In this Psalm the writer expresses his distress about being around those who lie and deceive. He says, “Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips; from a deceitful tongue.” Many people in the world lie for personal gain. We see it in politics every day.
Satan, the spiritual ruler of the Earth is characterized by lies. The Bible says that Satan is the’ father of lies.’ Lying and deceiving characterize Satan. It is no wonder that those who are given over to sin also lie for their own personal gain.
This raises an interesting question. Are all lies sin? There are some that believe so. I have a brother who believes that we should never lie no matter what. However, I believe there are times when a lie is the right response.
Here is an example. During World War II the Nazis were murdering the Jews. However, some people were protecting and sheltering Jews. The Nazis were going from house to house, looking for the Jews.
If you were protecting some Jews from the Nazis and the Jews were hiding in your house, what would you tell the Nazis if they asked you if you were hiding Jews. I believe the correct response would be to lie to the Nazis and say ‘no’. In this case the lie would not be for personal gain. It would save the lives of the Jews. I believe that this would find favor with God.
The Bible says that our motives are more important than the actions they produce. God weighs our motives. In the case of protecting the Jewish people from being murdered, the motive to lie to the Nazi’s was correct.
