Is lying always wrong?

Deception in the Bible: Is Lying Always Wrong?

(July 2000; revised March 2010)

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When we deal with ethical questions—what is right as opposed to what is wrong—we prefer clarity to ambiguity. We want a firm distinction between what a person should do and what he should not do. We get that clarity when God unequivocally condemns certain behavior, acts such as...¹

• Pagan idolatry, 
• Premeditated murder, 
• Sexual immorality. 

These issues brook no exception. They are always wrong. The Bible also condemns deceit.² God says in...

Lev 19:11b-c Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.

Can we also make the same assertion that—like idolatry, murder, and immorality— deceit "is always condemned in Scripture" (italics added; so Barker 1975:84)?³

We all agree that our Lord is "the God of truth" (Ps 31:5b), who values truth and speaks the truth.⁴ He denounces lying, especially the kind that turns people away from Him.⁵ Satan's rebellion can make headway only through deceptive means, which is why he is "the father of lies" (John 8:44).⁶ Truth is characteristic of the godly, whereas falsehood is characteristic of the ungodly.⁷ Moreover, God punishes those who lie, sometimes severely,⁸ and those who persist in such behavior disqualify themselves from entering His presence.⁹ This does not deny that "[s]ometimes even good men [can] become enmeshed in lies" (Foster 1975:926), as when Peter denied Jesus, nor does it excuse such behavior,¹⁰ but "it [is] the exception rather then the pattern of their lives" (ibid.). What is troubling and confusing to us are the examples of deception in the Bible that have God's approval. How are we to understand them in light of His repeated prohibition against lying?

Is lying always wrong, or does God seem to allow it under certain circumstances? Most of the relevant passages fall into one of three groups, so we will examine each group in turn to see what light they shed on this subject.

There are times when it is not prudent to tell all, and the first group of passages shows that we must...

I. Distinguish lying from withholding information.

A. For operational secrecy: God had Moses tell Pharaoh only part of the reason for Israel's trip into the wilderness (Exod 5:1).¹¹

Exod 5:1 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert."

What Moses did not tell Pharaoh is that the Israelite slaves had no intention of returning to Egypt.

B. For personal safety: God ordered Samuel not to reveal to Saul the full reason for his trip to Bethlehem (1 Sam 16:1-2).

I Sam 16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." 2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD."

What Samuel did not tell Saul is that the priest would anoint a new king to replace Saul.

C. For military security: Elisha did not reveal to the Aramean troops (after God had blinded them) where he would lead them (2 Kgs 6:19-20).

2 Kgs 6:19 Elisha told them, "This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for." And he led them to Samaria. 20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men so they can see." Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

What Elisha did not tell the enemy forces is that he would bring them into the hand of the king they had sought to destroy.

D. For unreceptive students: Jesus used (unexplained) parables to conceal his message of the kingdom from those already disposed against it (Matt 13:10-13).

Matt 13:10 The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" 11 He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear...

E. For misguided supporters: Jesus told his disciples not to reveal his messianic identity until after the resurrection, lest political zealots attempt to force the advent of the kingdom (Matt 16:20).¹²

Matt 16:20 He warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Summary: God may withhold truth from those unreceptive to it, but such instances do not necessarily constitute lying.¹³

The second group of passages shows that sometimes...

II. God uses deception, as does Jesus in his ministry.

A. To discipline the wayward: God sent a lying spirit to the false prophets of the wicked King Ahab, enticing him to go to war with Aram (1 Kgs 22:23).

1 Kgs 22:23 [Micaiah said to the king,] "the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours."

B. To punish the unrighteous: God will send "a powerful delusion" on the wicked in the last days (2 Thess 2:11-12).

2 Thess 2:11 God sends [those who are perishing] a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

C. To mislead the mocker: Jesus lied to his brothers about not going to the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:8-10).¹⁴

John 7:8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. 10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

Summary: God may deceive those who have already rejected or have closed themselves off to the truth. At that point, He simply confirms them in their own self-deception (their denial of the truth) .¹⁵

The third group of passages shows that, through the biblical writer, in certain situations...

III. God gives indirect approval to lying.¹⁶

A. To preserve Israelite slaves: Hebrew midwives lied to Pharaoh about their inability to stop the successful birth of so many males (Exod 1:19- 20).¹⁷

Exod 1:19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive." 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.

B. To protect Israelite spies: Rahab lied to her fellow citizens about the location of the Hebrew infiltrators (Josh 2:4-5; Jms 2:25).¹⁸

Josh 2:4 [T]he woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.

Jms 2:25 [W]as not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

C. To restore Israelite freedom: Ehud lied to Eglon about his reason to see the Moabite king alone (Judg 3:19-21).¹⁹

Judg 3:19 [Ehud] said, "I have a secret message for you, O King." The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him. 20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly.

