Proverbs 12:22

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

“What’s with all the hate, bro? Like…I thought God was supposed to be all full of love and stuff?” Ugh.

The bible makes it perfectly clear that God is full of love (1 Jn. 4:8), which is exactly why He hates lying. Not only is lying utterly contradictory to God’s nature, but it’s also a slap in the face of his faithfulness. The first lie took place in the Garden of Eden, and it called into question God’s goodness and trustworthiness. God was allegedly denying them his best (the one tree). He was allegedly denying them his knowledge (of good and evil). And, He was allegedly denying them their destiny with the empty threat of death.

Now, imagine if Lucifer had slithered into the Garden to tell the truth rather than to lie. “Don’t touch the fruit of that tree” he said. “For if you do, the knowledge that comes with it will not only destroy your lives, but also the lives of countless millions of people who will come after you! And not only that,” the serpent added, “but your disobedience will result in the death of your bodies! But even worse, eternal separation from God in a terrible, terrible place called hell!” That was certainly some truth that would have delighted their Heavenly Father, don’t you think? After all, what parent doesn’t appreciate someone that looks out for the best interest of their kids?

When we choose to tell the truth, we declare that we are going to trust in God’s goodness and faithfulness rather than trusting in our own schemes and manipulations. When we choose to tell the truth, we declare that we are going to walk in a manner that is worthy of God’s blessings and a proper representation of who He is. When we choose to tell the truth, it unlocks the blessings of God which are then poured out on us, much to our Father’s delight. Our lying puts a lock on God’s storehouse of blessings, while our truth-telling takes the lock off and throws away the key.

Would you rather have God detest you, or delight in you? As always, the choice is yours.