The title of this article is taken directly from Exodus 23:7 in Jesus’ Bible. It is an instruction telling us to keep a large distance between ourselves and anything false. In this section of Exodus, there is quite a list of what to do and what not to do. This is the only directive in this section that is not simply a “do not.” Falsehood is something to keep away from. However… Perhaps you’re familiar with some of these: “I’m sorry I was late. Ieft home in plenty of time,but the roads were like aparking lot.” “I did try to call you last night, but your phone must have been busy or out of range.” “No, you didn’t wake me; I’ve been up for hours.” “Tell them I’m not home.” “When I tried to pay, the machine wouldn’t accept my money.” Or maybe you’ve seen the “Blues Brothers” and remember Jake Blues saying, “I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN’T MY FAULT.”
There’s one thing in common here — they are all lies. Even as we say them, we know we are doing the wrong thing. We may even regret it, but it is just so much simpler and more convenient than admitting to the truth. What’s so terrible, anyway? It’s not as if we intend to harm anyone. It’s just a little white lie for short-term gain, with no obvious pain to come.
Please grab your Bible now and read John 8:42-47. In this passage, Jesus points out the source of these little white lies. When we (may it never happen) speak these little falsehoods, we are obeying the voice of the ultimate deceiver. We are not keeping a great distance between ourselves and falsehood. Instead, we are sidling right up beside it. We are to tell the truth under all circumstances, even at the cost of occasional humiliation, expense or inconvenience, and we must absolutely avoid any trace or wrinkle of falsehood. It is so tempting to lie or stretch the truth; no one likes admitting to incompetence or worse.
It’s far easier to invent an excuse for our faults than to admit to them. If we truly believe that God runs the world, then deceitfulness must be seen as self-defeating. We all believe that God is watching our every action, and when we attempt to deceive people, we are demonstrating nothing but cowardice and a lack of faith. Everything in our lives depends exclusively on God’s blessing. We are not fooling Him, so what do we really gain by trying to fool others? Dishonesty is a trap. One lie brings another along in its wake. There is
no way to get off the train of deceit, other than to resolve — once and forever — that from now on, no matter the cost or loss, we will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
Frank Fenton is a lifelong student of the Word of God. He attends Church of the Messiah in Xenia where he shares teaching duties for Bible study, and contributes to congregational teaching.