It’s a sin to lie, right? We’re supposed to always be honest, right? That certainly seems to be what the Bible says. Here are several Bible verses that tell us to be honest:
Exodus 20:16 — “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Proverbs 12:22 — “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.”
Proverbs 19:9 — “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.”
Proverbs 26:28 — “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.”
Colossians 3:9 — “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”
Ephesians 4:25 — “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”
And, of course, there’s…
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, KJV
And there we have it, right? Open and shut case. Lying is always wrong, right? Deception is always evil, right? The Bible says it. That settles it!
Well…
What about this?
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
Joshua 2:1–6, KJV
Now, in case this passage in the classic King James is confusing or flies over your head, let me give you those last few verses again — this time in the New King James Version:
Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)
Joshua 2:4–6, NKJV
She lied.
Don’t try to deny it or sugarcoat it. Rahab hid the spies and lied about it!
Well, maybe she didn’t know who the spies were.
Nope. Try again. The rest of Joshua 2 (especially verses 8–13) makes it crystal clear she knew exactly who they were!
You can’t get around the fact — fact! — that Rahab lied.
And yet…
She and her family are spared. And she is commended in the Bible:
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Hebrews 11:31, KJV
If it’s always wrong to lie or deceive, then why is Rahab held up as an example of courage and faith in the New Testament?
Answer: Because it’s NOTalways wrong to lie or deceive.
Wait…what???
It’s certainly wrong most of the time to do so. But there are situations where it’s acceptable to deceive.
Not only is there the story of Rahab, but there’s also Gideon defeating the Midianites. He used trickery and deceit to do so — making the Midianites think there were 300 companies of men surrounding them, not just 300 men! And God used some deception there too (see Judges 7:22).
What!? God deceived?
Yep! And it’s not the only time. In addition to Judges 7:22, take a look at I Kings 22:20–22, Isaiah 19:14, and arguably Ezekiel 14:9–11. Oh, and there’s also Mark 4:10–12 and II Thessalonians 2:11.
But…but…but….
Yeah, makes you think, doesn’t it?
Look, I trust God. And I recognize that God is holy and just. And I also recognize that those of us who follow God should, by default, likewise be holy and just — recognizing of course that we will never attain perfection.
We should be men and women of integrity and honesty.
But… yes, there is a “but”…
We are also called to wisdom.
And a wise person understands that, in this messy and fallen world, we have to read situations and balance values and priorities. As but one example…
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3–4, KJV)
Note the need to balance mercy and truth.
And that’s just one example.
We also have to make balanced choices, at times, as Rahab did. Yes, it’s generally wrong to lie or deceive, but Rahab recognized God was bringing judgment upon Jericho via the Israelites. She wanted to be on God’s side. So, she made the wise (and correct) choice: She lied to her evil king in order to protect God’s servants.
Think of those who hid Jews from the Nazis during the Holocaust. They lied. They deceived. And they were justified in doing so.
And it’s why I understand the need for undercover police, a Central Intelligence Agency, and military strategies that involve deception.
I’m not saying truth is relative. It is not. I’m saying that we live in a messed-up and sinful world. And we sometimes have to wisely balance principles that appear to be in conflict in order to properly handle a situation that we face.
You can’t just read Bible verses with the lazy, literalist mindset of a fundamentalist Pharisaic parrot. You have to read it studiously and with wisdom.
Will people sometimes get this balancing act wrong? You bet.
And that’s why we must stay close to the Lord. He ultimately must be our guide and source of wisdom.
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