These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19
On the list of seven sins that are especially despicable in the eyes of God one sin appears twice—lying. In a world that increasingly doesn’t believe there is such a thing as truth, lying is not usually seen as a major problem. But God views things differently. The holy God of truth abhors lies because they are an assault on His very nature. Hebrews 6:18 says that it is “impossible for God to lie,” and Titus 1:2 describes Him as a God “that cannot lie.”
The French Enlightenment essayist, Michel de Montaigne wrote, “Lying is indeed an accursed vice. We are men, and we have relations with one another only by speech. If we recognized the horror and gravity of an untruth, we should more justifiably punish it with fire than any other crime. I commonly find people taking the most ill-advised pains to correct their children for their harmless faults, and worrying them about heedless acts which leave no trace and have no consequences. Once the tongue has got the knack of lying, it is difficult to imagine how impossible it is to correct it.”
There are times when it may seem like truth will lead to trouble while a lie will allow us to escape it, but that is always a false promise. Lies tend to grow larger and larger because we have to keep adding falsehoods to prevent disclosure. It is far better to face reality by speaking the truth, even if the immediate consequences will be unpleasant, than it is to begin a lie. Others usually see through lies eventually, but God sees and hates them immediately.
