“13 Keep your tongue from evil, And
your lips from speaking deceit.”
Psalm 34:13
You should
not lie because it is wrong. But it is important to understand, that if you do choose
to live a life of lies, you will be robbed of all joy and peace. A Spurgeon
notes,
“Deceit
must be very earnestly avoided by the man who desires happiness. A crafty
schemer lives like a spy in the enemy’s camp, in constant fear of exposure and
execution. Clean and honest conversation, by keeping the conscience at ease,
promotes happiness, but lying and wicked talk stuffs our pillow with thorns,
and makes life a constant whirl of fear and shame.”[1]
Danger can
come upon any man at any time. Such is the way of this world. But the liar
lives in expectation of it, from every direction, constantly. He lives in constant fear of
being exposed, he lives in constant fear of saying something which will cause
the entire tapestry of his worldview to fall apart. He lives in dread of those
who pay careful attention to what he says.
The honest
man will be wrong from time to time, but he simply admits this, and moves on.
Most people will accept this, some might choose not to, because they see it as
a means of constantly attacking him. But in general the honest man does not
have to fear being wrong, because part of being honest is knowing that you do
not know everything and that you will make mistakes.
The liar, on
the other hand, does fear being wrong. Because his mistakes are not simply
mistakes, they are cracks in the façade of a life that is built on a house of
cards. A house that will come down. He must be ever watchful, ever suspicious
of others around him, because that is his nature. He acts suspicious and treats
others the very same.
A life of
lies is unnecessary and unhealthy. Being crafty might be considered a skill,
some people certainly are better at it than others. However, it is a poisonous
trait to live by. As Spurgeon also says, "Men cannot spit forth poison
without feeling some of the venom burning their own flesh."[2] To live a life of lies is
to live a life by slow, but effective poison. To not experience that slow
personal death in your life every day is a good enough reason to avoid it.
Why live in
chains, when you can live free.
Of course, to
live by the truth takes courage. It is hard for people to do at times. But anything else
is choosing to live in chains.
List of
References
[1] Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David,
Commentary on Psalm 34 vs 13
[2] Ibid.
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