No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house. No one who utters lie will continue before my eyes. (Verse 7)
Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can ruin others. Proverbs 26:28
I've met some pathological liars in my time. Now this is not to say that I've never lied. I have. And I'm ashamed of it. Thankfully, though, I've never been comfortable telling a falsehood. It's made me sick to my stomach because I know I've deceived. So, lying isn't something I practice. And it's been a thing I try to rectify quickly. For most of us, it's about saving face. Covering up a thing worse than the lie. Not wanting to be caught in a bigger sin. The thing about lying, though, is generally one lie isn't enough because it creates a false situation that then must also be defended. Ah, what a tangled web we weave.....
It takes some time to discover a liar. What usually trips one up is they can't always remember the stories they've told. There are just so darned many of them. And if you are with a liar for any length of time and have believed what they said, you've put some degree of trust in them. So the first few times they are caught in what seems to be a contradiction, they say you are wrong. They didn't say such and such or you misheard. Okay. I still like this woman. Surely she wouldn't just tell me a boldfaced lie. I misheard. But when this becomes a pattern, it's nauseating. You know you've been had. Your friend has created a straw person who doesn't exist. The real person is someone altogether different. And the sickening thing? She fooled you. Used your time and compassion. Took from you in a way that only someone who hates you would. No way to regain trust. She moves onto some other naïve people. Lying to them because she can't face who she really is.
Obviously, such a person can't live in your house. Or share intimately with you. Must be shunned. Without remorse. Because liars are dangerous. Cannot be trusted. Like Martha (not her real name) who came to California from Texas to stay with Bill and me for a few days while she went looking for the young Marine who she said impregnated her. Martha went on a mission to find him. Even to his commander. The Marine wouldn't see her. Devastated, she came back to our house, wailing her grief. But something about her story didn't ring true. First of all, that she was pregnant. I finally asked her the name of her Texas doctor because I'd lived in the same city as she for several years. I called him. "No, no. She's not pregnant." Hmm. Turns out none of Martha's story was true. She'd tricked the young soldier into believing that her father would pay for an expensive sports car he purchased on that promise. There was no money from the father. The lies were so complex and convoluted that it had me in tears just trying to figure out what grain of truth might actually be buried in her stories. Only one thing. She wanted to marry the guy. And whatever she had to promise, whether she could possibly deliver or not, she'd promise. So we packed her bags and told her to leave. Prayed over her heart as she pulled out of the driveway, but couldn't allow her to continue to pursue her lies from under out roof. Besides, we were simply a means to an end for her. Sadly.
God hates lies because He can't stand anything false. He wants the real me...ironically, even if I come to Him in order to quit lying. The accomplished liar has lied to himself for so long even he doesn't know who stands up when asked where the real person is. Harder and harder to come to our transparent and holy God when you don't know who you are. Lying isn't the way to get out of trouble but the way to deepen it. Perhaps God knows that lying to ourselves is one of the most dangerous sins because then we can't come fully to Him in our self-degradation. The false self presented to God is prideful and unrepentant. Whether the liar puts on a show before us or before the Father, it's still a veneer. Kind words from a wicked mind are like a shiny coating on a clay pot. Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words, but in their minds they're planning evil. People's words may be kind, but don't believe them, because their minds are full of evil thoughts. Lies can hide hate, but the evil will be plain to everyone. Proverbs 26: 23-27
Most importantly, my life needs to be transparent and open to my God. When I sin, and I do and will, I must immediately agree with Him that I'm wrong. When I sin, it is always against Him first. The beauty of this is that if I am cleaning my soul from all that would stain it, I'm less likely to sin against you. My friends and family. Because confession has made me humble before God, abashed and sorry. His unfathomable forgiveness makes me reticent to sin again. If I can lie to Him, I can lie to you. But if I must come clean before a holy God, I must live honestly with you, too.
Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can ruin others. Proverbs 26:28
I've met some pathological liars in my time. Now this is not to say that I've never lied. I have. And I'm ashamed of it. Thankfully, though, I've never been comfortable telling a falsehood. It's made me sick to my stomach because I know I've deceived. So, lying isn't something I practice. And it's been a thing I try to rectify quickly. For most of us, it's about saving face. Covering up a thing worse than the lie. Not wanting to be caught in a bigger sin. The thing about lying, though, is generally one lie isn't enough because it creates a false situation that then must also be defended. Ah, what a tangled web we weave.....
It takes some time to discover a liar. What usually trips one up is they can't always remember the stories they've told. There are just so darned many of them. And if you are with a liar for any length of time and have believed what they said, you've put some degree of trust in them. So the first few times they are caught in what seems to be a contradiction, they say you are wrong. They didn't say such and such or you misheard. Okay. I still like this woman. Surely she wouldn't just tell me a boldfaced lie. I misheard. But when this becomes a pattern, it's nauseating. You know you've been had. Your friend has created a straw person who doesn't exist. The real person is someone altogether different. And the sickening thing? She fooled you. Used your time and compassion. Took from you in a way that only someone who hates you would. No way to regain trust. She moves onto some other naïve people. Lying to them because she can't face who she really is.
Obviously, such a person can't live in your house. Or share intimately with you. Must be shunned. Without remorse. Because liars are dangerous. Cannot be trusted. Like Martha (not her real name) who came to California from Texas to stay with Bill and me for a few days while she went looking for the young Marine who she said impregnated her. Martha went on a mission to find him. Even to his commander. The Marine wouldn't see her. Devastated, she came back to our house, wailing her grief. But something about her story didn't ring true. First of all, that she was pregnant. I finally asked her the name of her Texas doctor because I'd lived in the same city as she for several years. I called him. "No, no. She's not pregnant." Hmm. Turns out none of Martha's story was true. She'd tricked the young soldier into believing that her father would pay for an expensive sports car he purchased on that promise. There was no money from the father. The lies were so complex and convoluted that it had me in tears just trying to figure out what grain of truth might actually be buried in her stories. Only one thing. She wanted to marry the guy. And whatever she had to promise, whether she could possibly deliver or not, she'd promise. So we packed her bags and told her to leave. Prayed over her heart as she pulled out of the driveway, but couldn't allow her to continue to pursue her lies from under out roof. Besides, we were simply a means to an end for her. Sadly.
God hates lies because He can't stand anything false. He wants the real me...ironically, even if I come to Him in order to quit lying. The accomplished liar has lied to himself for so long even he doesn't know who stands up when asked where the real person is. Harder and harder to come to our transparent and holy God when you don't know who you are. Lying isn't the way to get out of trouble but the way to deepen it. Perhaps God knows that lying to ourselves is one of the most dangerous sins because then we can't come fully to Him in our self-degradation. The false self presented to God is prideful and unrepentant. Whether the liar puts on a show before us or before the Father, it's still a veneer. Kind words from a wicked mind are like a shiny coating on a clay pot. Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words, but in their minds they're planning evil. People's words may be kind, but don't believe them, because their minds are full of evil thoughts. Lies can hide hate, but the evil will be plain to everyone. Proverbs 26: 23-27
Most importantly, my life needs to be transparent and open to my God. When I sin, and I do and will, I must immediately agree with Him that I'm wrong. When I sin, it is always against Him first. The beauty of this is that if I am cleaning my soul from all that would stain it, I'm less likely to sin against you. My friends and family. Because confession has made me humble before God, abashed and sorry. His unfathomable forgiveness makes me reticent to sin again. If I can lie to Him, I can lie to you. But if I must come clean before a holy God, I must live honestly with you, too.
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