Articles
LIAR, LIAR!
LIAR, LIAR!
(Ryan J. Thomas)
Did you know that the Bible is full of lies? It is! If you were to start reading in the book of Genesis all the way through to the book of Revelation you would have encountered the word "lie" or "liar" 168 times. So, it may surprise you to learn that the Bible does in fact contain lies. Now, I realize some folks say things like "the Bible has lies in it" in an effort to denounce the Bible and to put it on the level of merely being a work of man. This is obviously not my purpose. However, when you spend time reading and studying God's word it will not take long before you notice several individuals whose lies are recorded for us in the Bible. In our study today, I'd like to catalog with you several different lies found in the word of God and make application.
(1) "Ye Shall Not Surely Die": The first Bible liar that I want to introduce to you is none other than the Devil himself. This shouldn't surprise us since Jesus referred to Satan as being the "father of lies" (Jn. 8:44). It just so happens that the first lie ever uttered was spoken by him. Satan lied when he told Eve that she and her husband could eat of the forbidden fruit and "shall not surely die" after God had said they would die if they ate of that fruit (cf. Gen. 3:1-5). Satan temped her just as he temps everyone else. Every person, at one time or another, has been tempted by the Devil. On one occasion, he even tempted the Lord himself (cf. Matt. 4:1-11). Make no mistake about it, he's good at what he does. He's bold, he's clever, he's cunning, and he's deadly. The apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Many more of his lies are recorded in the Bible, but this one is significant because it was the first lie ever told and it was because of this very lie that sin entered the world and death by it (cf. Rom. 5:12).
(2) "Say Thou Art My Sister": The second Bible lie is when Abraham lied about his wife Sarah. This is surprising because Abraham is described in the Bible as being a righteous man. In the New Testament, Abraham is given as the supreme example of the kind of faith required for the Christian believer. In Romans 4:16 he is said the be "the father of us all" due to the fact that he trusted in God's plan even though he faced seemingly insurmountable odds. James refers to him as "the friend of God" due to the fact that he demonstrated his faith by his works (cf. Jas. 2:23). However, in Genesis 12:10-13 we find a small blip on the radar as it were in the life of this otherwise exemplary figure. So, what does this tell us? One thing it tells us is that not all lies in the Bible were told by bad people. Sometimes even good men, righteous men, men of faith and principles, men of integrity were not completely honest. Now, this wasn't an out-and-out lie. It was partially true. Sarah was in fact Abraham's half-sister, but it was a partial truth. However, God always requires full disclosure. He expects us to tell all the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and He expects us to do that 100% of the time! Also, this lie was motivated by fear. Fear motivates people to do a lot of things, but that doesn't make it right (cf. Prov. 29:25).
(3) "Bring Him Back With Thee": The next lie we're going to look at was also told by someone who should've known better. We don't know what his name was only that he was a prophet. You might say, "A prophet wouldn't lie." Well, you're right they shouldn't, but many prophets have lied through the years. Down through the ages there have been men who have taken it upon themselves to alter God's message to fit their own ideas and in 1 Kings chapter 13 we read about one such individual. The situation is that the Israelite nation has become divided. The northern 10 tribes (referred to as ‘Israel') have broken off and separated themselves from the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin (referred to simply as ‘Judah'). To solidify his position, the king of the northern tribes named Jeroboam, has taken it upon himself to institute a new kind of worship and has set up golden calves in the cities of Dan and Bethel. Because of his disobedience, God commissions a prophet to denounce King Jeroboam and his idolatry. After he delivers God's message to the king he begins to make his way home. A second prophet, invites him to come home with him tempting him to violate God's instructions. As a result, he is attacked by a lion and is killed (1 Kings 13:7-24). His mistake was that he didn't completely follow the Lord's instructions. Whenever God speaks we need to listen and whenever He commands we need to obey. We are not to deviate from His instructions in the slightest. We can't turn to right hand or to the left and we can't allow ourselves to be deceived by false teachers (cf. Matt. 7:15; 1 Jn. 4:1).
(4) "Within Two Full Years": Did you know that it's possible to trust in a lie? It is. Happens all the time. How might a person be led to trust in a lie? Well, one such incident where that occurred is found in the book of Jeremiah. The context of the book of Jeremiah is that the nation of Judah has just gone into Babylonian captivity. This was their punishment for being disobedient to God. According to Him, the captivity was to last 70 years (cf. Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10). However, a man by the name of Hananiah was a false prophet and "made the people to trust in a lie" when he told king Zedekiah and the people that God would break the yoke of Babylon and allow them to return "within two full years" (cf. Jer. 28:2-4,15-17). Here again we have another false prophet. Notice what Peter said about them: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1-2) What do false prophets bring upon themselves? One word. Destruction. However, that destruction is not limited only to them, but also extends to their followers (cf. Ezek. 14:10). The lies of many false prophets are recorded in the Bible that we might hear and fear.
(5) "Yea, For So Much": In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira lied when they made it seem like they had given all their money from a property sale to the apostles for the benefit of the poor saints. In so doing, this wicked pair lied not only to the Holy Spirit, but also to God (cf. Acts 5:1-11). Did you know that God expects us to be honest in our giving? He does. He expects you and me to be upfront and honest about our finances and to give as we've been prospered.
(6) "I Know Not The Man": Next, Peter lied when he denied the Lord not once, not twice, but three times when he said, "I know not the man" (cf. Matt. 26:69-74). When John wrote to the Christians, he said that one who would deny that Jesus is the Christ "is a liar" (cf. 1 Jn. 2:22). The interesting thing about this particular lie is that Jesus predicted it in advance. Evidently, the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves most of the time.
(7) Who Are The Liars Today?: The Bible teaches that those who claim to have fellowship with God and walk in darkness are lying. 1 John 1:6 says, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." Why is such a man a liar? Because he is guilty of contradicting his claim by the way he lives. When members of the church claim to be in fellowship with God by their lips, but fail to practice what He commands in living they are guilty of lying. Furthermore, the Bible describes those who claim to know God and do not obey His commands are likewise identified as liars (cf. 1 Jn. 2:3-4). Thirdly, the scriptures also teach that those who deny Jesus Christ are guilty of lying (cf. 1 Jn. 2:22-23). Next, the Bible teaches that those who claim to love God, but at the same time hates his brother are in the category of being a liar (cf. 1 Jn. 4:20). Finally, those who add to the word of God are described as liars (cf. Prov. 30:6). So, yes, the Bible records many who lied, but for all of the lies, we find the truth is there to defeat and denounce each and every lie. Though men are susceptible to lying, God cannot lie and He will not tolerate it (cf. Psa. 101:7; Rev. 21:8). He expects us to always be honest. So, let us be more like God and learn to tell the truth!
