What Everyone Needs to Know Before They Grow Up!. Eddie Boone's Phillips
law. In addition, people might tell a little fib in an effort to look better in others’ eyes. Lying to impress a date is something that comes to mind.
The Bible includes many references to lying and the need to tell the truth. We won’t go over all of them here, but needless to say God expects us to be honest and trustworthy in everything we say and do. Yet, all of us are guilty of sin, and twisting the truth is often an easy thing to do, especially when we think being honest will cause us physical or emotional pain in some way. Many times fear and lying go hand in hand.
But what happens when we get caught? If we confess to lying, won’t that just make the situation worse for us? How do we handle the truth then? Well, to get that answer we might want to read about Isaac and Abimelech in the Book of Genesis. Although the events of this story happened thousands of years ago, the lesson learned is still applicable today.
Isaac was the son of Abraham, the man of great faith that God selected to be the father of His chosen people. Isaac married Rebekah, and together they had twin boys named Jacob and Esau. Later, Jacob’s descendants would make up the twelve tribes of Israel.
Isaac and his family settled in the land of Canaan. Life was good until a severe famine struck and there was no food for them to eat. So Isaac moved to a place called Gerar where Abimelech the king of the Philistines lived. Isaac decided to remain in that land after God appeared to him in a dream and told him that he and his family would be blessed greatly if they stayed there.
But Isaac had a big problem. His wife Rebekah was a beautiful lady. Actually, that’s an understatement. The woman was eye-popping, jaw-dropping, good looking! Rebekah attracted so much attention from all the men of Gerar that Isaac was afraid someone might kill him and take her for their own. So he concocted a story that Rebekah was his sister, and not his wife. In other words, he lied to save his own hide.
Well, Isaac was able to pull off this scam for a while. However, one day King Abimelech was looking out his window and saw Isaac…ahem…“caressing” Rebekah right out in the open for all the world to see. In those days that was like posting racy photos on your Facebook page (not real smart!).
Now the Bible doesn’t go into detail as to what all “caressing” entailed, but I bet it was more than just a hug and peck on the cheek. I suspect a monster double lip-lock was involved…you know, the kind you see in the movies that you think your mom and dad would never do.
Anyway, whatever it was, Abimelech knew right away that the two of them were not brother and sister. Anyone who had a thing for Rebekah, including the king himself, would’ve been guilty of messing with another man’s wife. That was something not tolerated in the land of Gerar.
In hindsight, Isaac should have known better. The next thing he knew he was standing in front of a very angry Abimelech trying to explain why he had not told the truth about his wife. At this point Isaac could have said, “Actually, she is my half-sister, twice removed.” Or maybe he could’ve told the king that Rebekah was having a heart attack and that he was just giving her CPR. But no, he came clean. He confessed that he had lied because he was afraid for his life.
Now think about this for a minute. What do you suppose King Abimelech would have done to Isaac if he had told another whopper to cover the first one up? You got it — Rebekah would’ve been making funeral arrangements for her dearly departed husband. But instead, Isaac told the truth even though it was very uncomfortable for him to do so. And because he finally leveled with the king, he and his family got to live there in peace. And the Bible goes on to say that Isaac became very wealthy just like God said he would.
OK, what can we learn from this story? Well, when you get caught doing something wrong, it’s always best to go ahead and “fess up”. If you say you’re sorry, most people will be very forgiving. That includes parents, teachers, friends, you name it. You may have to pay a price now, but chances are your punishment will be much less than if you deny it and later get caught trying to cover it up.
That’s the problem with lying. Usually you have to tell more lies to try to cover your tracks. Sooner or later you’ll slip up, or someone else will snitch on you. Either way, eventually the truth will be revealed.
One more thing — when you get around to confessing the truth, be sure to tell all of it, not just the part that doesn’t make you look so bad. Telling a half-truth is still lying. And while you’re at it, don’t try to shift part of the blame to someone else. No one forced you to do what you did. People will respect you much more if you take full responsibility for your own actions.
Like Isaac, we all have lied at one time or another. It may not have been a big lie, but it was a lie just the same. Unfortunately, that’s part of being human. However, we tend to compound our sin by trying to cover it up. As such, it’s best to go ahead and admit your mistake. In the long run you’ll be glad you did. Hey, would I lie to you?
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