVI of the Levitical priesthood, had a sister named Diana that was defiled by Shechem a Prince of Canaan.  - Shechem then wanted to marry Diana, and Simon and Levi said SURE, but only after every man around them was circumcised.  Then they would allow their daughters to marry them. – But they LIED; after three days while their wounds were still sore, they entered the town and with swords and killed them all. -  Genesis 34:13

·         JACOB’S TEN SONS by Bilhah and Zilpah were jealous of their brother Joseph who was then the only son of Rachel and was the favorite. The boys took him and threw him into a pit and eventually sold him to some Medianite traders.  Then they took his tunic of many colors and put goat’s blood on it and brought it to their father and LIED by saying; we have found this.  Do you know whether it is your son’s coat or not and Jacob knew the coat of many colors and said Yes, an evil beast has eaten my son; he was devastated.  Genesis 37:23

·         DAVID was running for his life from King Saul and he LIED to Ahimelech, the Priest of Israel and told him that the King had commanded him to do something in secret and no man was to know about the business.  David asked the priest for some bread, but there was none except the “Bread of the Presence” also called “Show Bread” that was unlawful for David to eat; it was set hot before the Lord daily.  Because of the lie, David was able to talk the Priest into giving the Holy Bread to him and his men to eat. - 1 Samuel 21:1

·         DAVID was on the run from Saul and wound up confronted by Achish the King of Gath who he thought would kill him because he had heard the songs that were sung of him slaying ten thousands of his enemies.  So David overhearing what they said changed his behavior and PRETENDED to be a nut case, a madman, he crawled around marking on the doors and gates and let spit run down his beard so they would think that he was a fool and of no threat to them and then would provide him shelter; a hideout from King Saul. - 1 Samuel 21:10

·         DAVID and his 600 men were given the territory of Ziklag by King Achish outside the royal city where for a year and four months he SECRETELY made raids on the Philistines, the Geshurites, Gezrites and the Amalekites; KILLING everyone with no one left alive to tell what had happened, taking the spoils of sheep, oxen, asses, camels and clothing for his men. - King Achish asked David where he had made his raids today and David LIED and said, he had made raids against the Israelites in Judah and against the Jerahmeelites and Kenites. This Lie made King Achish believe that David had made himself hated among the people of Israel and now David had become his servant forever. – 1 Samuel 27:1

·         JEHU, KING OF ISRAEL gathered the people together and said he wanted to call a solemn feast before Baal and make a great sacrifice and sent for all the prophets and priest of Baal to attend; the house of Baal filled up from one end to the other.  But Jehu LIED and told 80 men to not let anyone come out alive; KILL them all and burn the images of Baal; tear down the house of Baal and make it into a SEWER place. – 2 Kings 10:18

·         JEREMIAH THE PROPHET had been in a conversation with King Zedekiah and was told; let no man know of these words and you will not die. – You shall LIE and say “I presented my cry before the king that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house to die there”.  Jeremiah lied and they stopped questioning him and the matter with the king was not made known. – His life was spared and he stayed in the prison court. - Jeremiah 38:24

·         APOSTLE PAUL said he did not burden anyone, but nevertheless, being crafty, he caught men with GUILE which is cunning artful deceit, it is fraud, duplicity and dishonesty.  He said that he became whatever men wanted him to be for the Gospel’s sake. 2 Corinthians 12:16

1 Corinthians 9:22 – I have become all things to all people
²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. (NIV2011)

The Book on Lies

·         We are not bound to reveal truth to someone who does not have the right to know it. – Confidential information given under the seal of secrecy must be kept confidential unless it would cause very grave harm to come to the one who has confided it or where by divulging it; grave harm can be avoided to a third party.

·         Can stretching the truth or telling a little white lie be so bad?  Most of the time we are just being diplomatic and tactful, trying not to hurt someone else’s feelings. - Sometimes we just omit something when answering a question so that we will not look bad.  There is a church term called “EVANGELISTICALLY SPEAKING” when a pastor may exaggerating attendance or say MANY joined the church when actually there was only two. – We certainly don’t see these white lies as bad as something like murder.

·         We are accountable to God for our lies. The Book gives us an example with Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property and brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the FULL AMOUNT and with his wife’s consent, they kept the rest.  They could have done whatever they wanted to with the money, but THEY LIED TO THE DISCIPLES IN CHURCH and said it was the full amount of money.  They both died immediately IN CHURCH, but got a free burial.

·         The Book says to not deceive, that God detest lying lips and there is doom on the horizon who lies to do evil, but that does not seem to be the case when we lie to do a good thing, to save lives and keep the peace.

·         Ponder this; if a MUSLIM TERRORIST told everybody that was a Christian to stand up that he was going to shoot you, what would you do? – SELAH - Ponder your answer as you read on.

