David's Lie

 We have all lied. Lying is a terrible sin, and it has all types of consequences. Sometimes, we can convince ourselves that it is alright for us to lie because of our circumstances. That is never the right thing to do. We never know how the lie will spread. We do not know who will hear it and what they will do. Therefore, the consequences could be very severe. That is what happened when David lied to Ahimelech, the priest. (I Samuel 21:8) David was fleeing from King Saul, since Saul was jealous of David's popularity and had decided to kill David. He asked  Ahimelech for a sword and told him was on a mission from the king, and he had left quickly without even getting his weapons. That was a lie. It was heard by one of Saul's associates, who told Saul. The king then killed Ahimelech and the other priests because he had helped David. What a tragic ending, but it could happen to any of us if we lie.

When we lie to others, we are not trusting the Lord to help us. We are trying to work things out in our own way. Therefore, lying is partly a lack of faith in the Lord's ability to protect us from harm. However, in addition to being a lack of faith, lying is departing from the truth. God is truth. Jesus told us He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we lie, we are not following Jesus, who was truth and always told the truth. As believers, we are to become like Jesus, so we can't practice lying and do that. We must decide to tell the truth in every situation, even if we will face serious consequences ourselves. Then, we are to trust the Lord to work it out for us in His wisdom and His will. Of course, when we lie, we must confess it and repent of it, so we are cleansed from that sin, and we can begin to live in the truth with God's power. That way, we are not hurt any more ourselves, and others do not get hurt either.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 22-24.