When I was a young child, probably 7 or 8 years old, I was playing at someone’s home out in the country. It was an old farmstead, with a grove of trees around the house in the middle of fields of corn and soybeans. Well in the grove of trees there were a bunch of very old cars and trucks from around 1930 or 1940. As a young child, I saw these cars out in the woods, and I thought that no one cared about them so I decided that I would have some fun. I gathered up a pile of bricks and baseball sized rocks and proceded to hurl them through each and every window of each and every car and truck that I could find. (I will note now that these windows were in perfect condition.) Well, a few days went by and the person who was living at the property came up and asked me if I broke the windows on the vehicles. My heart started to pound and I (probably unconvincingly) said that I didn’t know how or why the windows got broken.
Being a young child, I didn’t think that they might be valuable to someone, and when confronted, I became frightened, and I lied about what I had done.
The word “lie” means “to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive; to create a false or misleading impression,” with some synonyms being “deception, falsehood, forgery.”
If someone lies about something, they are trying to deceive someone or cover up something, or pretend that they don’t know about something. When someone lies about something they have done wrong, they usually need to continue to keep telling lies in order to cover up what they have done.
When someone is in court, lying in the courtroom is called perjury, and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and fines, depending on the state you are in. Well, God hates lying, and it is repeated over and over throughout the Bible.
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19
“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22
One of the earliest examples of lying in the Bible is in Genesis 4. When Abel and Cain offered their sacrifices to God, God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, because he gave his best lamb to God, but with Cain’s sacrifice God wasn’t pleased. This caused Cain to be very angry with his brother, so much that it caused him to kill Abel. When God asked Cain where his brother was, what did he say?
“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9
Cain knew where his brother was, and what had happened to him, but he lied and tried to act like he didn’t.
And when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they took his coat and dipped it in goat’s blood, trying to deceive Jacob and make him think that he had been killed. They were lying to cover up what they had done.
When Jesus was taken to be examined before Pilate, the chief priests and elders tried to find someone to come forward and bear false witness against Christ, but no one could find anything to say about Him that would be worthy of crucifying Him. Two false witnesses finally came forward and spoke lies about Him. (Matthew 26:60)
Lying shows a lack of love toward another person. It shows that they don’t care about their neighbor.
The devil is a liar, and the father of it, and all liars will will be cast into the lake of fire.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” Proverbs 19:9
Always speak the truth with each other. If you make a mistake, own up to it, admit your faults; don’t lie about it.
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25
Lying is a sin, and it’s not something that we want to get involved in. It may be hard to admit your faults, but we are all sinners. Grace is available to all. Come to Jesus, for He is the Truth, and the truth shall set you free.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 