“And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine” (1 Samuel 22:10).
TEXT — 1 Samuel 22:6-10
Message
An Irish bishop and philosopher, George Berkeley, who lived from 1685 to 1753 said, “Truth is the cry of all, but the game of the few”. His message was that many profess to love the truth; yet, only very few honour it in deed or in spirit. When the chips are down, many are not faithful witnesses. They either tell half-truth, exaggerate it or deny it completely.
Truth misrepresented is not of God. It is falsehood. It was what Doeg, the Edomite servant of Saul, king of Israel, did as he gave an account of David’s meeting with the priest Ahimelech in Nob. The aspect that the priest “inquired of the LORD for (David)” was a concocted lie. And this was tragic, because it portrayed Ahimelech as an accomplice in the flight of David from Saul. This infuriated Saul and made him commit genocide against 85 priests.
The Lord warns against being false witnesses and against having disdain for the truth. Exodus 20:16 says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour”. And in Revelation 21:27, the Lord sternly cautions that those who manufacture lies “shall in no wise enter into (heaven)”. There are grave consequences for the sin of lying on earth and after death if those who falsify the truth do not repent.
Lying or embellishment of narratives and twisting of facts to gain favour, defend an error or cover-up misdeeds, are abominable acts disavowed by God. We must come clean as sincere believers who do not cut corners to make a living. We must flee from associates who invent lies and engage in smart dealings that dishonour the biblical standards and render one unworthy of being called a child of the most high God.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
1 Samuel 22:17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD
It is instructive to note the the second part of this verse: Believers should be brave against evil and oppressive instruction from whatever source or personality is coming from.
1 Samuel 22:17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD
It is instructive to note the the second part of this verse: Believers should be brave against evil and oppressive instruction from whatever source or personality is coming from.