| From the beginning of time, half-truths have been the most destructive of all forces, seeking to overwhelm God’s plan through innuendo, false reports, and outright deception, often with tragic results.
Consider several accounts throughout the Old and New Testaments:
DECEPTION OF ADAM AND EVE
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:1-5)
Satan, in the form of the serpent, was not telling a total falsehood. Neither was Eve. There was some truth to both of their statements. However, the result of this web of half-truths led to the most momentous event in history prior to the birth of Christ:
- Sin began ravaging the world.
- Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise.
- The ground was cursed for their sake.
- All the burdens of life—sickness, heartache, loneliness, trouble, and eventual death—were caused by the actions that were based on half-truths that fateful day.
Thankfully, God’s plan of salvation, from that moment, pointed toward a day when the Lamb of God would come to redeem the world.
JOSEPH’S BETRAYAL
Genesis 37-50 offer graphic detail as Joseph’s ten oldest brothers, fueled by jealousy, stripped him of his coat of many colors and sold him into slavery. Lies to Joseph’s father were mingled with half-truths told by the brothers. In Egypt lies told by Potiphar’s lust-filled wife resulted in Joseph being thrown into prison. Once again, God used the most cruel of all deceptive circumstances to bring salvation to an entire nation. In fact, Joseph proclaimed to his brothers who came to Egypt to find food during the terrible famine: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
KING SAUL’S HALF-TRUTH FUELED HATRED TOWARD DAVID
According to 1 Samuel 10:5-13:4, Saul started with the anointing of God on his life; however he did not maintain his walk with God. In the course of time, Saul loved young David for the peace he brought through music and his strength in battle. However, as soon as God's anointing on David started to make him popular with the people, the praise of the people for David became the source of Saul's envy for David.
The man who Saul once loved becomes marked for destruction. A pattern of half-truths and deception follows, with Saul attempting to dissuade others from following David. Saul even swears by the Lord not to touch David, but then changes his mind. This happens again and again.
In an ultimate twist of irony, the Lord chose Saul's own family (especially Jonathan) as instruments of David's deliverance. Imagine Saul’s wretched end, knowing that his half-truths and arrogance toward God’s will for His people ended up causing untold destruction.
THE SAVIOR’S BETRAYAL THROUGH HALF-TRUTHS
Betrayed by both a disciple and the religious leaders of His day, the Lamb of God endured the deceptions, taunts, and deliberate half-truths to hang on Calvary’s cross without blemish—holy, righteous, and just.
Throughout the trial, sentencing, and death, Christ Jesus went through seven distinct inspections—Pilate (John 19:4), King Herod (Luke 23:13-15), Annas, father-in-law of the high priest (John 18:12-14,24), Caiaphas, the high priest (John 18), Judas (Matthew 27:4), the centurion (Matthew 27:54), and even the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-42). In the end, each inspector admitted that Jesus Christ, despite the half-truths that led to His death, was blameless.
The sins of each of us were sufficient to send the Savior to the cross to die and complete God’s plan for our salvation. Sadly, the half-truths that were used to deceive and betray will long be held up in monumental shame.
THE APOSTLE PAUL’S EXECUTION
As a result of falsehoods and innuendo, Paul endured beatings, imprisonment, and—in the end—beheading in the city of Rome. The man whose Holy Spirit-inspired writing fills much of the New Testament, faced unmentionable hatred and betrayal, yet in the end he wrote:
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
Sadly, the half-truths led to Paul’s death, yet the fire of the Gospel, fueled by the martyrdom of the great apostle, spread throughout the known world during his generation and continues touching hearts and changing lives today.
Since the beginning of time, half-truths have brought tragic and lasting destruction, yet God’s plan overcomes deception to bring the life-saving and miracle-working power to needy souls. The Savior’s power, in the end, cannot be stopped, regardless of appearances:
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
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