Tell the Truth!

So I mentioned last week that I don’t make resolutions.  For some reason, it feels like resolutions are made to be broken.  I’m sure that’s not true for everyone but it is for me.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t follow through on anything, just New Year’s resolutions.  I don’t know what it is about using that word, but it just doesn’t work.  I did, however, make a commitment to myself – that I would read the entire bible this year.  I hope and pray it is a commitment I keep.  Don’t get me wrong, I read scripture pretty much every day, but I’ve never read the entire bible before to get the full context (not that I would ever get everything there is in scripture).  So, I began on Jan 1 and I’m on track so far.  I’m reading the Daily Bible, an NIV translation and it lays out the scripture in chronological order.  I’m more than 2/3 of the way through Genesis and Isaac just died and was buried.  At this point a lot has happened.  

Abraham has been given the promise from God to be the father of many nations.  Jacob has stolen his brother’s birthright and fled his home.  He’s been tricked by his father-in-law and given the sister of the woman he chose as his bride.  Then he married them both.  Lots of drama and consequences for the actions of the past.  As I was reading through these accounts in God’s inspired Word, I thought of all the times these Patriarchs lied to someone about something because they didn’t trust God to go before them and prepare the way.  Abraham lied on two different occasions about Sarah being His wife in an attempt to protect himself (Gen 12:10-20, 20:1-18).  The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, as Isaac did the same also in an attempt to protect himself (Gen 26: 7-9).  Then Jacob not only blackmailed his brother into giving up his birthright (Gen 25:29-34) but he lied to get his brother’s blessing as well (Gen 27:18-29).  In fact, Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, helped him pull off the last feat. 

In all these cases, the lies were found out and consequences were felt.  In all these cases, the reasons for the lies was the lack of dependence on God.  Instead of seeking direction, each one of these men (and woman) sought their own counsel and didn’t depend on God to provide for them.  Instead of allowing God to take action on their behalf, they intervened and sinned.  

Jacob and Rebekah appear to possibly have suffered the worse for their deception – they are never recorded to have seen each other again.  Can you imagine, helping the son she favored, who was always a home body, to steal from his brother and then she had to send him away to protect his life?  She never met her grandchildren.  She never saw her beloved Jacob again.  She had no idea what happened to him, what he’d been through.  As for Jacob, he had to leave his home, his mother to go to a land he didn’t know and he met someone just like him.  His uncle tricked him into marrying the Leah after Jacob had worked seven years to get Rachel.  He finally got her but had to work an additional seven years.  You reap what you sow (Gal 6:7).  Lies never pan out for good.

If you want to be blessed, tell the truth (Col 3:9), not what you want it to be or your opinion about something. What does God say about a situation?  That is the truth. The truth will make you free (John 8:32). If you tell the truth, people won’t trip you up and you won’t get caught in a falsehood (Prov 10:9).  People can trust you.  Gaining trust is difficult, but once you break it, it can sometimes be impossible to earn again.  More importantly, God detests lying lips (Prov 12:22).  Walk in integrity and trustworthiness.  It will save a lot of headaches in the future.