Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV)
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
One of the most normalised sins in our present society is lying. There are many instances when we have considered it okay for one to either bend or stretch the truth. “So long as it doesn’t hurt anybody…” we say, forgetting that it hurts God and the measure of sin is not merely its effect on others but what God says about the same. Because God is truth and it is impossible for Him to lie, we must therefore, as His children, strive to walk in the truth, putting away all forms of falsehood.
To fail to walk in the truth then means that we are sidelining our God and Father and siding with someone else, the devil. Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees in John 8:44, revealed to us the possibility of being associated with Satan who is a liar and the father of all lies. One way of looking at this text is to see that all lies in their various variations ultimately have one source – the devil. That is how dark and dangerous lying is and why it is one of those things that God hates and finds to be a detestable abomination. We should therefore seek to delight in the truth and stick to it even when it hurts us. Only the truth shall set us free (John 8:31-32)
Reflections
1. Do you think there are instances when lying is justifiable?
2. Based on today’s devotion, how will you alter your life in order to walk in the truth always?
