Proverbs 26:27-28 Boomerang
Lying about something is a lot like throwing a boomerang. It comes back to you, usually to bite you in the butt! Is it really worth that chance?
Quickly, have to share a joke that popped into my head as I started this. What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back to you? (I’ll tell you at the end.)
I have a nephew who, when he was young, was quite skilled as ‘telling stories’ (lying). He used to get caught in them until one day his dad told him that he got caught because his stories changed. Being the VERY intelligent child he was, he made certain to remember his lies well so he wouldn’t get caught. We KNOW he didn’t quit stretching the truth to fit his wants but we weren’t able to catch him through story changes anymore. We had to find outside evidence, if there was any, to break his stories.
This world has MANY different labels for lying. The psychologist Eric Ericsson defined ten types of lies. “the white lie, façades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissal, and delusion” (Ericsson: Ten Types Of Lying).
God has one label for lying; lying. He did have Samuel use a shrewd way of talking to King Saul to keep himself out of trouble when he went to anoint a new king. Some might call this a “lie of omission” but God didn’t. God DOES NOT LIE. How can I say this? Because it was spoken from the mouth of God through Balaam. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19).
What God says, He does. When He promises there will be blessings, there are. When He promises consequences for our actions, there are or will be. When He promises forgiveness, He delivers. And when He says that our lies will come back to bite us, we can be CERTAIN they will. It may not happen immediately, but you can be sure there is coming a reconning.
Even the ‘little white lies’ can have this effect. Have you ever told someone that you liked their cooking, in an effort to spare their feelings? Only to have them cook that dish for you many more times? My mom, when she was growing up, her parents NEVER told her she was pretty. They were afraid that if they told their girls they were pretty they would be conceited. So, to keep them from being conceited they were told they were “ugly” and that “no one would have them”. They took these words in and rolled them around in their hearts. I KNOW they hurt. It hurts me just thinking about it.
My aunts both married out of convince rather than love. One married the man who had been living with the family for some time because he was available. One married at the age of 16 (I think) so she could leave home. My mom, after being proposed to by my dad, announced to her mother; “I found someone who will keep me.” Their parent’s lies came back around to bite them but they also left wounds in the hearts of their TRULY BEAUTIFUL daughters that they had to fight with for many years.
Be VERY watchful of the words you use. Did you notice I said “watchful” instead of “careful”? I did this on purpose. The reason came from another sermon I heard years ago that has stuck with me. It was explained that being “careful” meant proceeding with fear that something might happen, where as “watchful” meant being aware of the consequences of the choices you make and proceeding without fear. Don’t be afraid of what your words might do. Consider beforehand the words you say and the impact they will most likely have on another.
Speaking lies WILL have unhappy consequences. Choose to speak truth, tempered with love. It may not always be easy to hear the truth, but when it is spoken with love, it will heal rather than hurt. Even Jesus didn’t hide the truth from Peter about how he would deny Jesus in His darkest hour. Jesus told Peter who was behind it all and that He had already seen Peter’s failure. He didn’t cast Peter out before it could happen. He even looked him in the eye right after the event. Peter then saw the truth Jesus spoke of; and the lie he had been telling himself all along. I wonder which “lie” hurt the most. “I’ll die before I deny Your” or “I never knew Him.” THOSE lies hurt more than ANY OTHER lies in his life!
Praise God! The story didn’t end there! Jesus immediately forgave and later restored Peter. Peter could have chosen the same road Judas took, but he didn’t. Instead, he waited for what was to come. He was specifically named when those who saw the angel were told to share what they had learned.
Father God, for ANY lies I have told that I haven’t brought to You already, please forgive me! I know Satin still tries to beat me about the head with some of them. The one he chose today as I was thinking about Your words was one that was SO STUPID, I don’t even know how I expected ANYONE to believe it. It is the one where I told my parents that I was graduating near the top of my class in high school. I got a D in English class and Cs in math! How stupid did I think they were??? That one was definitely a façade; trying to make others believe I was something I wasn’t. Pretending.
The TRUTH is, I’m YOUR child and I’m loved beyond measure. Even when I fail.
Thank You Father for letting me come to You for forgiveness. Thank You also for changing my heart to the point that it hurts when I try and tell even a ‘small’ lie. Keep me FAR FROM THEM Father! That way I don’t have to be waiting for them to come back and bite me.
Answer: A stick.
