Sometimes the Truth hurts!

 

Have you ever felt the urge to lie because you thought the truth was too painful? I have to admit I have! I can justify my lie because I didn't want to hurt them or destroy our relationship. Is it right to lie to protect someone? I am not a philosopher, but this question has been hotly debated over the centuries. And there are many instances in the Bible where lying appears to be a good thing. The first one that comes to mind is the midwives who lied to Pharaoh in Exodus 1. They lied to save the babies. David deceived or lied to the Philistines, acting like a madman in 1 Samuel 21. He lied to save himself! Rahab lied to save the spies in Joshua 2. In my reading today, Jeremiah was asked to lie for King Zedekiah.

"Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, 'Don't tell anyone you told me this, or you will die!' My officials may hear that I spoke to you, and they may say, 'Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you don't tell us, we will kill you.' If this happens, just tell them you begged me not to send you back to Jonathan's dungeon, for fear you would die there.' Sure enough, it wasn't long before the king's officials came to Jeremiah and asked him why the king had called for him. But Jeremiah followed the king's instructions, and they left without finding out the truth. No one had overheard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king." (Jeremiah 38:24-27)

We know that God is truth. Jesus is truth:

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)

In Jeremiah, it appears that King Zedekiah had no backbone and was prone to lying when he knew it would be harmful to his well-being. 

"So these officials went to the king and said, 'Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!' Kind Zedekiah agreed, 'All right,' he said. 'Do as you like. I can't stop you.'" (Jeremiah 38:4,5)

WHAT?  The king couldn't stop his officials? That is crazy. The king had no backbone and would rather be weak and alive than strong and face a fight!  If it weren't for Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, Jeremiah would have died in the cistern. But this powerful Ethiopian leader was bold and spoke the truth even when he knew he could be killed for it.

We need to be careful about telling the truth, even if the truth hurts. We need to examine our motives when we are deciding to tell the truth or tell a lie. Are we like King Zedekiah who had selfish motives for lying? Are we trying to protect innocent lives? I can't say we should tell the truth in every case. Is that wrong? I am not sure. Sometimes telling the truth causes necessary pain. Sometimes pain leads to healing and freedom. My biggest fear about telling lies is that it becomes a habit that gets easier and easier each time. Many times one lie necessitates another and another and another. It is much easier, to tell the truth and deal with the consequences. I know the truth hurts, but the truth told in love can be wonderful!