Lies #6 - The first conundrum

Ok, so I'm procrastinating. Sue me.

 Nathan put forward a juicy difficulty for my position on lies in a comment. It runs:

 "[God] also seems to either commend or participate in the deception of Israel's enemies, assuming the prophet in 1 Kings 22 is telling the truth, for example..." 

Let me quickly break the passage down for you.  Roughly summarised:

Ahab, king of Israel, consults his 400 non-Yhwh prophets to see if he should attack some cities.  They say yes, you'll win.  He gets advice to go a prophet of Yhwh, Micaiah (Mick to his mates).  Ahab hates Mick because he's always prophesying that Ahab's going to cop it, but he asks him anyway.   

Mick says, "Sure, go for it!"

Ahab says, "Yeah right, since when do you ever prophesy anything good for me?" 

Mick says, "Yeah, just joking.  You're going to get so smoten if you do.  Also, I saw a vision where God told a spirit to tell all your dodgy prophets that you'd win, just so you'd go for it." 

Then he tells everyone, "Mark my words, if he comes back alive from this battle, I'm not Yhwh's prophet."

Knowing the truth now, Ahab decides to have a crack anyway, but in disguise and with a stunt double.  Short story shorter, the stunt double makes it out alive but Ahab cops an arrow to somewhere more vital than his knee.

Now, there's lots to say about this passage about truth and lies.  And lots of it, I think, mitigates the uncomfortableness of what God does in the sense that through this incident truth massively wins.

Despite this, the fact remains.  God sent a spirit to deceive.  God made Ahab believe something untrue.  The thing that I think is most important to note is that God does so in judgement.  Much, in fact, as God killed Ahab in judgement.

You see, what I'm getting at is that God's denial of the truth to someone, and even his giving them over to their delusions, (and given the nature of the prophets Ahab consulted this was definitely a product of Ahab's delusions) is destructive judgement.  It was an act predicated upon his righteous decision as judge to finally destroy this wicked king after years and years of grace.  In this case of deception, the only case of this exact nature I'm aware of in Scripture, it is synonymous with the bringing of death.

Now, Ahab actually knew what Yhwh had said before he went to battle.  And Yhwh arranged that.  So it's not as if God doesn't actually tell him what's in store if he fails to take heed.  In fact, he makes sure the false information comes from the mouths of false prophets.  The word from Yhwh's prophet came perfectly true.

But in reference to our current question of ethics, of what is right for humanity to do, the passage raises question marks.  Is lying always wrong?

I would suggest that lying is in a similar category to killing.  It almost never the right thing to do.  I think that the kind and degree of reasoning that we ought apply before deceiving is of a similar order to that which we ought to apply before taking life.  Partly because that's what lies end up doing.  They destroy life.

God's purpose for this reality is life and thriving for people, and it is our duty to uphold this.

Yet, God reserves the right to destroy the destroyer.  It's the kind of thing that God is free to utilise in judgement, but not so humanity.  Not in the same way.

Gospel vid

I'll be trying to get a chance to do a review of this soon.  What do you reckon?
321 from Jeremy Poyner on Vimeo.

Lies #5 - Lies make life less fun

I think something that people tend to overlook is that lying isn't in the liar's best interests. Why?

Lies destroy community and relationships

In describing the reasons for the corruption in Israel, God has a fair bit to say about the destruction that deception has caused in that community.

"They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me," declares the LORD. "Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer.  Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. (Jer 9:3-5 NIV)

David, Israel's greatest pre-Jesus king, agreed with God re the destructiveness of lies.

Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets. (Psa 55:11 NIV)

And called out to God for rescue from the liars in his nation.

Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. 2 Everyone lies to his neighbour; their flattering lips speak with deception. (Psa 12:1-2 NIV)

While his wise son suggested they're not wise for leaders:

If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked. (Pro 29:12 NIV)

High maintenance

Lies are a real pain, because once you've told one then you've got to keep the act up.  You can't just tell it once; you've got to keep all the lies you've ever told in your head so you don't end up contradicting yourself and getting caught out.  I'd especially avoid them if you've got anxiety issues and don't want more to worry about.

(Tangentially related proverb that makes my case seem more biblical)

A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapour and a deadly snare. (Pro 21:6 NIV)

At the centre of dysfunctional relationships

Samson and Delilah's relationship seems abusive and self-seeking on both their parts.  Seriously, read the story and imagine sleeping with someone who'd treated you like either Samson or Delilah had treated the other.  Messed up.  Lies were a staple part of their relational diet.

Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. (Jdg 16:13 NIV)

Even with God

Most seriously, deception destroys our relationship with God.  Repentance relies on bringing the truth to light.  It is not possible without it.  The heart that refuses to admit sin, to self and/or to God, lives in darkness.  Whereas the heart that comes to grips with the reality of its own state and calls it like it is with God finds amazing joy and freedom.

Only those who come clean experience full joy and freedom in God's forgiveness.  If you keep a part of yourself back, thinking to 'work on it' so that you need not rely utterly on God in every way, then you will be a slave to that improvement.

We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:4-7 NIV)

I just reckon that lies are a poor investment if you want to have a really free, fun life.