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NASB | Exodus 20:16 ¶ "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 20:16 ¶ "You shall not testify falsely [that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth] against your neighbor (any person). [Ex 23:1; Prov 19:9; 24:28] |
Subject: Is it always a sin to lie? |
Bible Note: Greetings Makarios, You ask: “Was the fact that Moses lived to help deliver Israel from the Egyptians an example of misery, loss and judgment?” No it was not, but do you really believe the reward of a lie resulted in Moses being Israel’s deliverer? God blessed the midwives for not killing innocent babies. Exodus 2:6 states that Pharaoh’s daughter had compassion on him when she saw that the baby wept. Don’t you think it was God touching her heart? God chose Moses and would have raised Him up for His purpose regardless. God doesn’t need anything from us to accomplish His plan. God doesn’t need lies to accomplish His plan. The lie was a sin sure enough and I just don’t believe God rewards sin. Now, I’m not saying that there aren’t times when to lie seems appropriate. I’m just simply stating that all lies are sins and are not condoned in Scripture and are surely not rewarded by God. My little girl was developing a complex concerning her teeth. A few kids in her school had made fun of her because they were crooked. Her mother and I knew they were crooked. But do you think when she asked us how they looked we told her the truth. No, we told her that her teeth were fine and didn’t make her look funny. But they did. So we lied. Do you think God rewarded me for that lie? I don’t know, but it sure took a good bit of money to get them corrected. Anyway, my point is simply this, a lie is a lie and is a sin according to God’s Word, no matter how small or insignificant or innocent or even correct it may seem. It is what it is and cannot be rewarded by God. You ask: “And can you find any mention in all of Genesis of Jacob being 'punished' for his lie?” Did Jacob ever see his mother again, whom he loved so dearly? He feared for his life as his brother now wanted to kill him. Laban sure through him for a loop. His family was torn by dissension. His brother became the founder of an enemy nation. He was exiled from his family for years. And imagine, according to Genesis 25:23, he would have received the birthright anyway. His deceitfulness wasn’t even necessary. Ponder this, how different could this world possibly be had Jacob and his mother waited for God to work things His way instead of taking matters into their own hands? WOS |