D. To secure Israelite victory: Jael lied to Sisera about her intention to keep the enemy commander safe (Judg 4:18,21; 5:24-27).

Judg 4:18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.... 21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

Judg 5:24 "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. 25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk. 26 Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead.

Summary: God may give (tacit) approval to deception when the safety or integrity of His people is in danger.²⁰

Excursus: On Situational Ethics

Some people might regard the instances of deception in scripture as examples of "situational ethics."

What is it?

Joseph Fletcher (1905-1991), a professor of medical ethics at the University of Virginia Medical School, asserted that...

• There are no moral absolutes.
• The distinction between right and wrong is flexible: What is right in one case may be wrong in another, and vice versa. 

According to Fletcher, Jesus abolished the rigid system of Old Tetament laws. In its place...

• A single moral principle governs all ethical decisions: "All you need is love."

By asking, "What is the loving thing to do in this situation?" we will know what is the right thing to do.

What is wrong with this approach? Why is it inadequate for distinguishing right from wrong? ... There are several problems.

First, it fails to identify the most worthy object of love in any given case.

For example, should an adulterer attempt to maximize his own feelings, those of his paramour, or those of his wife (Clark 1973:624)? The application of the principle will be different depending on which one receives the greatest consideration.

• Applying the principle to the adulterer would mean that he should take whatever he wants from both women.
• Applying the principle to his paramour would mean that he should devote his affection to her and divorce his wife. 
• Applying the principle to his wife would mean that he should devote his affection to her and dump his paramour. Without moral absolutes, one application of love is as good as another.

Second, it elevates man's judgment to determine right and wrong over God's judgment.

• God has given guidelines in His word about what He regards as right and wrong, and it is presumptuous of man (as well as dangerous) to ignore them.

Third, it defines love too narrowly, looking only at the immediate result and ignoring the ultimate consequence.

• What seems loving at the moment may turn out to be detrimental in the long run and cause more harm than good.

Fourth, it dismisses as irrelevant the most important value in God's ethical system: holiness.

• Although love is an important attribute of God and characterizes much of His dealings with man, it is not His only consideration nor His primary one. The ultimate criterion in the judgment of man's actions (and fate) is whether or not they are holy.

We need more than love to make correct ethical decisions. We need the moral guidance of divine revelation.

There are times when the LORD advises the withholding of information. There are also times when He Himself deliberately deceives. There are even times when God seems to condone lying by others. To what extent do the cases in these three groups undermine the prohibition against lying?

These cases do not undermine the biblical prohibition against lying for two reasons:

• They are limited in number: There are many more counter-examples that support being truthful, and those are what should govern the majority of our actions.

• They are limited in scope: They represent the most severe and exceptional circumstances, that is, severe and exceptional as God defines them (not as we define them).

There is a further caveat: The prohibition against lying may not be universal, because it is often accompanied by a qualifier that seems to limit its application to the covenant community.²¹

• Lev 19:11c "Do not deceive one another"
• Exod 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor"
• Zech 8:16 "Speak the truth to each other"
• Eph 4:25 "...each of you must.. . speak truthfully to his neighbor.
• Col 3:9 "Do not lie to each other"

God's primary concern is proper relationships among His people.²²

Another type of deception the Bible does not address, but which we should consider, is what one author calls "the polite untruth demanded by etiquette" (Foster 1975:927), by which he means our reply when...

• A store clerk, with a long line of customers, asks, "How are you, today?"
• A co-worker, in hideous attire, asks, "What do you think of my new outfit?"
• A hostess, after a barely palatable meal, fishes for a complement, saying, "I hope you enjoyed dinner."

How should you respond, and how does your answer relate to the biblical prohibition against lying?

In social situations, the other person neither expects nor desires more than a cursory reply.

• All the clerk wants to hear—and all that is appropriate—is, "I'm fine, thank you."
• All the co-worker wants to hear—and all that is appropriate—is, "That is a striking color combination."
• All the hostess wants to hear—and all that is polite—is, "it was a most pleasant evening."

In such situations, brevity and diplomacy should govern your response.

Other kinds of deception include:

• The feints that players of one team will use against another to win a game, and
• The misinformation a person may disseminate to conceal a surprise, such as Grace's many fibs to Eddie in an attempt to keep his retirement party secret.

How do these relate to the prohibition against lying?

In sports events and in surprise parties, such deceptions are both expected by the participants and ultimately enjoyable for the participants. The Bible's condemnation of lying pertains to the kinds of interactions where honesty is expected and where dishonesty would be detrimental to the relationship (i.e., malevolent versus benevolent). In other words, lying is about intent not content.

