Exodus 1

WEEK 24                                            Exodus 1  

TUESDAY  Reflections

Does God bless liars?

 

The obvious answer is no, in Revelations 21:8 we see all liars have their part in the lake of fire. Yet here in Exodus chapter one we see a story about women who lied to Pharaoh, their government, God prospered them. This isn’t the only place in scripture where God blesses someone who lies, so what is the deal? Is deceit always wrong? Or are there higher principles involved?

 

First, I want to look at the ten commandments. The commandments as someone once said are just that commandments, not suggestions. All of them are reaffirmed in the New Testament except the law of Sabbath and even that isn’t abolished completely (more about that later). So, what is the command? Do not lie? No, do not bear false witness against your neighbor. The idea here seems to be that what is being said will bring harm to the neighbor. This specifically looks at the idea of testimony about someone which is false and will hurt them. I am also assuming will help you in some way.

 

Does this mean that if I tell a “white lie” that it is okay? No, Proverbs (I will not list them all now) tells us that God hates lying lips. So, what is the key?

 

I believe the deception we see God's blessing is first the deception protects, second the deception endangers, and ultimately the deception fulfills. The first is protects. Protection is that the deception saves the (physical) life of another person. Second, the deception endangers the one telling it. The danger (except from God) for midwives was in letting the children live. Their lie actually put them in very great danger. Pharaoh a man of his day (and many others) had no idea about women and childbirth, so he believed them. If he hadn’t then there is no doubt he would have had them placed in prison or killed. The truth is that the danger they placed themselves in didn’t end it followed them, yet they did endanger their very lives to save the children they were called to protect. Side note: Lying to your spouse about their hair, clothes, or your children about the bird and the bees so to “protect them” (or yourself) isn’t even close to what these women did. Finally, their action fulfilled the ultimate purpose of God, in this case, to see the children of Israel grow and be blessed.

 

The danger, of course, is when we try to use the few exceptions to justify our own untruthfulness. The greatest danger in lying is actually to protect ourselves. This is where 99.9% of all lies take place. The danger is when we start making excuses to lie, it becomes more natural and instead of a tongue that tries to bring life, it becomes a tongue that lies. People lie to save the feelings of others, yet what they usually have is a problem with telling the truth in love. They lie for the greater good but in truth, it is for self-preservation.

 

At the end of this, what do we see as a small exception on deception? It is like some medicines, at the right time and in the correct doses they can save a life, however, the rest of the time they bring only destruction and eventually death. The lesson: don’t use it unless there are no other choices and only under the command of the Great Physician.

LISTEN HERE

Exo 1:1-22

(1)  Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

(2)  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

(3)  Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

(4)  Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

(5)  And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

(6)  And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

(7)  And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

(8)  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

(9)  And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

(10)  Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

(11)  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

(12)  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

(13)  And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

(14)  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

(15)  And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

(16)  And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

(17)  But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

(18)  And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

(19)  And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

(20)  Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

(21)  And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

(22)  And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

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