Matthew 10:33 – Deny me on earth; I will deny before God
³³ But everyone who denies me here on earth,

I WILL ALSO DENY BEFORE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. (NLT)  

John 8:44 - Our father is Satan who is the father of lies
⁴⁴ You are of YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the FATHER OF LIES. (ESV)

Romans 1:25-28 - We have exchanged Truth for a Lie
²⁵ because they EXCHANGED THE TRUTH about God FOR A LIE and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God,

God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (ESV)

Romans 1:18 – The wrath of God is against the SPIN
¹⁸ For the WRATH OF GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness SUPPRESS THE TRUTH. (ESV)

Matthew 5:37 – Either Yes or No, anything more is EVIL
³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘YES’ OR ‘NO’; anything more than this comes from EVIL. (ESV)

Leviticus 19:11 – Do not deceive one another
¹¹ Do not steal. “Do not DECEIVE or cheat one another. (NLT)

Proverbs 12:22 – God detest lies
²² THE LORD DETESTS LYING LIPS, but he delights in those who tell the truth. (NLT)

Romans 3:13 - Their tongue is like snake venom
¹³ Their throat is an open grave;

THEY USE THEIR TONGUES TO DECEIVE.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.” (ESV)

Isaiah 5:18 – Doom to those who Lie to do evil
¹⁸ Doom to you who use LIES to sell evil, who haul sin to market by the truckload,

(MSG)

1 John 2:16 – Lies that benefit YOU is pride and selfishness
¹⁶  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and PRIDE IN OUR ACHIEVEMENTS and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

(NLT)

Proverbs 25:9-10 - Do not reveal another’s secret
⁹ Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and

DO NOT REVEAL ANOTHER’S SECRET, lest he who hears you
¹⁰ bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.

(ESV)

Acts 5:1-10 - We better not test God with a lie
¹ But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.
² He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
³ Then Peter said,

“Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart?

YOU LIED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, and you kept some of the money for yourself.
⁴ The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this?

YOU WEREN’T LYING TO US BUT TO GOD!”
⁵ As soon as Ananias heard these words,

HE FELL TO THE FLOOR AND DIED. Everyone who heard about it was terrified.
⁶ Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
⁸ Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
⁹ And Peter said, “

How could the two of you even think of conspiring

to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
¹⁰ Instantly, SHE FELL TO THE FLOOR AND DIED. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. (NLT)

The Take Away

·         Satan speaks PARTIAL TRUTHS to do EVIL and it started in the Garden of Eden, “You will be like God and know good from evil”. – This has become the example for man, partial lies.

·         The Book records GOD SENDING LYING SPIRITS into the mouths of Ahab’s prophets in order for His plan to prevail, but scripture says God does not lie.

·         What we see as a Spirit of Lies, God sees as a Spirit of righteousness. A lie isn’t a lie so much as in the act, but as in the motive of the heart – Godly people withhold truth not to do evil, but to avoid it, this is when in a lie, good comes from evil. - When we see is actors getting ahead of God, trying to help Him; sometimes that help brings on consequences, not from God, but from the situation it caused. (Example of Ishmael & Muslims and Isaac & the Jews)

·         Lying is not in the letter of the law, it’s in the motive. – As man sees it, according to the Letter of the Law GOD DOES LIE, but He does not lie according to the Spirit of the Law; in motive, nor should we. – We need to study the Book to learn the wisdom of God’s ways and HIS perspective.

·         We must understand what a lie is and not discount the value of a lie when it is done for good.  Do not judge about appearances; this is about righteousness, we are not bound by the letter of the law. 

·         The Book says God PROMISED us before the world begin that we would have eternal life and that He cannot lie; not He will not lie, but He cannot lie to the BELIEVER.

Genesis 3:5 – You will be like God
⁵ God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD,

KNOWING BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.” (NLT)

Titus 1:2 – God not “will not”, but “cannot” lie
² in HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE which GOD, WHO CANNOT LIE,

promised before time began, (NKJV)

1 Kings 22:19-23 – God sends lying spirits
²⁰ And the LORD said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?’ “There were many suggestions,
²¹ and finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, ‘I can do it!’
²² How will you do this?’ the LORD asked. “And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’

“‘You will succeed,’ said the LORD. ‘Go ahead and do it.’
²³ So you see, THE LORD HAS PUT A LYING SPIRIT

IN THE MOUTHS OF ALL YOUR PROPHETS. For the LORD has pronounced your doom.” (NLT)

Romans 7:6 – We have been released from the letter of the law
⁶ But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may

SERVE IN THE NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT and

NOT IN THE OLD LETTER OF THE LAW. (HCSB)

Romans 2:29 – Not the letter of the Law but the Spirit.
²⁹ No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the LETTER OF THE LAW; rather, it is a change of heart produced by GOD’S SPIRIT. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

In the multitude of counselors,

there is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical

information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders

                         and see further that I otherwise ever could have.              

                                                                                                                                     

A Commentary; Critical, Experimental and Practical - Eerdmans

Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius Josephus Matthias

Apocrypha – Goodspeed

Arithmetic of God; The – Don Kistler

Baker Commentary on the Bible – Elwell

Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White

Bible Commentary – F.B. Meyer

Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row

Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s

Dake’s Annotated Bible – Dake

English Standard Version Bible – ESV

Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein

Forgotten Books of Eden; The – World

Gospels Interwoven; The – Karmit Zarley

Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale

Interlinear Greek-English New Testament – Baker

Invisible War; The – Donald Grey Barnhouse

King James Version Bible – KJV

Lost Books of the Bible; The - World

Lost Books of the Bible; The - Bell

Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Zondervan

Missing Books of the Bible; The – Halo Press

Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest

Nag Hammadi Library; The – James M. Robinson

Nave’s Topical Bible - Zondervan

New International Dictionary of the Bible; The – Douglas - Tenney

New International Version Bible (2011) – NIV

Now that’s a Good Question – R.C. Sproul

NOTE: The “new” NIV has been corrupted & made GENDER NEUTRAL.  AVOID IT.

New Living Translation Bible - NLT

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls – Hugh J. Schonfield

Theomatics – Jerry Lucas

Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee

Vincent’s Word Studies of the New Testament – Mac Donald

Who’s Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner

Wycliffe Bible Commentary; The – Pfeiffer & Harrison

Wikipedia –

Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The – Tenney