Conclusion: Is lying always wrong, or are there extenuating circumstances in which God may permit it? . . . The examples in this survey are not instances of situational ethics, where the overriding principle is love (as man defines it). The conditions are much narrower. Just as sin can cause people to lose the favor of God, so it can shut them off from the truth of God, because sin aligns them with the enemy of God, with Satan and his rebellion. At that point, God may use the opposition's favorite tactic (i.e., deception) against them. Apart from so-called polite lies, there are three kinds of instances in which God sanctions being less than forthright:²³

• He may withhold truth from those who are unreceptive to it.
• He may deceive those who have already rejected the truth.
• He may mislead those who would harm His people. 

Unless one of these conditions is present, lying is wrong.

Bibliography

• Alexander, Ralph H., 1973, "Lying." Baker's Dictionary of Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, pp. 400-401.
• Baker, K.L., 1975, "Deceit." ZPEB 2:84.
• Clark, Gordon H., 1973, "Situational Ethics." Baker's Dictionary of Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, pp. 623-624.
• Foster, L., 1975, "Lie, Lying." ZPEB 3:926-927.

Endnotes

(1) These are the main types of "sanctification of the (divine) name."

Lev 22:31 "Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. 32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy

Prohibitions and illustrations include:

• Pagan idolatry

Exod 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them...

Dan 3:14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Ahednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "0 Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, 0 king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

b Pes 53b This did Thaddeus of Rome (???) teach: ... Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah... delivered themselves, for the sanctification of the [Divine] Name, to the fiery furnace....

• Premeditated murder

Exod 20:13 You shall not murder.

Josh 9:15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. 16 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.... 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.

b Git 46a ... the reason why the Israelites did not slay them was because [this would have impaired] the sanctity of God's name [i.e., because the princes had sworn to them by the Lord].

• Sexual immorality

Exod 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.

Gen 39:7... his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" 8 But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"

b Sot 36b R Hana b Bizna [?] said in the name of R Simeon the Pious [c. 300 b.c.e.]: Joseph sanctified the heavenly Name....

The counterpart is "defamation of the (divine) name"

Lev 22:32a Do not profane my holy name.

Illustrations include:

• Pagan idolatry

Ezek 20:39 "As for you, 0 house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.

• Premeditated murder

Lev 18:21 "Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. b Sanh 107a Rab Judah [b Ezekiel; d. 299] said in Rab's name [d. 247]: . . . David wished to worship idols [so that, should Absalom slay him, the son would be absolved by his supposed religious zeal.] "Let me worship idols rather than that the Divine Name be publicly profaned [by Absalom's political assassination] !"

• Sexual immorality

Amos 2:7b Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.

Even here, there is some question as to the absoluteness of these prohibitions. Some authorities advocate martyrdom over transgression.

b Sanh 74a R Johanan Ed. 2901 said in the name of R Simeon b Jehozadak [early 3d c]: By a majority vote, it was resolved in the upper chambers of the house of Nithza in Lydda that in every law of the Torah, if a man is commanded: 'Transgress and suffer not death' he may transgress and not suffer death, excepting idolatry, incest [which includes adultery], and murder.

Ps 44:22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Sifre Deut 32 on 6:5 R Simeon b Menasya [late 2d c] [in a dissenting view] says: How can a man be slain all the day? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, credits the righteous as if they were slain daily.

Others assert that God's commands are to enhance life not end it and that transgression, therefore, is permissible for the sake of self-preservation.

Lev 18:5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.

David lies to Ahimelech about his mission in order to provide the priest with "plausible deniability" should King Saul question him later.

1 Sam 21:1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" 2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place."

Unfortunately, Doeg's partial lie seals the priest's fate, despite Ahimelech's protestation.

1 Sam 22:9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's officials, said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahirnelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine." ... 15b Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair." 16 But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father's whole family."

Deception, even with good intentions, does not always have the desired effect.

(2) Other passages include:

Exod 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Lev 19:12 "Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Ps 59:12 For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter,

Prov 12:22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.

(3) Others make similarly sweeping statements.

• "Lying is everywhere condemned in the Scripture" (Foster 1975:926).
• "God never lies.., nor ever approves lying" (Alexander 1973:401).

(4) Relevant passages include:

Num 23:19a God is not a man, that he should lie....

1 Sam 15:29a He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie....

Ps 119: 160a All your words are true...

Heb 6:18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. (Notice, though, the restricting nominal phrase: "two unchangeable things.")

(5) Relevant passages include:

Isa 44:20 He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?"

Isa 59:4 No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

Jer 10: 14b every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them.

Hos 11:12a Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit.

Matt 24:5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.

Rom 1:25a They exchanged the truth of God for a lie....

Rom 3:13b their tongues practice deceit.

