The Things God Hates
A False Witness That Speaks Lies
Lying is such a stench to the nostrils of God that it is mentioned twice in the seven things He hates. However, lying on the stand in court takes it to a different level. Not only can it harm a person's reputation, but it can also lead to their punishment, even unto death, if it is a capital offense they are accused of. The best example of this is the accusations against Jesus that led to his death on the cross. We know that he never sinned, but there were people coerced to say that he had, so they could beat him and hang him on the cross to stop him from pointing out the truth about who the Pharisees and Sadducees really were. They were the liars.
Then there was the story of Naboth, which somewhat reminds me of the story I told yesterday about the pastor. Naboth had a vineyard that Ahab wanted for his own, but Naboth didn't want to sell it to him, so Jezebel devised a scheme to take it from him by accusing him of blasphemy against God and Ahab, the king. She found two witnesses willing to spread that rumor, which in turn caused him to be stoned to death so that she could take the vineyard for her husband, the king. Those vile men lied, bearing false witness against Naboth, causing his destruction so a depressed king could have his garden.
If you have ever wondered whether the Bible is relevant today, I assure you there is nothing new under the sun. In the story I told yesterday, two men were also coerced to sow discord in the church by saying that because the preacher couldn't control his own family, he wasn't fit to lead a church. It's the unfortunate truth of what a modern-day preacher has to face in this season of deception.
If you are ever called as a witness and find yourself on the witness stand, it is far better to tell the truth and face the consequences of the people rather than face the punishment of God, who hates a liar.
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Matthew 15:18-19
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