Eph 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

Col 2:8a See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy....

He particularly condemns false prophets and teachers for their detrimental influence.

Isa 9:15b the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

Jer 23:26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?

Ezek 13:6 Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, "The LORD declares," when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. 7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, "The LORD declares," though I have not spoken?

Eph 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

1 John 2:22a Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

(6) Other passages include:

2 Cor 11: 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

2 Cor 2:11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

2 Cor 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Thess 2:2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.... 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

John 8:44c When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

1 Tim 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

1 Kgs 22:21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' ...22b 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. ...23a "So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours."

Rev 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Rev 20:8a and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog - to gather them for battle.... l0a And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.

(7) Relevant passages include:

Col 3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

(8) Relevant passages include:

Deut 19:18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.

2 Kgs 5:20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him." ...22 "Everything is all right," Gehazi answered. "My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing." ...25 Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. "Where have you been, Gehazi?" Elisha asked. "Your servant didn't go anywhere," Gehazi answered. 26 But Elisha said to him, "Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? 27 Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever." Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.

Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.

(9) Relevant passages include:

Ps 24:4b who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

(10) Relevant passages include:

Matt 26:72 He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"

(11) Other passages include:

Exod 7:16 Then say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened.

Exod 8:20 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.... 27 We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us."

Exod 9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me." 13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me,

Exod 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ...9 Moses answered, "We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the LORD." ...25 But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD."

(12) Other passages include:

Matt 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Matt 8:4 Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Matt 12:16 warning them not to tell who he was.

13 God, Himself, does not reveal all.

1 Cor 2:1 lb In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

(14) The context to Isaiah's description of the suffering servant, and to Peter's application of it to Jesus, that "no deceit was found in his mouth" (Isa 53:9b; 1 Pet 2:22b) concerns the messiah's death and may refer to his willingness to face execution rather than talk his way out of it by denying his divine appointment.

(15) Relevant passages include:

Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

 (16) Other instances of deception for the sake of personal safety may also fall under this heading.

• Abraham's deception regarding his wife (Sarah)

Gen 20:2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.... 10 And Abimelech asked Abraham, "What was your reason for doing this?" 11 Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. (God apprises Abimelech of his sin and threatens to punish him but does not censure Abraham for his deception. On the contrary, it is only through Abraham's intercession that God spares Abimelech,)

Gen 20:7 Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die." ... 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again,

• Isaac's deception regarding his wife (Rebekah)

Gen 26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful." 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her."

Again, there is no record of God's condemning Isaac for his deception. On the contrary, God prospers him.

Gen 26:12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.

•  David's deception regarding his flight

1 Sam 21:1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" 2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find."

There is no critique of David's false statement, but Jesus uses the incident to defend the disciples' presumed desecration of the Sabbath.

Matt 12:3 He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.

• David's deception regarding his sanity

1 Sam 21:12 David... was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

Here as well, there is no mention of any divine rebuke. Rather, David composes a psalm ascribing the success of his deception to God.

Ps 56:0 For the director of music.... When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.... 13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

(17) The deception of Moses' parents in hiding their son from the Egyptian authorities also receives biblical approval.

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

(18) Her deception was a sign of faith.

Heb 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

Related passages include:

2 Sam 17:20 When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" The woman answered them, "They crossed over the brook." The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.

(19) While God does not indicate explicit approval of Ehud's action against the king, there is tacit approval in the Lord's appointment before the event and assumed in the judge's rallying cry after the event.

Judg 3:15b . . . he gave them a deliverer— Ehud.... 28a "Follow me," he ordered, "for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." 

(20) Perhaps this is why Jesus said to his disciples,

Matt 10:16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be a shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

The reference to snakes is an allusion to their deceptive abilities.

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'

2 Cor 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Rev 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

There is what appears to be a counter-example to this principle.

2 Kgs 8:10 Elisha answered, "Go and say to him, 'You will certainly recover'; but the LORD has revealed to me that he will in fact die." 11 He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep. 12 "Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael. "Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites," he answered. "You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women."

The change in Syria's leadership that Elisha's false prediction fostered may have been necessary for God's continued punishment of Israel's sin.

(21) The prohibition against usury is similarly restricted.

Exod 22:25 "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.

Lev 25:35 "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. 37 You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit.

Deut 23:19 Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

(22) Other passages include:

Gal 6:10 . ..let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

(23) Foster suggests several mitigating factors that God "would take into consideration" (1975:927):

1. Is the statement of an untruth deliberate?
2. Is it given with a calculated intent to deceive?
3. Is it intended deceit for the malicious purpose for bringing misery upon another or for the selfish end of one's own advantage?
4. Are the character and intent of the one to whom Untruth is directed the basis for such measures in defense?